Must-have expense management software RFP template for enterprises in 2025

For enterprises, expense management is more than reimbursing employees — it’s about controlling spend across thousands of transactions, enforcing global policies, and ensuring compliance in every jurisdiction. Legacy systems often leave gaps: delayed reimbursements, policy violations slipping through, and endless reconciliation cycles that slow down close.

The right expense management platform should unify reimbursements, corporate cards, and policies into one system connected to HR and ERP data. It should automate compliance, support multi-level approval workflows, provide global visibility, and generate audit-ready reports. Just as importantly, it should deliver a simple employee experience, so adoption doesn’t lag behind.

This guide shows the critical areas enterprises should evaluate in an expense management RFP, what best-in-class looks like, and the RFP questions to ask vendors. Plus, we’ll give you a downloadable template so you can start evaluating expense management software ASAP.

1. Expense capture and automation

At enterprise scale, the volume of receipts and submissions is massive. Manual entry creates errors and compliance risks. A modern system should capture expenses automatically via mobile apps, email, Slack, or direct card matching, and categorize them instantly. 

Rippling streamlines capture by auto-matching receipts to Corporate Card transactions, scanning receipts with OCR, and coding expenses by role, department, or project.

RFP questions to ask

• Can you handle high-volume receipt capture across global teams?

• Do you support bulk uploads and automated matching at scale?

• Can expenses be auto-categorized by entity, department, or project?

• Do you support mileage, per diem, and recurring expense categories?

2. Policy enforcement and controls

With thousands of employees, policies can’t be applied manually. You need layered, configurable rules tied to roles, budgets, entities, and geographies, enforced in real time at submission. 

Rippling enforces policies directly from HR and ERP data, adapting automatically when employees switch roles or entities, and supports complex multi-level approvals for higher-value expenses.

RFP questions to ask

• Can policies differ across entities, regions, or departments?

• Do you support automated budget caps tied to projects or cost centers?

• Can rules combine multiple conditions (e.g., category + budget + location)?

• Do you support multi-step approvals with thresholds (e.g., VP or CFO sign-off)?

• How are exceptions routed and escalated when rules conflict?

3. Reimbursements and card integration

Disconnected reimbursements, cards, and payroll create reconciliation nightmares at scale. Enterprises need one system that ties spend directly to the GL, processes reimbursements globally, and supports multiple payment rails. 

Rippling unifies expense management with corporate cards and payroll, ensuring transactions auto-code to ERPs like SAP, Oracle, or NetSuite and reimbursements flow via payroll or ACH.

RFP questions to ask

• Do you support global reimbursements in multiple currencies?

• Which ERP systems do you integrate with (SAP, Oracle, NetSuite, Intacct)?

• Can expenses auto-code to custom GL dimensions across entities?

• Do you support split allocations across multiple cost centers, projects, or regions?

• How are exceptions in reimbursements flagged and resolved?

4. Real-time visibility and reporting

Finance leaders can’t wait for close to see spend across thousands of employees and entities. The system should provide consolidated dashboards with drill-downs by department, region, or vendor, anomaly detection for unusual spend, and variance analysis across periods. 

Rippling provides real-time dashboards and consolidated reporting across entities and currencies, exportable into ERP and BI tools.

RFP questions to ask

• Can dashboards consolidate global spend with drill-down by entity or region?

• Do you support multi-currency reporting with FX normalization?

• Do you provide anomaly detection for suspicious or duplicate spend?

• Can you generate variance reports across time periods, entities, or geographies?

• Do reports integrate directly with BI and ERP platforms?

5. Employee experience

Enterprises need high adoption to ensure compliance and reduce manual intervention. Expense tools should be simple, mobile-friendly, and embedded in daily workflows like Slack or Gmail. 

Rippling makes it easy for employees to capture receipts, submit expenses, and track reimbursements in real time, while providing a unified portal that ties into HR, payroll, and benefits.

RFP questions to ask

• How do employees submit expenses with minimal friction?

• Is there a mobile-first experience for field and traveling teams?

• Can employees view and manage their reimbursements across multiple entities?

• Do you support submissions and approvals through Slack, Gmail, or Outlook?

• How do you ensure global adoption and ease of use at scale?

6. Security, compliance, and fraud prevention

Enterprises face high compliance and audit requirements. Your expense system must enforce enterprise-grade security: encryption, SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR compliance, and fraud detection. It should flag suspicious spend in real time and provide immutable audit logs across entities and jurisdictions. 

Rippling encrypts data, enforces MFA, and generates immutable logs while flagging anomalies across all expenses.

RFP questions to ask

• What global compliance certifications do you support (SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR)?

• What fraud detection and monitoring features are included beyond duplicate detection?

• Can admins freeze cards and block spend instantly across multiple entities?

• Do you provide immutable, exportable audit logs for global audits?

• How do you secure sensitive data at rest and in transit?

How Rippling helps enterprises

Rippling Expense Management is built to handle enterprise complexity at scale. Employees capture receipts seamlessly, policies are enforced at submission, and reimbursements flow globally via payroll or ACH. Every transaction auto-codes into ERPs like SAP, Oracle, or NetSuite, eliminating manual reconciliation.

Finance leaders get consolidated global dashboards with drill-downs by entity or department, anomaly detection for unusual spend, and variance reporting across periods and regions. Employees enjoy a simple, mobile-first experience that ensures high adoption, while security and fraud prevention keep compliance airtight.

With Rippling, enterprises can:

• Capture and match receipts automatically across thousands of transactions

• Enforce layered, entity-aware policies tied to HR and ERP data

• Reimburse employees globally in multiple currencies

• Integrate spend directly into SAP, Oracle, or NetSuite

• Provide consolidated reporting across entities and geographies

• Protect financial data with SOC 2/ISO certifications and fraud detection

Rippling RFP for expense management software for enterprises example

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