Skip to content
Free planMenu

Recruitment Marketing RFP Template

One RFP. Every agency.

We're Hireloud, a recruitment marketing agency that fills interview seats, month-to-month. This is the RFP we'd want to answer: seven sections and a scoring grid. Copy it, fill in the brackets and send it to every agency on your list, us included.

Guide · Last reviewed November 2026 · Sources linked below · Not legal advice; your counsel decides.

Copy the whole RFPDownload it as .txt

FreeNo sign-upNothing leaves your browser

Short answer

For TA, HR, finance and procurement teams.

AskSend every agency the same numbered questions, on the same day, with one due date.

CoverSeven areas: scope, budget control, reporting, live jobs, platform rules, data, and fees and exit.

ScoreFix your scoring grid before the replies come in, and weight what you can check.

How to use it

Copy it. Fill it in. Send it to everyone.

Copy the sections you need into your own RFP. Each one opens with why it matters, then the RFP text: numbered questions each agency answers in writing. Keep the numbers, so the replies line up side by side.

Fill in the [brackets] and delete what doesn't apply. In the RFP text, "we" is your company and "you" is the agency. Not ready for a full RFP? Send Sections 1 and 3 as a short request for information (RFI) first.

Who fills in what.

TA or HR

Roles, locations, the careers site and live jobs.

Section 1Section 4

Finance

The caps, how spend is shown, and the fee lines.

Section 2Section 7

Procurement

The terms, the scoring grid and the timeline.

Section 7Scoring

Legal and privacy

Platform rules, tracking tags and job seeker data.

Section 5Section 6

A 4-week RFP timeline.

  1. Week 1

    Draft and send.

    Fill in Section 1, agree the weights and send the RFP to every agency on the same day.

  2. Week 2

    Answer questions.

    Take questions until mid-week. Send every answer to every agency.

  3. Week 3

    Read and score.

    Replies are due Monday. Each reviewer scores alone, then the group meets.

  4. Week 4

    Demos and decision.

    Your top two or three show their reporting live, with sample data. Then decide. Contract terms come after.

Four weeks fits a private employer with a small review team. Public bodies often need longer. RC Strategies' template for police recruiting plans 10 to 12 weeks from release to contract award. It also says: "Good vendors will have detailed questions about your data, your technology stack, and your hiring process."1

RFP section 1

Scope, role group by role group.

Agencies can only plan what you describe. Sort your roles into role groups: roles that share a budget, such as store and restaurant roles, warehouse shifts or nurses. Give each group its locations, openings and busy months. A vague scope gets a vague proposal.

RFP text · Section 1

Copy section 1

1. Background and scope

We are [company name], hiring in [states or regions]. This RFP covers paid recruitment advertising for the role groups below. Please answer each numbered item in writing, in order, by [date].

  1. 1.1 Role groups in scope. For each group: [group name] · [roles] · [number of locations] · [estimated openings per month] · [busy months].
  2. 1.2 Our systems: careers site [link] · applicant tracking system [name] · job feed [link or format, if known].
  3. 1.3 Channels we want covered: [for example Google, Meta, job sites, programmatic job distribution]. Tell us which channels you would use for each role group, and why.
  4. 1.4 Describe your plan for the first 30 days on our most urgent role group: [group name].
  5. 1.5 Who will work on our account each week? If you use AI to draft ads, who reviews each one before it runs?
  6. 1.6 Timeline: send questions by [date]; we will send every answer to every agency. Replies are due by [date and time] to [email or portal]. Shortlisted agencies show their reporting live, with sample data, in the week of [date].

RFP section 2

Budget control finance can check.

This section lets finance check spend without having to ask. Give each role group its own cap, then ask how spend is paced and how changes are approved. One public 2025 RFP for recruitment media asks the agency to keep a "live fiscal year dashboard detailing planned vs. actual spend".2

Want to see what "on plan" means before you ask? Our free budget pacing calculator shows whether spend is ahead of or behind plan, and the recruitment budget template sets out a cap for each role group.

