Broker Insight 

If you’ve ever walked into an RFP process and realized the client wasn’t actually ready for one… you’re not alone. A benefits RFP can be a powerful tool to evaluate new partners, platforms, or plan designs—but only if the client knows what they’re asking for. That clarity rarely appears on its own. It comes from you. 

Helping a client prepare for an RFP isn’t busywork. It’s your competitive advantage. When you guide clients through the right questions and assessments up front, you not only make their RFP stronger—you also position yourself as the strategic advisor who makes sense of the chaos. 

This is where an RFP Readiness Assessment Tool comes in. Paired with the frameworks from The Broker’s Guide to Recommending Benefits, it gives you everything you need to help clients get aligned, organized, and RFP-ready. 

Let’s break it down. 

Why RFP Preparation Is Your Competitive Advantage 

Most RFPs start because something isn’t working: outdated processes, low engagement, compliance issues, or a platform that’s long past its expiration date. But those issues often don’t fully surface until vendors are already bidding—and by then, the client may be asking the wrong questions. 

Early guidance flips the script. 

The discovery principles in The Broker’s Guide to Recommending Benefits emphasize starting with fundamentals: the client’s goals, workforce realities, technology pain points, and administrative constraints. 

• Understanding business goals
• Knowing the workforce
• Evaluating platform limitations

By using an assessment tool before the RFP begins, you help clients clarify what they truly need—saving time, reducing friction, and ensuring the RFP is aimed at the right solution, not just the loudest vendor. 

Introducing the RFP Readiness Assessment Tool 

Think of this tool as your pre-RFP truth serum. It helps clients answer the questions that shape: 

• Strategic direction 
• Benefits priorities 
• Operational capacity 
• Technology must-haves 
• Workforce requirements 
• Compliance expectations 

The tool aligns beautifully with The Broker’s Guide to Recommending Benefits’s structured approach—including discovery questions, technology evaluations, compliance considerations, and workforce analysis. 

When used correctly, it eliminates ambiguity, prevents misaligned expectations, and ensures your clients know exactly what to ask for (and what to avoid) when they issue an RFP. 

Part 1: Assess Strategic Alignment 

Business Goals 

Before drafting requirements, your client must be crystal clear about what they’re solving for. 

Ask: 

• What are your top priorities over the next 1–3 years? 
• Are you focused more on cost containment, talent attraction, or operational efficiency? 
• How should benefits align with your employer brand? 

The Broker’s Guide to Recommending Benefits emphasizes starting with the bigger picture because benefits only work when they’re tied to broader organizational goals. 

Workforce Needs 

No two workforces are the same—and neither are their RFP requirements. 

Ask: 

• Who makes up your workforce? (remote, deskless, multi-shift, seasonal) 
• What benefits matter most to them? 
• What feedback have employees shared about current offerings? 

These workforce-specific questions anchor your recommendations in real needs, not assumptions. 
 

Part 2: Evaluate the Current State — What’s Working and What’s Not 

Plan Design Strengths and Gaps 

Many clients don’t fully grasp the competitiveness (or outdatedness) of their current plans. 

Use your tool to assess: 

• Core benefits performance 
• Voluntary benefits maturity 
• Cost vs. value alignment 
   

Pain Points 

Most RFPs emerge from recurring frustrations: 

• HR teams overrun with manual tasks 
• Employees confused about enrollment 
• Compliance anxiety 
• Delayed data or carrier mismatches 
   

Surfacing these realities early makes the RFP concrete instead of hypothetical. 

Engagement Challenges 

Low engagement? Confusing communication? Limited year-round support? 

Checklist items include: 

• Current communication cadence 
• Use of decision support tools 
• Accessibility for all employee types 
   

Part 3: Technology Assessment — The Make-or-Break Element of Any RFP 

If there’s one area that determines the success of a benefits experience, it’s the technology behind it. 

Key Tech Questions for Your Tool 

• Can the platform scale with company growth? 
• Does it reduce manual work—or cause more of it? 
• How strong are the integrations with HRIS, payroll, and carriers? 
• Is the employee experience intuitive? 
   

Technology gaps should be clearly defined in your assessment so the RFP can articulate: 

• Required workflows 
• Integration expectations 
• Compliance capabilities 
• User experience needs 
• Employee engagement tools 

This is also where brokers can show immense value, especially if the client’s current platform is creating bottlenecks and inefficiencies. 

Part 4: Compliance & Risk Readiness 

Even the sleekest benefits strategy can fall apart under compliance pressure. 

Your assessment tool should identify: 

• ACA reporting accuracy and burden 
• COBRA administration quality 
• Notice requirements and tracking 
• Audit preparedness 

RFPs often include compliance as a footnote—but it should be a pillar. Brokers who bring this forward earn trust fast. 

Part 5: Employee Experience & Engagement Readiness 

Engagement isn’t a “nice-to-have” anymore—it’s a differentiator. 

Questions to include: 

• Are employees satisfied with their benefits experience? 
• Do they struggle with enrollment? 
• Are communications personalized and accessible? 
• Is decision support available? 
   

This is a perfect moment to highlight tools like decision support and year-round communication, which platforms like Selerix deliver effortlessly. 

Part 6: Budget, Resources & Operational Capacity 

Your assessment tool should give clients clarity on what they can realistically support. 

Ask: 

• What level of vendor support does the HR team need? 
• What’s the expected timeline for implementation? 
• What is the technology budget? 
• Are internal resources stretched thin? 
   

This prevents clients from choosing a platform that their team cannot support—or that requires more resources than they have available. 

How Brokers Use the Assessment Tool to Strengthen RFP Strategy 

With the assessment complete, you can help clients produce a focused, strategic RFP that includes: 

• Defined business goals 
• Workforce-specific needs 
• Technology requirements 
• Compliance must-haves 
• User experience expectations 
• Operational capacity limits 
• Prioritized “must-haves” vs. “nice-to-haves” 

This eliminates guesswork, accelerates vendor evaluations, and improves outcomes. More importantly, it positions you as the partner who helped create clarity when clarity was needed most. 

For clients seeking a modern, flexible, and dependable partner, Selerix checks a lot of RFP boxes—without acting like an HRIS trying to do everything. 

Broker Resource 

Get the RFP-Ready Assessment Tool Inside the Broker’s Guide 

Helping clients prepare for an RFP doesn’t have to feel like a full-time job. With the right questions, frameworks, and assessment tool, you can guide clients with confidence—and help them issue an RFP that gets real results. 

Download The Broker’s Guide to Recommending Benefits to access the full assessment tool, RFP prep checklists, discovery frameworks, and strategy guides designed to help brokers lead with clarity and deliver value year-round.