Must-Have HCM RFP Template in 2025

A human capital management (HCM) system isn’t just software — it's the strategic foundation of your organization. Today's rapidly evolving business landscape demands an HCM solution that seamlessly integrates all facets of human resource management. 

Effective HCM software streamlines payroll, compliance, and benefits management, transforming workforce experiences, enhancing productivity, and boosting employee satisfaction. By automating routine administrative tasks, modern HCM systems empower your HR team to focus on strategic initiatives that fuel growth.

To find the ideal HCM vendor, you need a clear framework to evaluate how providers meet your organization's unique requirements. In this guide, we outline critical evaluation criteria and essential questions to ask prospective vendors in your RFP:

1. Core HRIS: your system of record

2. Payroll and compliance: non-negotiables

3. Benefits: from headache to advantage

4. Employee experience: the retention edge

5. Security and IT integration: protecting your data

6. Analytics and reporting: from gut feel to data-driven

7. Implementation and support: seamless execution

8. Cost of ownership: transparent pricing & roi

At the end, you’ll find a consolidated RFP template ready to use in vendor evaluations.

1. Core HRIS features

Core HRIS forms the backbone of your HR operations. Your software should effortlessly manage employee data, onboarding and offboarding workflows, and organizational structures. It should offer self-service capabilities, automate routine changes across all modules (e.g., address updates), and adapt workflows to your unique business requirements. Look for dynamic tools that trigger cross-module workflows, alert your team of important actions, and seamlessly keep your data up-to-date.

Rippling acts as a single source of truth for all employee data, automatically syncing updates across HR, payroll, IT, and finance. With workflows triggered by role or location changes, Rippling eliminates manual updates and ensures accuracy across every system.

Questions to ask:

• Which features does your HRIS offering include (e.g., HRIS, benefits & 401k, time and attendance, scheduling)?

• Does your system automatically update across all modules when an employee's data changes?

• How does your onboarding process integrate benefits, software provisioning, and corporate cards?

• Can workflows be customized and triggered across modules?

2. Payroll and compliance

Payroll accuracy isn't negotiable — neither is compliance. Your chosen HCM should confidently handle payroll across multiple states and countries, streamline contractor payments, and automatically manage evolving compliance requirements. It should proactively prevent wage and hour violations, provide instant access to critical compliance reports (EEO-1, W-2, 1099), and present a unified view of global payroll activities. Eliminate manual tracking to save your HR team from costly mistakes and hours of busywork.

Rippling provides unified US and global payroll, fully automated tax filing, and compliance monitoring across jurisdictions. Payroll runs can be completed in minutes with accuracy guaranteed, while HR and finance get real-time visibility into costs and compliance posture.

Questions to ask:

• In which states and countries does your system offer payroll and compliance support?

• Can your system manage contractor hiring and payments?

• How does your system ensure compliance across federal, state, and local laws?

• Can you automatically enroll employees in compliance training based on location?

3. Benefits administration

Simplifying benefits isn't just employee-friendly; it's business-smart. Your HCM should automate enrollment workflows, manage complex open enrollment cycles, and ensure employees seamlessly access the right benefits based on their roles or locations. Integrations with carriers and brokers must eliminate manual workarounds, turning benefits administration from a burden into a strategic asset.

Rippling integrates directly with 4,000+ benefits carriers and brokers, eliminating manual file feeds. Enrollment workflows run automatically, adjusting plans and eligibility rules by role, location, or life event.

Questions to ask:

• What services does your platform offer for benefits administration?

• How do you simplify benefits enrollment and open enrollment?

• Can workflows automatically adjust based on employee role or location?

• How do you integrate with carriers and brokers?

4. Employee experience

Modern HCM isn't just administrative—it's transformative for your workforce. From performance management and engagement surveys to integrated learning and mobile self-service, your software must empower employees to effortlessly manage PTO, access paystubs, complete training, and communicate effectively. Enhancing the employee experience isn't optional; it's essential for retention and productivity.

Rippling combines performance reviews, learning management, surveys, and mobile self-service into one platform, so employees can request PTO, access paystubs, complete training, and respond to engagement surveys in a single place.

