Marketplace RFP checklist: What to ask a technology partner

Choosing a technology partner for a marketplace is a decision an institution lives with for years. A checklist that vendors answer in writing, in the same format, makes the comparison fair. This one is built for officers and programme teams drafting an RFI or RFP for a government-led or institution-led marketplace.

A note on this article: GlobalLinker is a marketplace technology provider. The checklist is written to apply to any vendor, including us, and it contains no claims about our own product.

Before you write the RFP

GovStack, an international initiative on digital government, publishes an Implementation Playbook with guidance on procuring software and services. Several of its points carry over to a marketplace purchase. Do market research before the tender, using requests for information, supplier briefings open to all bidders on equal terms, and demonstrations, sandboxes or pilots. Evaluate the software separately from the provider. Check interoperability and open standards, built-in security, licensing, ownership and long-term sustainability, and watch for vendor lock-in. Record and justify any departures from the standards you set. The playbook is international and not specific to Indian rules, so follow your own organisation's procurement rules and treat this checklist as a supplement, not a replacement.

Also settle these questions for yourself before you ask vendors anything: which model you need (discovery or transaction), who your sellers are and how much help they need, what outcome you will measure, and who will promote the marketplace after launch.

The checklist: 11 areas

For each area, ask the questions in writing, and compare the answers against the good answer and the red flag.

1. Model fit

Why it matters. A vendor built for a single store may not suit a multi-seller marketplace, and the reverse.

Ask:

• Which marketplace models do you support: discovery (checkout goes to the seller), transaction (checkout on the marketplace), or both?

• Can each seller also have a store of their own?

• Can you show a live example of each?
  
  

A good answer: Clear definitions and live examples.  A red flag: Only one model, or no clear difference between them.

2. Seller onboarding and support

Why it matters. A marketplace is only as good as its listings, and many small sellers have limited digital experience.

Ask:

• Who sets sellers up: you, us or the seller?

• In which languages are the seller tools and support available?

• What training and help follow setup?
  
  

A good answer: A managed setup option and a named support channel.  A red flag: Self-service only.

3. Catalogue and content

Why it matters. Listing quality decides whether buyers trust the marketplace.

Ask:

• How are products uploaded: singly, in bulk, or both?

• What help is there for product content and images, including automated tools?

• Who checks quality before listings go live?
  
  

A good answer: Bulk tools, content support and a review step.  A red flag: Manual entry only, and no quality control.

4. Payments and delivery

Why it matters. If a first order cannot be paid for or delivered, trust is lost.

Ask:

• Which payment gateways, cash-on-delivery controls and courier services are integrated?

• Who contracts with them, and who bears the fees?

• In a transaction marketplace, how does money reach sellers and how quickly?
  
  

A good answer: Named integrations and a clear flow of money.  A red flag: "All payment methods" without names.

5. Marketplace operations

Why it matters. Day-to-day order handling is where small problems become complaints.

Ask:

• How are orders, returns, cancellations and disputes handled, and by whom?

• What roles and permissions exist for staff and sellers?

• Is activity logged?
  
  

A good answer: Role-based access and activity logs.  A red flag: A single shared admin login.

6. Interoperability

Why it matters. Sellers should not be locked into one channel, and the institution should be able to connect to others. ONDC, for example, describes itself as an open network built on interoperability, unbundling and transparency.

Ask:

• Can sellers also reach national networks such as ONDC?

• Is there an interface for connecting other systems?

• Can seller and product data be exported in standard formats?
  
  

A good answer: Documented integrations and exports.  A red flag: A closed platform.

7. Security, hosting and data ownership

Why it matters. You are trusting the partner with seller and buyer data.

Ask:

• Where is data hosted?

• Who owns seller and buyer data, and who can access it?

• What security practices, testing and audits apply, and how are backups and incidents handled?
  
  

A good answer: Written answers to each question.  A red flag: Cannot answer in writing.

8. Reporting and impact

Why it matters. The department needs to show what the marketplace has achieved.

Ask:

• What dashboards does the department get: sellers onboarded, listings live, orders, active sellers?

• Can the data be exported?

• Can reports be shaped to our objectives?
  
  

A good answer: Dashboards and exports aligned to your objectives.  A red flag: Only anecdotes.

9. Delivery plan and support

Why it matters. A marketplace has to be launched and then kept running.

Ask:

• What is the launch plan, with milestones and what we must provide?

• What support follows launch, and with what response times?

• Who is our named contact?
  
  

A good answer: A phased plan with responsibilities on both sides.  A red flag: No plan, or no post-launch support.

10. Commercial terms and exit

Why it matters. Cost and exit terms shape the relationship for years.

Ask:

• How is pricing structured, what is included, and what changes it?

• Who owns the content, brand and data?

• If we leave, what do you export, hand over and support?
  
  

A good answer: Transparent pricing and written exit terms.  A red flag: Hidden fees, or no exit terms.

11. Proof

Why it matters. Slides are easy. A working marketplace is the evidence.

Ask:

• Which live, current examples can we open?

• Can we speak to a reference?

• Will you run a demo, sandbox or pilot with our own data?
  
  

A good answer: Several live examples and an offer of a pilot.  A red flag: Slides only.

How to score the responses

Separate must-haves from nice-to-haves before you read any response. Score each area against the same scale, such as 0 to 3, and write a one-line reason for every score. Give more weight to the areas that decide whether sellers can actually sell: onboarding, content, payments and delivery. Check references and live examples before you finalise the scores, and treat a pilot or a demonstration on your own data as the final test.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between an RFI and an RFP?

A request for information (RFI) is used early, to learn what the market offers and to shape your requirements. A request for proposal (RFP) asks vendors to propose a solution and price against requirements you have already defined. GovStack's guidance lists RFIs among the ways to do market research before a tender.

Should we evaluate the platform and the vendor separately?

Yes. GovStack's guidance recommends assessing the software on its own merits, separately from the provider, so that a vendor's reputation does not stand in for the product's fit.

What is vendor lock-in and how do we avoid it?

Lock-in is when leaving a vendor is so costly that you cannot realistically do it. GovStack lists it among the risks of software procurement. Reduce it with data export in standard formats, clear ownership of content and data, documented integrations and written exit terms.

What should an exit clause cover?

Export of your data and content in standard formats, confirmation of who owns what, a period of transition support, and what happens to live seller stores.

How do we compare a discovery-marketplace vendor with a full-transaction vendor?

Decide your model first, then ask each vendor to show a live example of that model. Compare them on the same 11 areas, rather than comparing feature lists across models.

Which live examples should we ask a vendor to show?

Current examples of the model you need, run by comparable institutions, that you can open yourself, plus a reference you can speak to.

Sources

GovStack Implementation Playbook: Collect market insights (procure software and services)

ONDC is to digital commerce what WWW is to the internet (ONDC)

Image source: Open AI

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views, official policy or position of GlobalLinker.