What Procurement Teams Actually Score in a Staffing RFP
Government and large corporate buyers do not pick a labour hire supplier because the deck looked professional. They score submissions against a published matrix of criteria, and whoever clears the bar on every section wins, even if someone else was cheaper overall. Understanding how those criteria are weighted is the difference between a bid that gets shortlisted and a bid that gets filed.
This guide breaks down the sections that procurement evaluators score in a staffing RFP or RFQ, what evidence they actually want behind each one, and how that evidence is typically weighted. It is written for supplier teams, not procurement officers. Chandler Personnel submits these responses daily across warehousing, manufacturing, trades, pharmaceutical and food production work, and you can read more about our recruitment process if you want to see how the operational side hangs together.
Key Takeaways
- Price is rarely more than 50 per cent of an RFP score for labour hire, which means a submission that is cheapest on day one is still eligible to lose on safety, licence fit or fill rate.
- Procurement teams check your labour hire licence, insurance certificates and safety record against public registers and their own compliance checklist before they credit any points.
- Time-to-fill and fill rate are scored from your own historical data, so the figures you submit must be auditable, not aspirational.
- Modern slavery, local content and Fair Work compliance are usually pass/fail gates at the top of the matrix, not bonus points.
- Scoring criteria maps almost exactly to the difference between an RFP, an RFQ and an EOI, so knowing which instrument you are answering tells you how much written content to prepare.
RFP, RFQ and EOI: Which Instrument Is This Anyway
Buyers mix these labels up, but the three have distinct purposes and different scoring expectations. Getting the label right focuses your response on the right length and depth.
An RFP (Request for Proposal) asks for a full proposal against a detailed scope. Buyers use it when they need a meaningful solution design, when compliance is complex, or when they want to compare how suppliers would manage the relationship. The scoring matrix in an RFP usually runs 20 to 30 criteria. Plan for a structured written submission of several thousand words. This is the instrument where your proposition for how clients request staff needs the most explanation.
An RFQ (Request for Quotation) asks for a price and minimum compliance against a defined scope. The matrix is short, often just price, licences, insurance and a safety question or two, and the winner is usually whoever meets the baseline at the lowest price. Responses are typically one to three pages. Do not over-write an RFQ.
An EOI (Expression of Interest) is a short, pre-qualification document. It filters out suppliers that cannot meet licence, insurance, safety or financial thresholds before any detailed work. Written content is light, the pass mark is binary, and being invited to the next stage is the only award. Treat it as a gate, not a win.
How the Scorecard Is Typically Weighted
The exact percentages change by buyer and by jurisdiction, but for a standard labour hire RFP the weighting usually lands somewhere in this band. The single most common surprise for new suppliers is that price is not usually the largest share.
- Price and cost transparency - Typical weight range: 30% to 50%; What procurement wants to see: A single hourly rate that includes on-costs, or a clearly separated schedule of base rate, superannuation (12% from 1 July 2025), payroll tax, workers comp, WorkCover and super
- Work Health and Safety record - Typical weight range: 15% to 25%; What procurement wants to see: Last three financial years of TRIR, LTIs, investigation outcomes, your WHS policy and evidence of site inductions; Labour hire licence status; 5% to 15%; Valid licence numbers for every jurisdiction workers perform in, with renewal dates
- Fill rate and time-to-fill evidence - Typical weight range: 10% to 20%; What procurement wants to see: Six to twelve months of fill rate by category with time-to-fill averages and the reason for any unfilled requisitions
- Candidate screening and onboarding - Typical weight range: 10% to 15%; What procurement wants to see: Verification checklist, inductions delivered, right-to-work and qualification checks, and site-specific orientation records
- Insurance and risk - Typical weight range: 5% to 10%; What procurement wants to see: Certificates of currency for public and products liability, workers comp, professional indemnity and cyber
- Modern slavery and compliance - Typical weight range: 5% to 10% (often pass/fail); What procurement wants to see: Modern Slavery Statement for entities over $100 million, plus answers on wages, conditions and supply chain diligence
- Total - Typical weight range: Typically 100%; What procurement wants to see: Pass marks are usually 70 to 85 out of 100
Price and Cost Transparency
Procurement teams want a rate they can budget against, not a story about your culture. Where an award sets a minimum you must show how you meet it. A common approach in warehousing and logistics work is to start from the award classification rate for the role, add the 25 per cent casual loading where the engagement is casual, add a transparent on-cost for superannuation at 12 per cent, workers compensation and payroll tax, and quote a single blended hourly rate plus a separate margin line. Where rates are capped, your score depends on how close you land to the cap while still covering those on-costs.
The defect that loses the most marks here is a schedule that lists a headline rate without showing where superannuation, payroll tax and workers compensation appear. Evaluators cannot score what they cannot see on the page.
Work Health and Safety as a Score
Safety is scored on three strands: your own record, the evidence behind it, and your approach once workers are on site. Most buyers expect a three-year window on your total recordable injury frequency rate (TRIR), lost time injuries, near misses recorded, and the percentage of sites where a worker has completed site-specific induction. The numbers must add up: if you report 40 per cent of your workforce as having completed inductions, the auditors will want to see how you verified that percentage.
If you use it, your OHS scorecard is not a substitute for the figures in the RFP, but it is a useful way to present your approach in a single place: site engagement, worker communication, face-to-face check-ins and skills verification all before placement. Procurement teams read the scorecard and then want the same detail in your submission.
