How to Write an RFP for an Arborist

Prepare a list of arborists in your vicinity you can send your RFP to. The International Society of Arboriculture provides a certification program for arborists who have the education and experience to meet their standards. This will enable you to find adequately trained experts. Your local phone book may also provide companies that could respond to your RFP and give you the opportunity to decide on their qualifications. The more RFPs you distribute, the more choices you will have.

Make a list of the proposed goals you want met. If you expect the proposal they send in response to your RFP to include the planting of new trees, explain what trees you already have and how you would like your property to look when completed. Ask what types of trees they expect to plant and where they would place them. If you are asking for them to examine your current trees for problems, invite them to make an appointment to visit before submitting their response to the RFP.

Write the RFP with at least four sections. The first section should describe what trees you currently have and your goals. Use the list you prepared. In the second section, explain the response you want from them. Do you expect more than a description of the activities they will conduct, such as drawings of the property when completed? Tell them if you expect a timeline, a list of any new trees and materials they will provide and the number of workers who will be involved at any one time. The third section indicates what you want to know about the qualifications of the people who will do the planning and the work, what licenses they have and the type and extent of their insurance coverage. Put your questions about the finances involved in the fourth section. If the work is extensive, it's best to have them estimate the charges of materials, trees and labor separately. This enables you to compare costs of similar items.

Send your RFP to everyone on your list at the same time. Indicate the absolute final date you will accept their response. If you receive any requests for additional information and decide to respond, send the questions and your responses to everyone you have sent the RFP to.