Questions to ask:

• Which employee experience features does your system support (performance management, feedback, mobile, etc.)?

• Can employees self-serve tasks like PTO requests and paystub access?

• What learning and development capabilities are natively available?

5. Security and IT integration

Securing employee data is foundational. Your HCM platform must offer robust, customizable permissions, automatically adapting to role changes. It should support secure single sign-on (SSO), comprehensive data encryption, and integrate effortlessly with your IT systems for seamless identity and device management. Certifications like SOC 2, ISO, and GDPR compliance must come standard.

Rippling uniquely integrates HR and IT in one platform — automatically provisioning devices, apps, and access when employees are hired, promoted, or offboarded. With built-in SSO, MFA, encryption, and endpoint protection, Rippling ensures compliance with SOC 2, ISO, and GDPR standards by default.

Questions to ask:

• Does your system support single sign-on  (SSO)?

• How are permissions customized and updated when roles change?

• What compliance certifications does your system hold?

• How do you secure employee data?

6. Analytics and reporting

Data is your strategic advantage. Your chosen platform must provide extensive pre-built reports, customizable dashboards, and the ability to merge data from HR, payroll, IT, and finance systems effortlessly. Look for intuitive reporting tools that require minimal technical expertise, along with instant audit logs and data exports for smooth compliance reviews.

Rippling’s unified analytics engine pulls data from HR, payroll, IT, and finance into one place. Customers can build custom dashboards without technical skills, merge data across systems, and generate audit-ready exports instantly.

Questions to ask:

• How many pre-built reports and dashboards are available?

• Can reports and dashboards combine data across multiple HR and Finance modules?

• Are customizations intuitive or do they require technical expertise?

• Can your system generate instant audit logs and compliance reports?

7. Implementation and support

Data is your strategic advantage. Your chosen platform must provide extensive pre-built reports, customizable dashboards, and the ability to merge data from HR, payroll, IT, and finance systems effortlessly. Look for intuitive reporting tools that require minimal technical expertise, along with instant audit logs and data exports for smooth compliance reviews.

Rippling implementations average just weeks, not months, with dedicated project managers. Ongoing support includes in-app chat, email, and phone SLAs — plus admin enablement and certifications.

Questions to ask:

• What is your average implementation timeline?

• Do you provide a dedicated implementation manager?

• What are your support SLAs?

8. Cost of ownership

Cost isn’t just the sticker price — it's the total cost of ownership. Your HCM solution should consolidate multiple disparate systems, significantly reducing licensing, maintenance, and administrative costs. Choose a pricing model — whether flat-rate, modular, or add-on — that aligns with your business growth, without hidden fees for essential features like automation and integrations.

By consolidating HR, payroll, IT, and finance into one system, Rippling eliminates the need for multiple point solutions, reducing licensing, maintenance, and administrative costs by up to 50%.

Questions to ask:

• How do your customers typically achieve cost savings?

• How many software tools can be consolidated by adopting your solution?

• Do you charge extra for automation or integrations?

• What’s your pricing model?

How Rippling HCM helps enterprises

Rippling doesn’t just deliver HR software — it unifies HR, IT, and finance in one platform. With Rippling, enterprises can:

• Use a single source of truth for all employee data, automatically syncing updates across HR, payroll, IT, and finance.

• Run payroll in 90 seconds with automated tax filing and global compliance monitoring.

• Integrate with 4,000+ carriers and brokers to automate benefits enrollment and open enrollment.

• Provision apps, devices, and permissions instantly during onboarding, all driven by HR role data.

• Empower employees with self-service access to PTO, paystubs, performance reviews, learning, and surveys.

• Enforce SOC 2, ISO, GDPR, and HIPAA compliance with built-in SSO, MFA, encryption, and audit logs.

• Build reports and dashboards across HR, payroll, IT, and finance data without technical expertise.

• Consolidate multiple point solutions into one system, saving up to 50% of costs on licensing and admin overhead.

Ready to get started? 

This blog is based on information available to Rippling as of August 28, 2025.