ISO 45001 certification is often worth two to five points directly, and several buyers will award it as a gate that lets you skip the written WHS section because the certification carries the evidence for them. If you are certified, say so and attach the current certificate number and expiry date rather than the marketing summary.
Fill Rate and Time-to-Fill Evidence
Evaluators score these against your own history, so submit data from your actual records for the categories requested. A fill rate above 95 per cent is common to see, but it only counts if you can support it with a category breakdown and explain any shortfall. If you were short of riggers in quarter one because the market dried up, say so and include what action you took. Time-to-fill averages are usually judged against the category benchmark the buyer already holds, so a 48-hour average for general warehouse labour is competitive, while the same average for riggers or refrigeration mechanics is not.
Compliance Gates: Modern Slavery, Local Content, Fair Work
These usually sit at the top of the matrix as pass/fail before any points are awarded. The Modern Slavery Act 2018 (Cth) requires entities with annual consolidated revenue above $100 million to publish a statement, so if you fall under that threshold you still need a written answer to the supply chain questions. Local content requirements appear most often in Western Australia and Queensland resource work, where buyers score points for roles filled by residents of the region. On Fair Work compliance, the standard question is whether you have been found liable for underpayment or sham contracting in the last three years. Have your records tidy before you submit.
Reference Fair Work Ombudsman guidance directly, because procurement teams will check that your wages and conditions match the right modern award for the role. The most common failure on this section is citing a rate without naming the award classification it sits under.
Account Management and Communication
For longer-term contracts, procurement adds a relationship management score. That covers a named account manager, reporting standards, escalation contacts and a weekly or monthly call schedule. Where a buyer operates multiple sites you should specify whether you propose a single relationship manager or site-based supervisors, and what data you will report on. This is one section where over-delivering on clarity pays more than length.
Worked Example: Scoring Two Responses on the Same RFP
The RFP is for 60 general warehouse operatives on rotating shifts in Melbourne, scored out of 100 with price weighted at 40 per cent, safety at 20, fill rate at 15, screening at 15 and compliance at 10.
- Alpha - Price (40 pts): 38 (rate 1 cent below cap, full schedule shown); Safety (20 pts): 18 (TRIR 1.2, 70 per cent inductions verified); Fill rate (15 pts): 13 (92 per cent fill, 34 hours average); Screening (15 pts): 14 (checklist plus site induction records); Compliance (10 pts): 9 (licence held, insurance current, no underpayment findings); Total: 92
- Beta - Price (40 pts): 40 (rate 2 cents below cap, schedule unclear); Safety (20 pts): 10 (TRIR 4.7, no induction data); Fill rate (15 pts): 12 (98 per cent fill, 22 hours average); Screening (15 pts): 9 (checklist only, no site records); Compliance (10 pts): 7 (licence application pending, cyber claim pending); Total: 80
- Result - Price (40 pts): Beta is cheaper, but the lowest combined score loses. Alpha wins on a clearer price schedule, stronger safety evidence and clean compliance.
The pattern repeats across government and private buyers: the cheapest compliant bid rarely wins when the safety, fill rate and evidence gaps cost more points than the price advantage. This is also why the document itself needs to be written once your scoring is right, and our guide to preparing your tender documents takes you through the structure that procurement evaluators expect.
Related Resources
Our Recruitment Process | Chandler Personnel
OHS Scorecard | Chandler Personnel
Request Staff | Labour Hire & Recruitment | Chandler Personnel
A Complete Guide to Preparing Your Tender Documents
Frequently Asked Questions
Is price usually the most important criterion in a staffing RFP?
No. Price is typically 30 to 50 per cent of the total score, which leaves half the marks for safety, compliance, fill rate and experience. A submission that is five or ten cents per hour cheaper but weak on the other criteria usually loses to a stronger overall bid.
How far back do procurement teams check a supplier's safety record?
Most ask for the last three financial years. What they want beyond the headline number is the cause of any lost time incidents and what you changed because of them, so your submission holds together under audit.
Do I need labour hire licences for every state?
You need the licence wherever the worker performs the work, not where your office sits. Victoria, Queensland, South Australia for the covered industries and the ACT license labour hire providers. New South Wales, Western Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory have no general scheme, but your work health and award obligations remain in full.
What is the difference between an RFP and an RFQ for labour hire?
An RFP asks for a full proposal and scores solution design and relationship management, while an RFQ asks for a price and minimum compliance against a defined scope. Plan a long, structured response to an RFP and a short, tight response to an RFQ.
What documentation proves compliance on modern slavery and Fair Work?
A modern slavery statement covers entities above $100 million in annual consolidated revenue, and below that you answer the supply chain questions directly. For Fair Work compliance, cite the relevant modern award by name and classification, and confirm whether you or any related party has had underpayment or sham contracting findings in the last three years.
Can we score well without ISO 45001 certification?
Yes. Certification removes the need to write the WHS section and earns a few points directly, but a clear written safety system with real data on inductions, incidents and site engagement will score just as well if it is evidenced properly.
Conclusion
Procurement teams score a staffing RFP against a fixed matrix, and price is almost never the whole story. Build your submission against the same criteria you expect to be marked on: prove your licence and insurance first, show a transparent price schedule, back your safety claims with three years of auditable data, and support fill rate and screening claims with records rather than promises. The result speaks for itself, and when you are ready to turn a winning submission into a winning document, follow our guide to preparing your tender documents. You can also see how we bring this to life every day on request staff through our standard recruitment process.