RFP text · Section 2

Copy section 2

2. Budget control

  1. 2.1 Can you hold a separate monthly cap for each role group in Section 1? How do you stop a group from going over its cap?
  2. 2.2 How do you pace spend through the month? Show how you compare spend to date with plan to date, group by group.
  3. 2.3 How do you report spend that isn't tied to a named role group? We expect it on its own row, not spread across the groups.
  4. 2.4 Who can change a cap or a budget? Show a sample change log with the date, the change and the person who approved it.
  5. 2.5 What happens to budget that isn't spent by the end of the month, or of the contract?

RFP section 3

Reporting, and the units behind it.

A number you can't check is a claim, not a report.

Ask agencies to define every unit they report and to name the system that counts it. Ad platforms count clicks. Applications and hires live in your applicant tracking system, so an agency needs data from it to report them.

Ask how often you see the numbers, too. RC Strategies' template says: "Monthly reports aren't enough."1 Joveo, a programmatic job-ad vendor, publishes this RFP question: "Are reports available in real-time, and can we access raw data for independent analysis?"3

Units differ from agency to agency. What matters is a written definition that stays the same for the whole contract. Our guide to recruitment marketing metrics maps each metric to the system that can count it.

RFP text · Section 3

Copy section 3

3. Reporting

  1. 3.1 List every unit you will report, such as impressions, clicks, visits, applications or hires. For each one, give the written definition and the system that counts it.
  2. 3.2 Which one unit do you propose we judge you on? Will its definition stay the same for the whole contract?
  3. 3.3 Can we see spend and results by role group, channel and location at any time, without asking? How often does the data refresh? Please attach a sample view, using sample data.
  4. 3.4 Can we export the raw data behind every report? In what format?
  5. 3.5 How do you find and remove invalid or non-human traffic before you report it?

RFP section 4

Live jobs, closed jobs and reposts.

Jobs close every day. An ad that keeps running after its job closes spends money on a dead page. Google's rules for its own job search say jobs that are no longer open "must be expired". They add: "Failure to take timely action on expired jobs may result in a manual action."4 Paid ads need the same care.

A strong answer shows it working: the job closes, and its ad shows as paused on a screen you can check.

Sample view of our live dashboard. Ask every agency to show you theirs, with sample data.

RFP text · Section 4

Copy section 4

4. Live jobs

  1. 4.1 How do you know which of our jobs are open? Do you read our live careers feed, or wait for us to tell you?
  2. 4.2 When do you check our advertised jobs against the feed: before launch only, or while ads run? How often?
  3. 4.3 When a job closes, what happens to its ads, how soon, and where can we see the change?
  4. 4.4 When we repost a job at a new link, who updates the ads, and how soon?
  5. 4.5 Do you check that our job pages carry the job-posting markup that Google's job search reads?

RFP section 5

Platform rules for job ads.

Job ads have their own targeting rules. On Meta, they run in the Employment special ad category, and on Google, under its employment-ad policy. Here's what that locks down in the US and Canada:5

Meta · Employment category

  • Ages fixed at 18 to 65+
  • No gender pick
  • No ZIP codes
  • 15-mile minimum radius
  • No lookalike audiences

Google Ads · no targeting by

  • Gender
  • Age
  • Parental status
  • Marital status
  • ZIP code

A good agency plans inside these rules, not around them. Our guide to job ad targeting rules on Meta and Google covers what to do instead. Where a pay transparency law covers your postings, the pay in each ad should match the posting; see pay ranges in job ads.

RFP text · Section 5

Copy section 5

5. Platform rules

  1. 5.1 How do you run our job ads inside Meta's Employment special ad category and Google's employment-ad rules? Who checks each campaign's settings?
  2. 5.2 Without ZIP-code or age targeting, how do you reach people near each of our locations?
  3. 5.3 Who reviews ad wording before it runs, and against what checklist?
  4. 5.4 How do you keep the job title, location and pay in each ad matching the job posting? Where a pay-range law applies, who checks it?

Last reviewed November 2026. Not legal advice; your counsel decides.

RFP section 6

Data, tags and where people apply.

Recruitment ads can touch personal data in two places: tracking tags on your careers site, and any form a job seeker fills in. So ask where people apply, and who holds what. Joveo's list asks how a platform collects data from your ATS or CRM: "Does it use tags, pixels, API, or a different data collection method?"3 Your privacy team decides what's acceptable.

