IoT RFP Template for Tracking and Fuel Monitoring

Short answer

A strong RFP for a tracking or fuel monitoring project follows the Saudi model booklet structure, then adds five IoT clauses: an asset list with quantities, a SABER certificate under SASO 3114:2026 for every cellular device, a stated and tested alert time, data export and API terms, and an acceptance test on real assets.

Key takeaways

The Ministry of Finance model tender booklet has twelve sections, and the IoT detail belongs in three of them: scope of work with the bill of quantities, specifications, and evaluation.
From 1 November 2026, new certificates of conformity for covered cellular devices must follow SASO 3114:2026, so ask for the SABER certificate per model in the RFP.
Ask every bidder to state how often alert rules are checked and how long delivery takes, then test it during acceptance with a timestamped event.
Write data terms in: export formats per module, an API, where data is hosted, and how you get your data back at the end of the contract.
You can send the finished RFP as an RFQ on the ENTEK marketplace at entek.ai to reach verified Saudi suppliers.

01Start from the booklet structure Saudi suppliers already know

You do not need to invent an RFP format. The Ministry of Finance publishes model tender booklets under the Government Tenders and Procurement Law, issued by Royal Decree M/128 dated 13/11/1440H. The model we read has twelve sections: introduction, general provisions, preparing offers, submitting offers, evaluating offers, contracting requirements, detailed scope of work, specifications, local content, the economic participation programme, special conditions, and annexes. Government entities must follow the law and its model booklets. A private company does not have to, but borrowing the same structure helps, because Saudi suppliers are used to reading it and will find each answer where they expect it. Most of that structure is general and stays as it is. The IoT detail belongs in three places: the scope of work with its bill of quantities and prices, the specifications, and the evaluation criteria. The rest of this article gives copyable wording for those three places, plus an acceptance test that protects you after the award.

02Scope of work and the bill of quantities

Most weak RFPs fail here, because bidders guess the asset list and price different things. Attach a sheet that lists every asset to be monitored. For vehicles, give type, make, model year, fuel type and whether the vehicle has a CAN bus. For tanks, give shape (horizontal or vertical), dimensions, capacity in litres, and whether the tank top can be drilled. For containers or tankers, give the number of doors or hatches to lock. Add the city and site of each asset, and the hours when installers can work. Then split the bill of quantities into separate lines: device per asset type, sensor or probe, installation per asset, SIM and data per month, platform subscription per device per month, training, and support. Ask bidders to price each line in SAR, monthly and yearly, and to state the contract length. Separate lines let you compare offers fairly and drop or add assets later without a new tender.

03Device specifications and certificates

In the specifications section, describe what each device must do, not a brand. For trackers, ask for cellular connectivity with GNSS, an ignition input, a backup battery, and the data your use case needs, such as CAN data for fuel and engine hours. For fuel probes, ask for the measuring principle, stated accuracy as a percentage, ingress protection rating, and the cable interface to the tracker. For locks, ask how unlocking is authorised and what is logged. Then add the certificate clause. Under the SABER circular, SASO 3114:2026 replaces SASO CITC GEN-002, the grace period ends on 31 October 2026, and from 1 November 2026 no new certificate of conformity may be issued for covered products unless they meet the updated requirements. Ask each bidder to attach the SABER certificate and HS code for every cellular model offered. If any asset sits in a hazardous area, ask for the explosion-protection certificate of that exact model, not a general statement about the range.

04Platform, alerts and data clauses

This is the part most RFPs leave vague, and where disputes start later. Ask each bidder to state, in numbers, how often alert rules are checked and how long an alert takes to reach a phone, and to accept that the figure will be tested at acceptance. Avoid words like “instant” or “real-time” in your own text; ask for a measured time instead. List the alert channels you need, such as email, SMS and WhatsApp, and the languages of the messages. Ask which reports exist per module and in which export formats, because some platforms export reports for one module and not for another. Ask whether there is a documented API and how access tokens are issued and withdrawn. Ask where the data is hosted, how long it is kept, and how you receive a full export when the contract ends. Finally, ask which user roles exist, so you know whether a driver, a supervisor and a finance user can each see only what they need.

05Acceptance test and evaluation criteria

An acceptance test turns promises into evidence. Write it into the RFP before bids arrive. Require that every installed device appears on the platform with the correct asset name and reports within a stated period. For fuel tanks, compare the platform level with a manual dip on a set number of tanks, and agree the allowed difference in advance. For alerts, trigger a real event on purpose, such as opening a lock outside a stop zone or a planned drop in a test tank, write down the time, and record when each named person received the message and on which channel. For locks, check that every unlock appears in the log with who and when. Only after the test passes should the monthly subscription start. In the evaluation section, publish the technical and financial weights and the pass mark, and give clear weight to the acceptance results of a short pilot when the project is large enough to justify one.

