How To Write Your Valet Parking Request For Proposal
If you are a business owner, hotel manager, or in charge of operations at a hospital and are considering hiring outside help to address your parking logistics, traffic flow and parking lot safety needs, you might be wondering what the next step in the process is to achieve your goal.
No two businesses, hotels, or hospitals are the same. For a valet service company to completely understand the scale of the job, it helps to see, in writing, all of the factors that have led you to ask for their services. You will most likely contact several companies to shop around to get the best service for the money.
This document is called a Request for Proposal, or RFP, and this article is geared toward showing you how to write a request for a proposal that is rich in detail so you get the full benefit of having valet services at your side.
What Is A Request For Proposal For Valet?
A valet parking request for proposal is issued to all companies bidding on a project. It is a document that is used to solicit plans and prices from different companies so that you might be able to compare them. It both outlines and details all that is required and expected for the project. Once a prospective valet provider studies the proposal, they determine how much they would charge based on the scope of the project as laid out in the request for proposal.
The valet parking request for proposal is used to give outside help the tools they’ll need to do the job to your satisfaction. Parking and traffic flow logistics can be extremely complicated and requires experienced professionals to make the job worth it. An RFP provides valet companies with all they’ll need to know to make sure the job is done correctly.
If a company is interested in the project, it will respond with an action plan. Once each vendor you approach responds to your RFP, you’ll be able to weed out which ones won’t work based on their strengths and limitations, in addition to their quoted price. You can gain insight into different ways of tackling challenges you haven’t thought of based on each company action plan too.
What Should A Valet Parking Request For Proposal Include?
First of all, composing an effective request for proposal takes a lot of work. Don’t be afraid to ask for help from other departments of your business or organization. They might have specific knowledge or experience or insights that make the RFP better.
Start with a project overview or a general survey of the project. This will save companies who aren’t interested in the time it takes to go through the whole proposal. Include what your company or organization does and who your customers are.
Next outline what you hope to accomplish in hiring a valet parking company and define what a successful project looks like to you. This way all are on the same page. Go into minute detail about things like parking lot space, traffic issues, construction in the area, street parking nearby and so on.
Leave nothing or as little to interpretation as possible. A schedule of when you expect the valet operation will be up and running with noticeable improvements is vital too. That way a company will know if they’re capable of taking the job.
Identifying the hurdles the company will face is probably the most important part of a successful valet parking request for proposal. After all, you wouldn’t be hiring outside help if there weren’t any. Be crystal clear about roadblocks the company will encounter in implementing their strategy. You might want to include ways you’ve tried to mitigate issues in the past and the resources you have at hand to assist if need be. You will see some creative ways of addressing issues in each action plan you get back.
Put down a realistic budget for the project in the request for proposal. This again will get you closer to the best company for the job. Lastly, identify what is most important to you in the company you hire. Do you want them to be an extension of your company? Do you want them to be solution-focused when problems arise? What matters the most to you?
FC Parking Is Your Source For Everything Valet
At FC Parking we strive to make your life easier by providing clear, digestible information about how to go about writing your request for proposal. We’ve received our fair share of RFPs and feel as though we have valuable insights to share on what makes a good one. We are happy to consult and send samples of thorough parking RFPs.
We welcome requests for proposals from restaurants and businesses, hotels, hospitals and more. Please don’t hesitate to get in contact with your valet service needs.