RFP text · Section 6

Copy section 6

6. Data and privacy

  1. 6.1 Where will job seekers apply: on our careers site or applicant tracking system, or on a page or form you host?
  2. 6.2 Do you collect or store any job seeker personal data? If so, what, where, for how long, and who can see it?
  3. 6.3 Which tags, pixels or scripts would you add to our careers site? What does each one collect, and who owns that data?
  4. 6.4 Will you use our data, or job seekers' data, for any other client or for your own marketing?
  5. 6.5 Please attach your privacy notice, data-processing terms, subprocessor list and answers to our security questionnaire.

RFP section 7

Fees, media and what you keep if you leave.

Fees are where proposals are hardest to compare. Ask for media, fees, technology and creative on separate lines. RC Strategies' template says: "Don't accept a single lump sum."1

Agent or principal?

Agent

Buys media on your behalf.

Principal

Buys media for itself, then resells it to you.

Ask which one each agency is, channel by channel. In a March 2026 release from the Association of National Advertisers (ANA), CEO Bob Liodice said: "Marketers should always understand whether their agency is acting as an agent or a principal in any media transaction." The ANA also recommends that marketers "explicitly address principal media in agency agreements."6

The ANA's study is about advertising media in general, where principal buying shows up most in TV and on the open web. It isn't about job ads. The question still belongs in your RFP, and so do payments from channels. Joveo's list asks: "Do you return or reinvest publisher commissions in our campaigns?"3

RFP text · Section 7

Copy section 7

7. Fees, terms and exit

  1. 7.1 Show media, agency fees, technology and creative as separate lines. How is each one worked out: percent of media, fixed fee, per click or something else?
  2. 7.2 Do you act as our agent for all media, or as principal for any of it? If principal, for which channels, and how is the price set?
  3. 7.3 Do you receive commissions, rebates, credits or other payments from any channel or publisher? Are they disclosed and passed back to us?
  4. 7.4 Are there minimum spends, setup fees, prepaid packages or fixed terms? What notice ends the contract?
  5. 7.5 Who owns the ad accounts, tags, audiences, creative and reporting history? What do we keep if we leave, and in what format?
  6. 7.6 How will you invoice us? Will each invoice show spend by role group and channel?

Our own answer to 7.4: month-to-month, with no long-term contracts. Sending this to procurement? See how we work with procurement: we sign your NDA first, and an MSA, W-9 and certificate of insurance are ready on request.

Scoring

Score every reply on the same grid.

Set the weights before the replies arrive, so nobody bends them to fit a favorite. Each reviewer scores alone first, then the group compares. Score 1 to 5 in each area. A strong answer shows the thing working, with sample data. A weak one describes it with adjectives.

Area
Weight
Score 5 when the reply
Score 1 when the reply
1. Scope and plan
Weight: 15
Score 5: Plans each role group on its own, with a 30-day plan for our most urgent group.
Score 1: Offers one plan for every role.
2. Budget control
Weight: 15
Score 5: Shows a cap per group, pacing against plan to date, unassigned spend on its own row and a dated change log.
Score 1: Reports one blended monthly total.
3. Reporting and units
Weight: 15
Score 5: Defines every unit in writing, names the system that counts it and offers a raw-data export.
Score 1: Uses result words with no definitions.
4. Live jobs
Weight: 10
Score 5: Checks our live feed before launch and while ads run, and pauses ads when a job closes.
Score 1: Waits for us to report closed jobs.
5. Platform rules
Weight: 10
Score 5: Explains how it plans inside Meta's and Google's job-ad rules, and who checks the wording.
Score 1: Offers targeting the rules don't allow.
6. Data and privacy
Weight: 10
Score 5: Says where people apply, and lists every tag with what it collects.
Score 1: Can't say what its tags collect.
7. Fees, terms and exit
Weight: 25
Score 5: Separate lines for media and fees, agent or principal stated, channel payments disclosed, a clear exit.
Score 1: One lump sum, or terms that only appear at contract stage.

Suggested weights; they add up to 100. Change them to fit your priorities, then fix them before you send the RFP. Points for an area = score ÷ 5 × weight.

