Digital MarketingService
Responding to a freight RFQ
Why forwarders sometimes lose tenders they could have won.
Kaelo Global is a Dubai company licensed in Meydan Free Zone, with over 100 clients served so far.
At a glance
What it is
Whether you are invited is often decided months before the RFQ arrives.
A principal, Kaelo Global digital marketing
Many freight tenders are lost in the response document, even when the rate was competitive. Bids arrive incomplete, based on inconsistent assumptions or answering a question the buyer did not ask, and an evaluator reading many responses can only score what is in front of them.
Marketing has a larger part to play here than most forwarders expect. The material a freight RFQ response draws on, such as capability statements, lane coverage and evidence of performance, is built long before the tender arrives. We help you prepare that material in advance and keep it current, so your team can respond well when a deadline is close.
What's included
Five areas of scopeThe material a tender draws on
Capability statements, lane coverage, compliance and accreditation evidence, claims and on-time performance history, systems and integration details, and your contingency and escalation process. Preparing these once and keeping them current is far easier than assembling them under a deadline.
Answering the question that was asked
Evaluators score against their own criteria. A response that rearranges the buyer's structure to suit the bidder tends to score badly, even when the capability behind it is strong, so we help you follow the buyer's structure closely.
Supporting what you claim
Phrases such as excellent service levels score very little. A stated on-time figure, with the way it was measured, scores well. Where a figure is weak, stating it alongside a plan to improve it is usually better than leaving it out, because evaluators notice gaps.
Being invited in the first place
Invitations are often decided months before an RFQ, based on visibility and reputation with the procurement team. That is a marketing task, and it is usually the one worth tackling first.
A library your team can reuse
We organise approved answers, evidence and documents into a library with a named owner, so each response starts from current material instead of an old bid.
How the work runs
Reviewing what you have
We look at the material you already hold, what is out of date and what is missing.
Building a response library
Reusable, current answers, with someone on your team responsible for keeping them up to date.
Positioning for the invitation
Visibility with procurement teams ahead of the tender cycle, through content, trade press and your own website.
Learning from past bids
Where you are willing to share them, we look at recent tenders you did not win and note where the response, as opposed to the rate, may have cost you.
When to come to us
- 01You are invited to tenders but win fewer than you expect.
- 02Each response is put together from scratch under a deadline.
- 03You suspect you are not being invited to tenders you could win.
- 04Different people on your team give different answers to the same tender questions.
What we do not do
- Writing your technical or compliance answers for you. Those must come from your operation, and we help you present them clearly.
- Overstating an accreditation or a service level. Evaluators check, and being found out can end the relationship as well as the bid.
- Promising that a better response will win a particular tender.
Getting on the invitation list.
Procurement teams usually invite forwarders they already know and trust. Being visible to those teams well ahead of the tender cycle is the part of the process that marketing can influence most.
Related reading
Our specialist practice for freight forwarders, customs brokers, carriers, 3PLs and removals companies in the UAE.
Shippers visit to check that you are real and that you run their lane. We make that easy.
Tender design, carrier selection and cost baselining, explained as a practical method.
Common questions