06Sending the RFP through ENTEK, and how ENTEK IoT answers it

Once the RFP is ready, you can raise it as an RFQ on the ENTEK marketplace at entek.ai and attach the full document, so verified Saudi suppliers can bid on devices, installation and services line by line. You then compare offers and award in the same place. If ENTEK IoT is one of the platforms you evaluate, here is how it answers the clauses above today. Alert rules are checked every 30 seconds and messages usually arrive within about a minute, by email, SMS or WhatsApp, in Arabic or English; there are no push notifications. The platform is compatible with more than 1,500 tracker and sensor models, of which about 8 are tested end to end. Smart Lock reports export to PDF, Excel and CSV; Fleet reports cannot be exported today. A documented REST API is available with named tokens you can withdraw. Roles are fixed, admin and driver, with each module fully on or off, so write that need into the RFP if you require finer roles.

Copyable RFP outline for a tracking or fuel monitoring project
Booklet section	What to write for an IoT project	Why it matters
Introduction	The problem in one paragraph, for example unexplained diesel loss at 12 sites	Bidders size the solution to the real problem
Scope of work	Asset sheet: type, model, tank shape and dimensions, doors to lock, city and site	Stops bidders from guessing and pricing different things
Bill of quantities	Separate SAR lines: device, sensor, installation, SIM per month, subscription per device per month, training, support	Lets you compare offers and change quantities later
Specifications: devices	Required functions, accuracy, protection rating, interface; no brand names	Keeps competition open and comparable
Specifications: certificates	SABER certificate under SASO 3114:2026 and HS code for each cellular model; hazardous-area certificate per model where needed	New certificates must follow SASO 3114:2026 from 1 November 2026
Specifications: alerts	Rule check interval and delivery time in numbers; channels; message language	Turns “instant” claims into a figure you can test
Specifications: data	Export formats per module, API, hosting location, retention, full export at contract end, user roles	Protects your data and your exit
Acceptance test	Every device reporting; manual dip vs platform level; timed alert test per channel; lock log check	Subscription starts only after evidence
Evaluation	Published technical and financial weights, pass mark, pilot results where justified	Makes the award defensible

Figures and sources

Sections in the Ministry of Finance model tender booklet: 12 sections (Source: Ministry of Finance, model tender booklet (catering services), as of 2026-10-19)
Law the model booklet is issued under: Government Tenders and Procurement Law, Royal Decree M/128 dated 13/11/1440H (Source: Ministry of Finance, model tender booklet (catering services), as of 2026-10-19)
Where the bill of quantities and prices sits in the model booklet: Section 7, detailed scope of work (Source: Ministry of Finance, model tender booklet (catering services), as of 2026-10-19)
Standard that replaces SASO CITC GEN-002 for specific ICT equipment: SASO 3114:2026 (Source: SABER, circular on the update of standard specification GEN-002, as of 2026-10-19)
End of the grace period for the updated standard: 31 October 2026 (Source: SABER, circular on the update of standard specification GEN-002, as of 2026-10-19)
Date from which no certificate of conformity may be issued for covered products without the updated requirements: 1 November 2026 (Source: SABER, circular on the update of standard specification GEN-002, as of 2026-10-19)
Latest date by which valid GEN-002 certificates of conformity and shipment certificates are discontinued: 31 March 2027 (Source: SABER, circular on the update of standard specification GEN-002, as of 2026-10-19)

Questions

Do I have to use the government booklet format as a private company?

No. The model booklets apply to government entities under the Government Tenders and Procurement Law. A private company can borrow the structure because Saudi suppliers know it, and keep only the sections it needs.

What certificate should I ask for on GPS trackers in 2026?

Ask for the SABER certificate of conformity and HS code for each cellular model. From 1 November 2026, new certificates for covered products must follow SASO 3114:2026, and GEN-002 certificates end no later than 31 March 2027.

How do I write the alert speed requirement?

Ask bidders to state, in seconds or minutes, how often rules are checked and how long delivery takes per channel, and say that the figure will be tested at acceptance with a timed event. Avoid “instant” in your own wording.

Should the subscription start on installation day?

Better not. Write in the RFP that the monthly subscription starts after the acceptance test passes, so you do not pay for devices that are installed but not yet reporting correctly.

Can I send this RFP to several suppliers at once?

Yes. You can raise it as an RFQ on the ENTEK marketplace at entek.ai, attach the document, and receive offers from verified Saudi suppliers that you compare line by line before you award.

RFP Template for a Tracking or Fuel Monitoring Project in Saudi Arabia