When companies issue a corporate travel RFP, cost and location have traditionally been the deciding factors in choosing accommodation providers. Yet increasingly, procurement leaders, travel managers, and consultants are recognising that value goes far deeper than the numbers on a spreadsheet.
At a recent travel industry seminar, three priorities emerged as central to modern corporate travel RFP evaluation: sustainability, duty of care, and security. These aren’t just line items in a proposal; they are the foundations of responsible and future-ready travel programs.
Sustainability in Corporate Travel RFPs: From Buzzword to Benchmark
For years, sustainability in travel was more aspiration than action. Today, it’s a measurable business imperative. Companies face mounting pressure to report on ESG commitments, and the corporate travel RFP checklist has become a vital tool for embedding these values into supplier partnerships.
Accommodation is an obvious contributor to a company’s travel footprint. Until recently, however, the tools available to measure environmental impact were designed almost exclusively for hotels. Yet in reality, most corporate travel preferred partner programs extend well beyond hotels to include extended-stay and serviced apartment accommodation. Fortunately, these tools are now being developed. For example, Silverdoor’s Carbon Calculator, tailored specifically for the serviced apartment sector, allows procurement teams to have accurate, comparable data to assess RFP responses.
The findings are striking: in Canberra, for example, an Astra Apartment uses up to 96% lower CO₂ emissions than the hotel industry average. For procurement managers, this shifts the decision from being purely financial to being reputational, strategic, and ESG-driven. When evaluating corporate travel RFP responses, the provider who can demonstrate a lower carbon footprint will stand out.
Duty of Care: A Key Corporate Travel RFP Criterion
A corporate travel RFP isn’t only about finding accommodation, it’s about protecting employees. Companies have a legal and moral obligation to keep travellers safe, supported, and cared for.
Imagine a traveller arriving in an unfamiliar city late at night. One RFP response outlines a lockbox check-in process; another highlights a 24/7 personal meet-and-greet service, confirmation of safe arrival, and round-the-clock emergency support. For procurement teams, the latter isn’t just an added service; it’s a reassurance that their people are never alone.
Attentive accommodation providers also take steps like avoiding ground-floor apartments, prioritising higher floors for female travellers, and tailoring placements to reduce risks. When reviewing a corporate travel RFP checklist, these duty of care measures should be considered essential, not optional.
Security Requirements in RFP Evaluations: The Invisible Comfort
Security doesn’t often dominate RFP discussions, but it underpins every traveller’s sense of safety. The most impactful providers build security seamlessly into the everyday guest experience.
Multiple layers of building access, such as fob entry to the building, restricted access to floors, and secure apartment entry, along with intercom systems, provide travellers with confidence that their physical environment is protected. These measures are especially important for those returning late at night or staying for extended periods in an unfamiliar city.
Equally critical is cybersecurity. In an era where business travellers are often handling sensitive company data, having access to a private, non-shared WiFi network is essential. Unlike public or hotel-style networks, secure WiFi ensures that employees can work, communicate, and share files without compromising corporate security. This also extends to their own personal security for accessing online services like banking.
For the consultant working long hours away from home, these combined safeguards, both physical and digital, are invisible comforts that allow them to focus on their role with peace of mind.
Multiple layers of access (building, floor, and apartment entry), secure intercom systems, and private WiFi networks are examples of silent but vital safeguards. For a consultant working long hours in an unfamiliar city, these features are invisible comforts that allow them to focus on their role.
When evaluating RFP responses, procurement leaders should ask: How is security built into the traveller’s experience? Providers who can demonstrate robust, practical measures will help companies meet both compliance standards and traveller expectations.
A New Lens for Corporate Travel RFP Evaluation
The landscape of corporate travel procurement is shifting. Sustainability, duty of care, and security are now as critical as cost and location.
The companies leading the way are those asking:
- How does this provider align with our ESG and sustainability goals?
- What duty of care measures are embedded in their service?
- How do they address security requirements in everyday traveller experiences?
Price and place will always be factors. But a strong corporate travel RFP evaluation balances cost and location with the values and protections that matter most to employees, stakeholders, and the business itself.
FAQs: Corporate Travel RFP Best Practices
A strong corporate travel RFP checklist includes cost transparency, sustainability criteria, duty of care measures, security requirements, traveller support services, and cancellation flexibility.
Go beyond price. Compare providers on ESG alignment, safety and wellbeing policies, and traveller support structures. Consider the hidden value of features like secure WiFi, 24/7 emergency assistance, and sustainability reporting.
Sustainability aligns with company-wide ESG commitments and helps reduce a business’s environmental impact. Choosing providers with lower carbon footprints strengthens reporting outcomes and corporate reputation.
Look for clear policies around meet-and-greet services, traveller tracking, emergency support, and placement considerations (such as prioritising higher floors for female travellers). These demonstrate a genuine commitment to duty of care.
