What Belongs in a Condo Management RFP (and What Doesn't)

A management RFP is not paperwork. It is the document that decides which of your current problems you will still have in two years. Boards that skip it end up hiring whoever gave the best presentation; boards that write a good one get proposals they can actually compare.

What an RFP should accomplish

Three things: tell bidders exactly what your association needs, force each bidder to answer the same questions in the same order, and create a written record your board can score. If your RFP doesn't produce comparable documents, you haven't run a process — you've collected brochures.

Scope of services

Describe your community specifically: unit count, building age, amenities, and the obligations in your governing documents. List the recurring work — budgeting, monthly reporting, collections, snow and landscaping coordination, meeting support, 6D certificate preparation, insurance administration — and the irregular work: capital project bidding, insurance claims, legal coordination.

Vague scopes produce vague prices. If your documents require quarterly newsletters or annual meeting mailings, say so.

Financial reporting requirements

This section does the most work. Require, in writing, what the monthly package includes: budget-versus-actual reporting, bank reconciliations, delinquency aging, reserve account statements, and accounts payable detail. Require that operating and reserve funds stay segregated, and that reserve transfers require documented board authorization.

Require an annual budget drafted with board input, in plain language, with assumptions explained. See transferring funds and records during a transition for the records standard you should expect from day one.

Portfolio limits and staffing

Ask bidders to state the manager-to-association ratio your community will live under, and who covers the account when your manager is unavailable. A management company that won't put its staffing model in writing is telling you something.

Transition plan

Require a proposed transition timeline as part of the proposal: record inventory, fund transfer coordination, vendor notification, owner communication, and the first-90-days plan. Weight this section heavily in scoring — most transitions succeed or fail in the handoff, not in the sales pitch.

Fees

Require a complete fee schedule: base fee, what it includes, and every billable extra with its rate. Ask for the last three years of fee increases, if any. Price matters — but a proposal that wins on price and loses on reporting discipline costs more by the second winter.

What NOT to include

Don't make price the majority of your score — weight it at 20–30% and no more. Don't require specific software brands; require capabilities. Don't share your reserve balance or delinquency list with non-finalists. And don't rush: a compressed timeline favors incumbents and volume firms, not the best fit.

Evaluating proposals

Score every proposal against the same matrix: financial reporting, staffing and portfolio limits, transition plan, experience with communities like yours, references, then price. Have each trustee score independently before discussing. The pattern in the scores is usually clearer than the discussion.

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Writing your RFP? Start here:

• 12 questions to ask before hiring a condo management company
• Case study: a difficult transition, stabilized
• Association Management Transitions — how Dahlia handles the handoff