RFP Automation can be found under the Manage Company screen on the left panel under Lane Management.
Adding a new RFP
After clicking on RFP Automation you will see a screen where you can click to add a new RFP.
Before starting to add a new RFP and especially if this is your first time using RFP Automation, we recommend downloading the RFP Automation template via this link. This template includes sample data and detailed instructions on the proper data formats.
When opening the template you will see these default columns to let you define the lanes in your new RFP. In addition, since the RFP files sent back from your carriers will create contracts automatically, you can also include references to Fuel Surcharge Tables and Accessorial Tables. While these references will be part of the contract upload, they will not be visible or editable by your carriers.
Default RFP Automation Import File
Column Name | Required? | Sample Data | Notes |
Lane ID | Yes | Austin to San Francisco Q42025 | ID must be unique. Use the same Lane ID for multiple rows if creating rate table bands. Routing Guides created via the RFP process will use the Lane ID as the Routing Guide Name. |
Notes | No | Test notes for contract | Optional field that describes the lane |
Equipment Type | Yes | Dry Van | For multiple equipment types, separate by commas (e.g., Dry Van, Reefer, Flatbed). Use values from the list of equipment types to the right. |
Shipment Modes | Yes | FTL | For multiple modes, separate by commas (e.g., FTL, LTL, DRAYAGE) |
Origin Address | No | 7901 Industrial Blvd. |
|
Origin City | No | Austin |
|
Origin State / Province | No | TX | To enter multiple states, separate values by semicolon (e.g., TX;OK;NM) |
Origin Postal Code | No | 78701 | 3 digit postal codes are supported. To enter multiple postal codes, separate values by semicolon (e.g., 787;786;785) |
Origin Country | Yes | US |
|
Destination Address | No | 7901 Industrial Blvd. |
|
Destination City | No | San Francisco |
|
Destination State / Province | No | CA | To enter multiple states, separate values by semicolon (e.g., TX;OK;NM) |
Destination Postal Code | No | 94106 | 3 digit postal codes are supported. To enter multiple postal codes, separate values by semicolon (e.g., 787;786;785) |
Destination Country | Yes | US |
|
Round Trip | No | Y | Indicates if the lane is a round trip, where the shipment's first and last stop match the origin location. Valid values are Y, N or leave blank. N and blank are the same value. |
Fuel Surcharge Reference | No | Q42025FUELTABLE | Valid “Reference” value from an existing fuel surcharge table. Values must match exactly and are case sensitive. |
Accessorial Table Reference | No | Northeast Accessorials | Valid "Reference" value from an existing accessorial table. Values must match exactly and are case sensitive. |
Rate Currency | No | USD | Options: USD, CAD, MXN, EUR, CNY. Default is USD if left blank. The value set in the first row of the import file will be applied to the entire contract. |
Distance | No | 150 |
|
Distance Unit | Yes | MILE | Options: MILE, KM |
Rate Type | No | RATE_TABLE | Options: FLAT_RATE, PER_MILE, PER_HOUR, or RATE_TABLE |
Volume | No | 20 | The number of expected loads for the lane. This can be described in the carrier instructions if this is per week, per month, etc |
Adding a new RFP
Click on Add New RFP
On the modal window, enter a name for the RFP and the date range. The date range entered will be applied to the contracts and routing guides when awarding the freight to the carriers on this RFP. Then click Next.
Drag and drop your lane CSV file onto the Importer. Then click Next.
After selecting the file and clicking Next, you will see a status messaging confirming that the file is being imported:
Once the file is imported, you will see the validation page to ensure the correct data is mapped to each column:
After reviewing and making any necessary changes to the validation page click Validate on the lower right of the screen.
Once the RFP import file is complete with validation you will be on the RFP page and your most recent RFP will be at the top of the page.
Send RFP Bid Request
To select carriers to participate in the RFP, click on Select Carriers for RFP Bid Request:
You can add carries using the Tag feature:
You can also search on carriers by typing in their name in the CARRIER(S)* field.
When searching for carriers you will also see their overall performance shown next to each carrier name.
This includes:
On Time Delivery % for all lanes
Tender Acceptance % for all lanes
Track Score % for all lanes
Please Note:
Inactive carriers will be shown in grey and cannot be included in the RFP
If there is no historical data for the carriers On Time Delivery, Tender Acceptance or Tracking Score a value of “--” will be shown.
