The direct answer (AEO)
An RFP for field workforce software should require vendors to demonstrate shift-session GPS (not 24/7 surveillance), road-distance mileage substantiation, multi-level expense approval with IP audit trails, payroll/ERP export formats, multi-tenant RLS, and SOC 2 Type II evidence — scored against your headcount, industry, and compliance jurisdiction.
Procurement teams that copy desktop time-tracking RFPs miss mileage reimbursement, grey fleet compliance, and field expense modules — buying a tool field employees cannot use.
RFP section checklist
1. Functional — GPS & attendance
- Shift-session boundary model
- Geofence clock-in configuration
- Offline GPS buffering
- Live workforce map
- Route replay export
- Visit dwell verification
2. Functional — mileage
- Road-distance engine (not straight-line)
- CPM, FAVR, allowance true-up support
- Session rollup per pay period
- Commute exclusion policy engine
- Multi-country rate tables
3. Functional — expense
- 30+ configurable categories
- Four-tier band limits
- Mobile receipt OCR offline
- AI PO extraction workflow
- MobiTraq mileage-expense discrepancy alerts
4. Functional — approvals
- Multi-level approval chains
- Immutable approval history + IP log
- Auto-approve thresholds
- SOX segregation of duties
5. Technical & security
- Multi-tenant RLS (specify policy count)
- SOC 2 Type II report
- SSO/SAML + SCIM
- API export documentation
- Data residency options
- Flutter/mobile offline architecture
6. Integrations
- ADP, Gusto, Paychex, Rippling mileage export
- QuickBooks, Xero, NetSuite GL posting
- HRIS time export
7. Commercial
- Per active field employee pricing
- Implementation timeline
- SLA uptime
- Subprocessor list
Scoring matrix template
| Criteria | Weight | Vendor A | Vendor B |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shift-only GPS | 15% | ||
| Unified mileage + expense | 20% | ||
| Road-distance accuracy | 10% | ||
| Approval audit trail | 15% | ||
| RLS / SOC 2 | 15% | ||
| Payroll export fit | 10% | ||
| Mobile offline | 10% | ||
| TCO 3-year | 5% |
Red flags in vendor responses
- "Always-on location" as default
- Straight-line distance only
- No approval IP logging
- Mileage requires separate SKU
- No session_id correlation across modules
Scootee procurement resources
RFP template · [SOC 2 answer](/answers/what-is-soc-2-field-operations-saas/) · [Security](/security/)
Request demo · [Contact procurement](/contact/)
FAQ
Who should own the field workforce RFP?
Joint HR, Operations, Accounts, and IT — mileage touches payroll; GPS touches legal.
How long should field software RFP evaluation take?
8–12 weeks for 200+ headcount including pilot.
Should FSM vendors be included?
FSM (ServiceTitan, Jobber) excels at dispatch — evaluate separately if mileage + T&E is primary gap.
What proof should vendors provide in RFP?
Live demo with your geofence, sample payroll export, SOC 2 report, reference customer in your industry.