Most GPS tracking tenders go wrong in the same place. They list features in detail and say almost nothing about what happens after the vendor is selected. This checklist is for procurement teams and government departments who want an RFP that protects them for the whole contract, not just the first month. If you’re buying a vehicle tracking system, these are the questions worth writing down before you invite bids.
Here’s a familiar story. A department awards a contract for tracking 200 vehicles. The tender specified live location, reports and a mobile app. Eight months later, the platform is down for half a day, support takes three days to reply and nobody can say how long trip data is kept. When the department wants to leave, it finds out the data can’t be exported in any usable form.
Nothing in the tender covered any of that. And nothing in the tender is why the vendor got the contract: it was a feature list and a price.
Please note: This is general guidance, not legal advice. Follow your organisation’s procurement rules, whether you buy through a private RFP, a state portal or GeM, and get your legal team to review the contract wording.
Why GPS Tracking Tenders Go Wrong
- They describe features, not outcomes. “Live tracking” can mean updates every few seconds or every few minutes.
- They skip service levels. Without uptime and support commitments, there’s nothing to enforce.
- They ignore data. Who owns it, where it sits, how long it’s kept and how it leaves are all left open.
- They forget the exit. Leaving is treated as a problem for later, until it becomes a problem now.
- They’re written around one vendor. Specifications copied from a brochure tend to exclude fair competition and invite disputes.
Before You Write the RFP
Get these basics clear first, so your document asks for the right things:
- How many vehicles, and what types (cars, buses, trucks, heavy vehicles)?
- Who will use the system, and at what levels (field staff, managers, senior officials)?
- Which reports and alerts do you actually need?
- Do any vehicles need certified devices, such as AIS 140?
- What other systems must it connect to (ERP, HR, fleet records)?
- Will you run a pilot before committing the full fleet?
If you can’t answer these, start with a short internal workshop. It saves weeks later.
The Checklist
Use each section below as a block in your RFP. For each, write the question in the tender and the commitment you expect in the contract.
1. Scope and Requirements
- Number and type of vehicles, with room for additions
- Required features, listed as outcomes (for example, “location updates at least every X seconds while moving”)
- Reports needed: trips, stoppages, idling, speed, distance, fuel
- Alerts needed: speeding, zone entry and exit, idling, ignition
- User roles and permissions
- Web and mobile access, and languages needed
- Integration needs and API availability
2. Devices and Hardware
- Device make, model and certifications, including AIS 140 GPS tracker compliance where it applies to your vehicles
- Who owns the devices during and after the contract
- Warranty period and replacement time for failed devices
- SIM and data plan: who supplies it, who pays and what happens at the end
- Installation: who does it, how long per vehicle, and any wiring standards
- Support for sensors you may need later, such as fuel or temperature
- Tamper detection and what happens when a device is disconnected
3. Uptime and Performance
Don’t accept “high availability.” Ask for a number, and ask how it’s measured.
| Monthly uptime | Allowed downtime (30-day month) |
| 99% | about 7.2 hours |
| 99.5% | about 3.6 hours |
| 99.9% | about 43 minutes |
Pick the level that fits how critical tracking is for you. Then check:
- How uptime is measured, and who reports it
- Planned maintenance windows, and how much notice you get
- How quickly location and events appear after they happen
- What happens when a vehicle is out of network (does it store and forward data?)
- Service credits or penalties if uptime isn’t met
4. Data: Ownership, Retention, Security and Location
- Ownership. The contract should say the data belongs to you.
- Retention. How long is trip history kept online? Is older data archived, and can you still access it?
- Storage location. Where are the servers, and is a backup kept elsewhere?
- Export. Can you download your data in common formats (Excel, CSV, PDF) at any time?
- Deletion. How, and how quickly, is your data deleted at the end?
- Access control. Role-based access, strong logins and audit logs of who viewed what.
- Encryption in storage and in transit. For a wider view of what to ask, see our guide to the cybersecurity risks in fleet tracking systems.
- Breach handling. How will you be told, how quickly, and who is responsible?
- Data protection compliance. Ask how the vendor handles personal data of drivers and employees, and check which data protection rules apply to you, including the DPDP Act.
5. Support and Service Levels
- Support hours and channels (phone, email, chat)
- Response and resolution times, defined by severity
- A named contact and an escalation path
- On-site support for installation and repairs, and in which locations
- Training for administrators and users
- Spare devices, and how fast they’re replaced
“Dedicated support” means nothing unless it’s defined. Ask for the numbers.