Hypothetical

An agency scores 4 on budget control, which carries a weight of 15. That area adds 12 points (4 ÷ 5 × 15) to its total.

Take the whole RFP with you.

Sections 1 to 7 and the scoring grid, as plain text you can paste into Word or Google Docs.

Copy the whole RFPDownload as .txt

Built in your browser. Nothing is sent to us.

Free hiring plan

Score us first.

Send us your hardest role before the RFP goes out. Your free hiring plan shows where we'd run it, the budget we'd use, what to fix in the job ads you run now, and a sample ad in your brand. Hold it up against this grid.

In your inbox within 3 business days. Free. No call needed.

Get my free hiring planFor procurement

Month-to-monthNo long-term contractsProcurement-friendly

Hireloud runs recruitment marketing services for employers with lots of locations: social, Google, job sites, ad creative and hiring events, only on open jobs. Month-to-month, with no long-term contracts. You approve. We handle the rest.

Quick answers.

Anything else? A person replies within one business day.

Ask us anything

  • Seven parts: background and scope by role group, budget control, reporting, live jobs, platform rules, data and privacy, and fees with exit terms. Add a timeline and a scoring grid. Ask every agency to define each unit it reports and to show spend by role group against plan.

  • Three to five is a workable number. It's enough to compare approaches, and few enough that you can read every reply closely. Then ask your top two or three to show their reporting live, with sample data, before you decide.

  • You can, but score them lightly. You can't check another employer's numbers, and units differ from agency to agency. Give more weight to what you can check: written answers and a live demo of the reporting. Ask each agency to walk you through a closed job or an overspent role group, using sample data.

  • Put every proposal into the same lines: media, agency fees, technology and creative. Compare line by line, not by total. Check whether the agency acts as your agent or as principal, and whether it keeps payments from channels. Our guide on how to choose a recruitment marketing agency explains six common pricing models.

Let's fill your interview seats.

Tell us who you're hiring and where. We'll email you:

  • A sample ad for your hardest role, in your brand
  • Where we'd run it, and the budget we'd use
  • What to fix in the job ads you run now

In your inbox within 3 business days.

Free Hiring Plan

Required

Who are you hiring? (required)

Pick all that apply.

How many locations? (required)

For example: forklift operator, 2nd shift, Dallas

We'll send your plan here.

Free. No call needed. Your plan lands in your inbox within 3 business days.

Month-to-monthNo long-term contractsProcurement-friendly

By sending this you agree to our privacy notice.

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Sources

Last reviewed November 2026. Every quote checked against its source on November 8, 2026. Not legal advice; your counsel decides.

  1. 1RC Strategies, "How to Write a Law Enforcement Recruiting Marketing RFP (Free Template)", published Mar 12, 2026, updated Oct 15, 2026 (dates from the page's structured data), checked Nov 8, 2026. Steps 3, 5 and 6. Written for police recruiting; RC Strategies sells recruitment marketing services. rcstrat.com
  2. 2IDEA Public Schools (Texas), Request for Proposal #37-MRKTAG-0625, "Marketing Media Strategy & Buying Services" (PDF), April 2025, scope of services. A public RFP covering staff and student recruitment media. Checked Nov 8, 2026. ideapublicschools.org
  3. 3Joveo, "Selecting the Right Partner: Questions to Include in Your RFP for Programmatic Job Ad Vendors", undated live page, checked Nov 8, 2026. Sections "Transparency", "Compatibility" and "Pricing and cost structure". Joveo sells programmatic job advertising. joveo.com
  4. 4Google Search Central, "Job posting (JobPosting) structured data", section "Remove a job posting", page last updated Sept 8, 2026, checked Nov 8, 2026. developers.google.com
  5. 5Meta for Developers, Marketing API, "Special Ad Categories", and Google Ads Help, "Employment in personalized advertising", live pages, checked Nov 8, 2026. developers.facebook.com · support.google.com
  6. 6Association of National Advertisers, "ANA Study: Governance Around Principal Media Failing to Keep Pace With Industry Adoption", Mar 19, 2026. Quotes from the release and from ANA CEO Bob Liodice. The study covers advertising media in general (principal buying is most common in TV and on the open web), not job ads. ana.net