--- title: "How to write an RFP for maintenance software | attendo" description: "How to write a maintenance software RFP or tender without tilting it toward one vendor: capability-based requirements, scoring and the clauses you need." url: "https://attendo.me/en/blog/maintenance-software-rfp" lang: "en" --- # How to write an RFP for maintenance software A badly written RFP goes wrong in one of two ways. Either it leans toward one vendor and invites a protest, or it is so generic that the cheapest, weakest bid wins. This guide is about avoiding both. - By the attendo team - Published September 27, 2026 - 4 min read **In this article** 1. Start with the problem, not the feature list 2. The structure that works 3. Scoring criteria 4. The clauses you must include 5. How to avoid bias 6. The three questions that filter the most ## Start with the problem, not the feature list The most common mistake is copying a vendor’s feature sheet and turning it into requirements. That is exactly the bias: only that vendor meets all of them, and in exactly that way. Write requirements in terms of **capability and outcome**: The system shall include an asset management module with a five-level hierarchy tree. The system shall let users organize assets by site, building, floor and unit, and view the work history at any of those levels. ## The structure that works 1. **Context.** How many assets, how many technicians, how many jobs a year and which systems are already in place. Without this, bids cannot be compared. 2. **Functional requirements**, in three groups: mandatory (not meeting one disqualifies), scored (they earn points) and desirable (they break ties). 3. **Technical and security requirements:** hosting, data protection, integrations, API and data export. 4. **Services:** implementation, migration, training and support, with the required service levels. 5. **Scoring criteria**, with their weights, published. Be honest about the mandatory ones. Every one you add reduces competition, and some reduce it to a single vendor. ## Scoring criteria This is where everything gets decided. A reasonable split for management software: | Criterion | Weight | | --- | --- | | Functional fit | 35% | | Total cost over four years: license, implementation and support | 30% | | Implementation and migration plan | 15% | | Support and service levels | 10% | | Experience with similar projects | 10% | The key is **total cost over four years**, not the license price. It stops the vendor who discounts the license and charges three times as much for implementation from winning. ## The clauses you must include 1. **Data ownership and portability.** Full export, in a standard format, at no cost and within a committed time. It is the clause that protects you most and the one most often forgotten. 2. **Exit terms.** What happens at the end: export deadline, support during the transition and certified deletion. 3. **Data protection.** A data processing agreement, the list of subprocessors, where the data is stored and breach notification. 4. **Service levels with a measurement method**, not just a percentage. 5. **Pricing for add-ons** during the contract term. If it is not set, add-ons will cost whatever the vendor says once you can no longer switch. ## How to avoid bias - **Talk to the market before the tender** if you are a public agency, for example with a request for information. It is usually allowed and avoids impossible requirements. In Spain, public procurement law provides a formal preliminary market consultation for this. - **Do not name brands or specific technologies**, unless interoperability justifies it. - **Ask for a demo with your own data**, not a slide presentation. It is a very effective filter. - **Talk to companies that use each product**, chosen by you, not from a list the vendor gives you. - **Review your mandatory requirements.** If only one vendor meets them, either the requirement is truly critical or you copied their brochure. ## The three questions that filter the most 1. “Show it to me on screen, right now,” whenever you hear “that can be configured.” 2. “Is a company using this today, or is it planned?” 3. “Can I talk to a company of a similar size to mine?” A good RFP is one where, reading it, you cannot guess who will win. If you can guess when you finish yours, review it: either there is bias, or a requirement is not as essential as you thought. Last updated: September 27, 2026 Downloadable guide · RFP template Maintenance software RFP template An RFP ready to adapt, useful for a private purchase or a public tender: requirements grouped by area and written as capabilities, questions for vendors and a way to score proposals that you can defend. [Download the free guide](https://attendo.me/en/guides/maintenance-software-rfp-template) ## How attendo handles it If you are writing an RFP, the security page explains how attendo handles data. It is a SaaS service with data hosted in the European Union and a dedicated database for each customer, and it can also be installed on-premise as a project. Export is complete, and the data processing agreement lists its subprocessors. Every control is documented in writing. - [Security](https://attendo.me/en/security) - [Technology](https://attendo.me/en/technology) - [Integrations](https://attendo.me/en/integrations) ## More on choosing and rolling out software ### 40 questions to ask before you buy a CMMS Take this list to every demo. It works with any maintenance software vendor: buyers who ask good questions end up with the right software. And it is better to find out before you sign than three months later. 4 min read ### How to go from three systems to one without stopping operations The idea is appealing and the fear is reasonable: replacing the systems your company runs on sounds like weeks of chaos. It can be done without anyone noticing, but not all at once. 4 min read Support and customer service ### How to measure your support SLA and prove you meet it Signing an SLA is easy. Proving you meet it is another matter, and that is where renewals are lost. If you provide the data yourself in a spreadsheet, the customer has every right not to believe it. 4 min read [All blog articles](https://attendo.me/en/blog) ## Shall we look at it with your operation? Tell us how you work today and we will show you attendo with your own data. If it is not a fit, we will say so. - With your operation, not a generic demo - A real person from our team replies - No cold calls afterwards Would you rather talk first? - Phone [+34 910 053 530](tel:+34910053530) - Email [sales@attendo.me](mailto:sales@attendo.me) - Monday to Thursday 9:30 AM to 6:30 PM and Friday 9:30 AM to 2:30 PM (Spain time)