6. Pricing and Commercial Terms
- Itemised price: hardware, installation, subscription, SIM, support and taxes
- How long the quoted prices are valid
- Renewal terms, and any cap on price increases
- Charges for adding or removing vehicles
- Charges for extra features, reports or integrations
- Payment schedule linked to milestones, not only to dates
For more on what a subscription should include, see our post on what you’re paying for in a GPS tracker subscription.
7. Pilot and Acceptance
- A pilot on a defined number of vehicles, with clear success criteria
- Acceptance tests: location accuracy, alert delivery, report correctness
- A go-live checklist and a list of defects the vendor must fix
- Payment tied to acceptance
8. Exit Terms
This is the section most tenders leave out, and the one that matters most when things go wrong.
- Notice period and termination conditions, including termination for poor performance
- Data export: formats, scope (all history), timeline and cost
- Return or release of devices, and whether they’re locked to the vendor
- Handover support to a new vendor
- A defined period of continued access after termination
- Written confirmation when your data has been deleted
9. Vendor Evaluation
- Relevant experience and references from similar organisations
- Local presence for installation and support
- Sample reports and a live demo with realistic data
- Relevant certifications and compliance documents
- Financial and operational stability
How to Score the Bids
A simple weighted scorecard keeps the evaluation fair and easy to explain. Here’s an example. These weights are made up for illustration, so set your own.
| Area | Weight |
| Technical fit and features | 30% |
| Uptime, support and service levels | 25% |
| Data, security and compliance | 20% |
| Price and commercial terms | 15% |
| Exit and transition terms | 10% |
Agree on the weights before you open any bids, and don’t change them afterwards.
Red Flags in Vendor Responses
- Uptime described in words, with no number
- “Support available” with no hours or response times
- No clear answer on where the data is stored
- Data export “on request,” with no formats or timelines
- Renewal pricing left open
- Devices that can’t be used with another platform, and no willingness to discuss it
- A demo that only shows slides
If a bid doesn’t mention exit terms at all, treat that as a finding.
Extra Points for Government Departments
- Check which compliance requirements apply to your vehicles, including AIS 140 where it’s mandated. Our guide to government vehicle tracking compliance features covers what to look for.
- Ask about audit trails, so you can show who accessed which data and when.
- Check local installation and support capacity, especially across districts.
- Make sure specifications are neutral and don’t favour one product.
- Plan for staff turnover with training and clear admin handover.
If you’re buying for school buses specifically, our school bus tracking vendor checklist covers the parent and student-safety side in more detail. For a wider buyer’s view, see how to choose a GPS tracking system for your business.
Download the Checklist
Download this checklist as a PDF to use as a starting point for your own RFP or tender document.
How SAHAJ GPS Fits In
SAHAJ GPS provides vehicle tracking, fuel monitoring, AIS 140 GPS trackers, field employee tracking, school bus tracking and indoor tracking across India. According to its website:
- Most devices are plug-and-play.
- Pricing includes hardware, installation and subscription costs.
- Dedicated support and training are provided.
- The software uses encrypted servers and role-based access.
- A customisable API is available for integration.
- The system scales from a couple of vehicles to hundreds.
- You can start with a free trial or a demo.
For tender-specific points such as uptime commitments, data retention periods, hosting location and exit terms, ask for them in writing as part of your evaluation. A good vendor won’t mind.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should a GPS tracking RFP include?
Scope and requirements, device specifications, uptime and performance commitments, data ownership and retention, security, support levels, pricing, pilot and acceptance terms, and exit conditions.
What uptime should I ask for in a GPS tracking tender?
It depends on how critical tracking is for you. A higher percentage means less allowed downtime. For example, 99.5% allows about 3.6 hours a month, while 99.9% allows about 43 minutes. Also ask how it’s measured.
Who owns the data in a GPS tracking contract?
It should be you. Make sure the contract says so, and covers export, retention and deletion.
Why are exit terms important?
Because leaving a vendor without them can mean losing your data or being locked into specific devices. Exit terms protect your records and make a change of vendor possible.
Should we run a pilot before awarding the contract?
Yes, where you can. A pilot on a few vehicles tests accuracy, alerts, reports and support with your own conditions before you commit the whole fleet.
Final Thoughts
A good tender doesn’t just pick a vendor. It sets the rules for the relationship: what you’ll get, how it will be measured, who owns the data and how either side can walk away. Write those down at the start, and most of the problems later never happen.
If you’d like to see how a system works with your own vehicles before you finalise your requirements, talk to the SAHAJ GPS team for a demo.