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Team and procurement · Free Word and Excel template

Warehouse Automation RFP and Vendor Scoring Template

A ready RFP for warehouse robot and automation vendors: your site data, scope, 29 must and should requirements, implementation and acceptance test, service, buy and RaaS price tables, and how you evaluate. The Excel workbook excludes vendors that miss a must-have, works out weighted scores and the total cost over the same years, and ranks the vendors.

Get the RFP (.docx)Arabic RFP
Scoring workbook (.xlsx)Arabic scoring workbook
Free: enter your name, email and job title and we email you the file. The RFP opens in Word, Google Docs and LibreOffice; the workbook works in Excel, Google Sheets and LibreOffice Calc, with no macros.
  • RFP on 7 A4 pages
  • Weighted scoring for 4 vendors
  • Buy vs RaaS over the same years
safee-warehouse-automation-rfp-scoring-en.xlsx
VendorModelMust answered NoScore (of 5)5-year costRank
Vendor ABuy04.072,340,0001
Vendor BRaaS03.503,940,0002
Vendor CBuy13.602,077,000Excluded
Example figures in USD. Vendor C is the cheapest but answered No to a must-have, so it is excluded.
What's in the file

From RFP to award in two files

You send the same document to every vendor and copy the replies into the scoring workbook, so the offers are compared on one basis.

  1. 01

    RFP: site and scope

    About the request and its dates, your operation with average and peak volumes, and the solution types, processes and throughput you need.

  2. 02

    RFP: 29 requirements

    Performance and design, integration and data, operation on your site, safety, service and commercial terms, each with a priority and a reply box.

  3. 03

    RFP: implementation, prices, evaluation

    Implementation phases and acceptance test, service, buy and RaaS price tables, weights, references and the vendor declaration.

  4. 04

    Workbook: requirements and scores

    Replies of up to four vendors, automatic exclusion on a No to a must-have, and 1 to 5 scores with your weights.

  5. 05

    Workbook: costs and ranking

    Total cost to buy and with RaaS over the same years, cost score, ranking, and a reference call log.

What is a warehouse automation RFP?

A request for proposal (RFP) is the document you send to robot and automation vendors with the same data and the same questions, so the proposals you get back can be compared: what solution, how many robots and chargers, what throughput at your peak, how it integrates with your warehouse management system, who services it in your country, and what it costs to buy or rent.

This template is a Word RFP in 10 sections and an Excel workbook to score the replies: must-have requirements, weighted scores, the total cost over the same years, and the ranking.

Why send a written RFP?

  • Proposals rest on different assumptions: robot speed, travel, station time and charging. Asking for them in writing shows where the offers differ.
  • Integration gets left out of the price: Locus Robotics calls WMS integration one of the most underestimated costs in warehouse automation.
  • Buying and RaaS do not compare on the monthly fee: compare the total cost over the same years.
  • Local service makes the difference: a team and spare parts in your country decide how long a failed robot stays down.

How to use the template

  1. Describe your operation: building, summer temperature, and volumes on an average and a peak day.
  2. Set the scope: solution types, processes and the throughput you need.
  3. Review the 29 requirements: must or should, across performance, integration, operation, safety, service and commercial terms.
  4. Agree the weights before you send it: in section 8 and on the Settings sheet.
  5. Score the replies in Excel: exclude any vendor that answered No to a must-have, then weighted score, total cost and ranking.

How does the scoring workbook calculate?

Total cost to buy = one-time costs + yearly support × years Total cost with RaaS = monthly fee × robots × 12 × years + peak robots + setup Cost score = 5 × lowest total cost ÷ vendor total cost Weighted score = Σ (weight × score 1 to 5) ÷ Σ weights Excluded = No on any Must requirement

The weights in the template are examples (throughput and design 25%, integration 15%, safety 10%, local service 15%, implementation 10%, flexibility 10%, cost 15%). Agree yours before the proposals arrive, and do not change them afterwards.

