How to Write a Hotel Toiletries Tender or RFP: A Specification Checklist

A good hotel toiletries tender or RFP tells suppliers exactly what to quote: each product, format and volume, the formula and scent expectations, packaging and branding, required certifications and documents, sampling, delivery points and how bids will be scored. The clearer the specification, the more comparable the quotes.

Procurement teams often inherit amenity specifications that are a single line: "shampoo, conditioner, body wash, lotion, 30 ml, with logo". Suppliers then quote very different products, and the cheapest bid wins on paper but disappoints in the room. This checklist, prepared by a hotel amenities manufacturer in India, helps you write a tender that gets like-for-like answers.

1. Background and scope

• Property or group description, positioning and guest profile
• Number of properties, room categories and room counts
• Contract length, expected order frequency and any options to extend
• Countries of delivery
• Whether the tender covers rooms only, or also spa, gym, public washrooms and lounges

2. Product list and formats

List every product and format separately. Suppliers can then price each line.

Product	Format	Size	Room category / area	Estimated annual volume
Shampoo	Mini / dispenser / refill	e.g. 30 ml, 300 ml, 5 L	Standard, suite	Your estimate
Conditioner	Mini / dispenser / refill
Body wash	Mini / dispenser / refill
2-in-1 hair and body wash	Dispenser / refill		Gym, pool
Body lotion	Mini / dispenser
Hand wash	Dispenser / refill		Basins, public areas

If you are still deciding formats, our guide to miniatures vs wall dispensers vs bulk refills may help. Accessory kits such as dental or vanity sets are usually tendered separately with accessory suppliers.

3. Formula requirements

• Sensory expectations: texture, foam, viscosity, after-feel
• Scent: existing signature scent, scent brief, or supplier proposals
• Colour, or colourless
• Free-from or ingredient preferences, stated as preferences unless legally required
• Whether dermatologically tested formulas are required, and which reports should be supplied
• Suitability for dispensers and specific pumps where relevant
• Shelf life expectations, and period after opening for refills

Keep claims requirements realistic. Ask for cosmetic performance, not medical outcomes.

4. Packaging and branding

• Material preferences: PET, HDPE, PCR content, aluminium, mono-material
• Closure type: flip-top, disc-top, pump, lockable pump
• Tamper-evident features required
• Decoration method: label, screen print, hot stamp
• Artwork ownership and who supplies print-ready files
• Carton specification, carton markings and pallet requirements

Our hotel amenity packaging guide explains the options in more depth.

5. Regulatory and compliance documents

Ask every bidder to provide, or confirm they can provide:

• Manufacturing licences and site certifications
• Full ingredient lists in INCI names
• Safety data sheets
• Certificates of analysis per batch
• Fragrance allergen information where required
• Halal certification where required
• Labelling compliant with each delivery country

Harrods Health holds the following: ISO certified, GMP-compliant facility, Halal certified, AYUSH licence, US FDA registered facility and state FDA cosmetic manufacturing licence. See quality and certifications.

6. Quality management

• Batch coding and traceability
• Retained samples policy
• Specification tolerances for fill volume, viscosity, colour and scent
• Complaint handling process and response times
• Recall procedure
• Right to audit the facility, or to receive audit reports

7. Samples and trials

Require samples of each product in the proposed final pack. Describe how they will be evaluated, for example a blind panel and an in-room trial with housekeeping feedback. Set a deadline for samples and state whether they will be returned.

8. Commercial terms

• Price per unit at defined volume bands
• Minimum order quantity per product, and how a "product" is defined
• Price validity period and any raw material adjustment mechanism
• Costs for custom scent, colour, printing and packaging tooling, stated separately
• Payment terms
• Incoterms for international delivery

For context on how minimums are set, see MOQ and pricing.

9. Logistics and service

• Delivery points: central warehouse, individual properties, or export port
• Lead time from order to dispatch for repeat orders
• Safety stock or scheduled call-off arrangements
• Export documentation responsibilities
• A named account manager and escalation contacts

10. Sustainability

• Compliance with local rules on single-use plastic toiletry bottles
• Recycled content and recyclability of components
• Refill and dispenser options
• Take-back or reuse arrangements for bulk containers, where offered

11. Evaluation criteria

Publish how bids will be scored. A balanced scorecard might weigh:

1. Product quality from sample evaluation
2. Compliance and documentation
3. Total cost across all lines, not only headline unit price
4. Service, lead times and account management
5. Sustainability

State the weightings you will use so suppliers can focus their proposals.

Scoring samples consistently

Give evaluators a simple score sheet for each product, covering scent on opening, scent in use, texture, foam or spreadability, rinse and after-feel, pack handling with wet hands and overall impression. Code samples so evaluators do not know which supplier made them. Include housekeeping staff in the panel, as they will handle the products every day and notice issues such as dripping pumps, sticky bottles or labels that peel in steam. Average the scores and record comments, which are often more useful than the numbers when you brief the winning supplier.

A sample tender timeline

Allow enough time for suppliers to respond properly, especially where samples and custom scents are involved. A typical sequence:

1. Issue the tender with specification, volumes and scoring criteria.
2. Hold a clarification window for supplier questions, and share all answers with every bidder.
3. Receive written proposals and pricing.
4. Receive samples in the proposed final packs.
5. Run blind and in-room evaluations.
6. Shortlist, then hold clarification meetings or site visits.
7. Award, then confirm final artwork, specifications and first order.

Build in time after award for artwork approval and packaging procurement. Printed components and custom colours often set the first delivery date, more than liquid manufacturing does.

After award: locking the specification

Once a supplier is chosen, convert the tender into a signed product specification for each SKU. It should record the approved formula reference, scent, colour, fill volume, pack, closure, decoration, label artwork version and carton configuration, along with approved retained samples. Any later change, however small, should go through a documented change request. This protects consistency across properties and across years of reorders, and gives housekeeping a reference if a batch looks or smells different. Our custom packaging team and a single account manager help keep these records aligned.

Ready formulas from 500 units per product are listed in our hotel amenities collection, which can be a useful starting point for writing a baseline specification.

Common tender mistakes

• Specifying size but not format or closure
• Leaving volumes blank, which makes pricing guesswork
• Asking for "natural" or "organic" without defining it
• Comparing unit prices for packs with very different fill volumes
• Skipping the in-room trial

Frequently asked questions

What should a hotel toiletries RFP include?

Scope and volumes, a line-by-line product and format list, formula and scent requirements, packaging and branding, compliance documents, quality management, sampling, commercial terms, logistics, sustainability and published scoring criteria.

Should we require samples in the final packaging?

Yes. Formula and pack interact, so evaluate samples in the proposed final bottle, tube, sachet or dispenser, ideally with an in-room trial.

How do we compare quotes fairly?

Ask every bidder to price the same lines, sizes and volume bands, with custom scent, printing and tooling listed separately, then compare total cost alongside quality and service scores.

Should accessory kits be in the same tender?

Usually they are tendered separately. Toiletry manufacturers make the liquids and body care; dental, vanity and similar kits come from accessory suppliers.

Preparing a tender? Share it with us via our hotel toiletries manufacturing page.