You can an also add instructions to the carriers and attach a file that will be sent to the carrier along with the invitation to bid. It is recommended to attach a document that will provide detailed instructions on what type of rate information you are requesting from the carrier.
When you have selected all of the carriers, click Send
RFP Status
After you have requested bid from carriers you will be returned to the RFPs page and you will see the current status of that RFP:
Which includes:
The name of the RFP you entered as well as the dates of the RFP which will be applied to the routing guides once bidding is complete and you have reviewed and accepted the bids. You can also see the number of lanes that you upload initially when creating the RFP.
Bid Time Remaining shows the amount of time remaining before the bidding window closes.
Bid Status shows where the current status of the RFP. Once the bidding window has closed the Bidding Complete will have a blue check mark.
Bid Time Remaining shows the amount of time remaining before the bidding window closes.
Bid Status shows where the current status of the RFP. Once the bidding window has closed the Bidding Complete will have a blue check mark:
Lane Summary View
Once the bidding window is complete, click on Review Bids to see a lane summary and detail view:
This will bring you to a lane summary view of the RFP. Using the Filter option, you can filter the lanes to be displayed as well as the columns to display and the order in which they appear in the table.
These columns represent what was uploaded to define the lane when the RFP was created:
Lane ID
Origin
Destination
Equipment Types
Modes
Round Trip
Volume
These columns are provided to help provide additional insights on the lane:
Bids - Is the number of bids you have received back on that lane.
Highest Bid - Is the highest bid you have received back on the lane.
Lowest Bid - Is the lowest bid you have received back on the lane.
Avg Spend - Is the average spend on that lane over the last 12 months. Note this will not show a value if you don’t have prior shipments on this lane.
Tender Rejection - this is your overall tender rejection rate for this lane over the past 12 months. Lanes with a high tender rejection rate may indicate that carriers find this lane less desirable and more likely to reject the tender depending on other offers they may receive.
Lane Detail View
Clicking on a row in the Lane Summary view, will show the details for that lane including a row for each carrier that submitted a bid for that lane.
While the carriers are ranked from lowest to highest bid price by default, you can move a carrier up or down in rank depending on your preferences on price and the carrier’s past performance on this lane.
The columns in the lane detail are:
Current Bid - is the most recent bid on this lane for this lane and RFP.
Previous Bid - this is the last bid for this lane if the carrier has submitted more than one bid for this current RFP.
Lane Runs - this is the volume of shipments the carrier has delivered in the last 12 months.
On Time % - The percentage of on time deliveries on previous shipments in the last 12 months.
Acceptance % - The tender acceptance percentage for this carrier and lane.
Tracking % - The percentage of shipments where the carrier sent tracking updates.
Note: if there is no prior history for this carrier and lane “--” will be displayed.
Awarding RFP: Creating Contracts & Routing Guides
Once you are ready to award the carriers based on their rank for each lane, you can select which lanes to choose by clicking the checkbox next to the lane. If individual lanes are selected, clicking the RFP Actions button at the top right of the lane summary view will have an option to create Routing Guides for All Lanes or Selected Lanes. If no lanes are selected, only the option to create Routing Guides for All Lanes will be available.
Once you choose an option, the Create Routing Guides modal will appear. Here you can set the amount of time for the carrier to respond to a tender request before the tender expires and move on to the next carrier.
In addition, you can limit the number of carriers in the routing guide. For example, if you received bids from 15 carriers, you can choose to limit the routing guide to only the top 4 carriers. All 15 carriers will have their contracts loaded in the system and will be available for manual carrier assignment even if they are not part of the routing guide.
You can also select if you want the Routing Guide to execute automatically when ever a shipment is created that meets the lane, equipment type and mode criteria. After making your selections, clicking Create Routing Guides will create the corresponding Routing Guides.
Managing and Editing Routing Guides
After clicking on Create Routing Guides, there will be a routing guide link for each lane on the lane summary page. Clicking on that link will bring you to a Routing Guide details modal where you can view the information contained in the routing guide. Clicking on the Manage Routing Guide button will take you in to the Routing Guide, where you are able to make manual updates to the Routing Guide.