Sources

  • ISO, ISO 3691-4:2023, driverless industrial trucks and their systems (edition 2, June 2023). Source: ISO.
  • The Robot Report, 26 October 2023: ANSI/A3 R15.08-2 and the integrator risk assessment. Source: The Robot Report.
  • VDA press release, 20 August 2024: VDA 5050 version 2.1.0 standardizes communication between vehicles and the control system for mixed fleets. Source: VDA.
  • Locus Robotics, The true ROI of autonomous mobile robots, 16 December 2025 (cost lines and integration). Source: Locus Robotics. Last reviewed 21 October 2026.

Example: three vendors for a fulfillment center

The figures in the scoring workbook are illustrations, not vendor prices.

  • Vendor A offers goods-to-person rack robots to buy, at a total cost of $2,340,000 over 5 years, with a weighted score of 4.07 out of 5.
  • Vendor B offers collaborative picking AMRs as RaaS at $3,940,000 over 5 years including peak robots, scoring 3.50.
  • Vendor C is the cheapest ($2,077,000) but answered No to must-have V-01 (service team and spare parts in the country), so it is excluded.
  • Ranking: Vendor A first. Before the award, the team calls two references for each shortlisted vendor.

Common mistakes in automation RFPs

  • Sending the average day instead of the peak. The fleet is sized for the peak, such as White Friday or Ramadan.
  • Not asking for the simulation assumptions. A robot count alone cannot be compared.
  • Leaving out summer heat. Ask for the temperature range of the robots and batteries.
  • Changing the weights after seeing the offers. The evaluation stops being fair.
  • No acceptance test. Agree the rate, duration and accuracy before the contract and link a payment to it.

What the template does not cover

The template does not choose the vendor for you, and it does not replace a legal review of the contract. The standards named are examples of what to ask for: check their current editions and the requirements in your country. To estimate the payback and the fleet before the RFP, use the Warehouse Robot ROI Calculator and the Robot Fleet Size & Charging Calculator.

Related Safee solution

Robots inside the warehouse, vehicles Safee tracks outside it

Safee does not sell or manage robots. It tracks the delivery vans and trucks that take your orders out of the warehouse, with their trips, stops and arrival times at docks and customer sites.

  • Live tracking of delivery vans and trucks.
  • Geofences around docks and customer sites, with entry and exit times.
  • Trip and stop reports by vehicle and driver.
  • Alarms for speeding, route deviation or long stops.
FAQ

Questions about warehouse automation RFPs

Want to review the delivery fleet that serves your warehouse? Talk to Safee.

What goes into a warehouse robot RFP?

Your site data and volumes on an average and a peak day, the scope, requirements with priorities, implementation and acceptance test, service, price tables, the evaluation method and weights, and reference customers.

How do I compare a purchase offer with RaaS?

On the total cost over the same number of years: one-time costs plus yearly support to buy; monthly fees, peak robots and setup for RaaS. The workbook works it out for each vendor.

What are must-have requirements?

Requirements that exclude a proposal if it does not meet them, such as a simulation with its assumptions, WMS integration, safety standards, and a service team and spare parts in your country. You can change the priorities in the file.

What weights should I use?

The weights in the template are examples. Agree them with operations, IT, finance and safety before the RFP goes out, and do not change them after proposals arrive.

Should I ask for VDA 5050?

If you expect to run robots from more than one vendor, ask about an open interface such as VDA 5050, which standardizes communication between vehicles and the control system. It is a should requirement in the template.

Does the template fit autonomous forklifts and sortation robots?

Yes. Choose the solution type in section 3 and add application-specific requirements if needed, such as lift height or the number of sort chutes.

Next step

Talk to Safee about your warehouse fleet

While you choose the robots for inside, tell us about the delivery vans and trucks that serve your warehouse, and we will show you how Safee tracks their trips and stops.

Talk to Safee Get the RFP
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