Must-have Identity & Access Management (IAM) RFP template in 2025

Managing identity and access is no longer a niche IT function — it’s central to security, compliance, and productivity. But most companies are stuck juggling fragmented systems like Okta, JumpCloud, and Jamf, plus endless spreadsheets and manual processes. The result? Access drift, audit nightmares, delayed onboarding, and constant firefighting.

A modern Identity & Access Management (IAM) solution should make life simpler, not harder. It should unify user provisioning, single sign-on (SSO), MFA, and compliance reporting in one system, tightly connected to your HR data. That way, accounts are created and revoked instantly, policies enforce themselves, and audits are a click away.

This guide outlines the must-have areas to evaluate when selecting an IAM solution and the RFP questions that will separate marketing fluff from real capability. Plus, you’ll get a free downloadable template so you can start evaluating vendors ASAP.

1. Automated provisioning and deprovisioning

When access isn’t automated, you waste hours creating accounts manually, granting the wrong permissions, and missing steps during offboarding. Those gaps are more than inefficiency — they’re security risks.

Rippling connects IAM directly to your employee system of record. As soon as someone is hired, promoted, or terminated, accounts and app access update automatically. You can provision 800+ apps instantly with SAML, SCIM, and API integrations, assign group memberships (Slack, Google Workspace, Jira, etc.), and schedule offboarding so accounts deactivate the moment someone leaves.

Questions to ask vendors

• How do you automate provisioning for new hires? Which apps are supported natively?

• Can we define rules by role, location, or department for automatic account creation?

• Do you support scheduled, one-click deprovisioning with full license reclamation?

• How are permissions updated when an employee changes roles or teams?

• Can file ownership (e.g., Google Drive) transfer automatically during offboarding?

• Do you generate audit logs for every provisioning/deprovisioning event?

2. Role-based access control (RBAC)

Without RBAC, admins end up granting ad hoc permissions that don’t match business policies. This leads to “access creep,” where people keep privileges long after they should.

Rippling lets you build granular role-based policies tied directly to HR attributes (job title, location, seniority, training completion, background checks). Access updates dynamically as roles change, ensuring employees always have exactly what they need — and nothing more.

Questions to ask vendors

• Can access rules be defined by multiple attributes (role, seniority, compliance training)?

• How are exceptions managed, tracked, and expired?

• Can we assign temporary access with automatic expiration?

• Do policies re-calculate automatically when user attributes change?

• How are conflicts between overlapping roles resolved?

• Can managers request access changes via workflows instead of IT tickets?

3. Single sign-on (SSO) and password management

Users hate juggling dozens of logins. IT hates managing password resets. SSO and password management are table stakes, but most providers make them complex to deploy.

Rippling includes a built-in SSO bar and password manager (RPass) so employees get one-click access to every app they use. With 800+ pre-built integrations, setup is fast. Admins get central control, with support for SAML, SCIM, and custom connectors for niche apps.

Questions to ask vendors

• How many pre-built SSO integrations do you provide?

• Do you support SAML, SCIM, OIDC, and custom connectors?

• Is a built-in password manager included, or is it extra?

• How do you handle shared credentials securely (e.g., for team tools)?

• Can we enforce MFA for specific apps or contexts?

• Do you support conditional access based on device compliance?

4. Multi-factor authentication (MFA) and security enforcement

Strong authentication is non-negotiable. But MFA often gets implemented inconsistently, leaving gaps that attackers can exploit.

Rippling enforces MFA and device-level security (disk encryption, OS patching, endpoint protection) from day one. Policies can be applied by user group or role, so higher-risk employees (finance, engineering) can have stricter requirements. MFA adapts dynamically as employees change roles, and enforcement ties into Rippling’s device management for stronger control.

Questions to ask vendors

• Which MFA methods are supported (SMS, authenticator apps, hardware keys)?

• Can we enforce MFA differently by role, department, or app?

• Can MFA be tied to device compliance (e.g., block access if laptop isn’t encrypted)?

• Do you support step-up authentication for sensitive actions?

• Are MFA and encryption policies enforced automatically on all endpoints?

• How are failed MFA attempts logged and reported?

5. Visibility and access reviews

One of the hardest questions in IT: Who has access to what? Without centralized visibility, it takes hours of digging to answer. And when audits roll around, pulling logs can turn into weeks of stress.

Rippling gives you live access maps showing every user, app, and permission in real time. Automated prompts remind managers to review access regularly, and immutable logs are exportable for SOC 2, ISO, and HIPAA audits. With compliance integrations like Drata and Vanta, evidence collection is automatic.

Questions to ask vendors

• Do you provide a live dashboard of app and device access by user?

• Can we run automated, scheduled access reviews by manager or department?

• Are logs immutable and exportable for audits?

• Do you integrate with compliance tools like Drata or Vanta?

• How long are access logs retained, and can we extend retention?

• Can alerts flag unusual or high-risk access patterns automatically?

6. Audit readiness and compliance

SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, GDPR — auditors expect airtight identity controls. Point solutions make this painful, because you need to cobble together evidence from multiple systems.

Rippling centralizes audit data. Every provisioning, policy change, and access event is logged in one place. Built-in reporting templates map directly to compliance frameworks, and integrations with Drata and Vanta keep evidence synced automatically.

Questions to ask vendors

• What audit evidence is collected automatically?

• Do you provide out-of-the-box reports for SOC 2, ISO, HIPAA?

• Can logs be exported instantly for auditors?

• Do you integrate directly with compliance automation platforms?

• Are audit logs tamper-proof?

• How do you handle data privacy requests and legal holds?

7. Scalability and ease of use

A solution is only as good as its adoption. If your IAM requires specialists to configure or maintain, you’ll end up with bottlenecks and frustrated teams.

Rippling is designed so one person — even without deep IT expertise — can manage access for hundreds of employees. It replaces Okta, JumpCloud, spreadsheets, and MSPs with a single unified platform. Whether you’re hiring five or 50 people, onboarding, offboarding, and policy enforcement scale seamlessly.

Questions to ask vendors

• How quickly can IAM be deployed across a new workforce?

• Do you require specialized IT admins, or can non-technical staff manage it?

• Can IAM scale from 10 to 500+ employees without re-architecting?

• Do you provide pre-built workflow templates to accelerate rollout?

• How do you measure and ensure user adoption of SSO and MFA?

• What training or support is included for admins and end users?

How Rippling helps enterprises

Rippling doesn’t just manage identity and access — it unifies it with HR, payroll, devices, and inventory in one system. That means every hire, promotion, or termination updates everywhere instantly: accounts, access, laptops, policies. Security is enforced by default with MFA, encryption, and patching. Audits that used to take weeks now take minutes, with evidence ready to export.

With Rippling IAM, enterprises can:

• Automate provisioning and deprovisioning across 800+ apps

• Enforce SSO, MFA, and device security without extra tools

• Maintain real-time visibility into every user’s access

• Stay audit-ready with built-in logs and compliance templates

• Scale IT operations without scaling IT headcount

Rippling RFP for identity and access management (IAM) example

Ready to evaluate vendors?

This blog is based on information available to Rippling as of September 24, 2025.