Three vendor decks sit on your desk. Each defines “automated claim” differently, and none makes clear who handles a disputed dealer repair. A feature grid won't tell you whether the system keeps the product record intact, gets the case to the right reviewer, and gives the dealer an answer. Make vendors show you.
This manufacturer warranty software RFP checklist gives you questions to send, a response format, a weighted scoring example, and a demo script. It assumes you've decided to evaluate software. For the wider shortlist and buying process, use our general software buyer checklist. Here, you need evidence you can compare across vendors for a manufacturer or OEM program.
Set the context before asking for features
Start with one page on your products, warranty terms, claim volume by type, submission channels, dealer or service network, returns flow, and systems that need to exchange data. Say which product lines or regions launch first. Name the people scoring claims operations, quality, finance, IT, and partner experience. Vendors need the same background to give you comparable answers.
Send two sample claims with personal details removed. Make one routine: a registered unit, a clear term, and complete evidence. Make the other a judgment call, such as a dealer repair with an unclear failure cause, a large quote, or a return needing inspection. Ask what the software can show today, what needs configuration, and what stays with your staff. If you're still deciding who should process claims, read the in-house versus outsourced processing comparison before setting scope.
Use these RFP sections and vendor questions
Give every vendor the same response format. Ask for a screen, a walk-through, a sample export, or documented configuration where possible. If the answer is “yes,” ask to see how it works.
- Program and product records. How do you connect model, serial number, sale or registration date, customer, dealer, and applicable terms? Show an unregistered product and a transferred product. What happens when two records disagree?
- Claim intake and eligibility. Which fields can be required by claim type or product? Show a dealer submitting a repair order with photos and estimate, then submitting it with a missing identifier. Where does the incomplete claim wait?
- Decision and exception work. Show the rule or manual step that checks coverage and approval limits. Who can override a result, who approves it, and what reason remains on the claim record? How are ambiguous coverage and suspected duplicate submissions routed?
- Returns and service handoffs. How does a claim produce a return authorization, repair, replacement, or supplier follow-up? Show the person responsible at each point and what happens if the returned part never arrives.
- Partner and customer access. What can dealers, technicians, customers, and internal teams see or change? Can a claimant upload missing evidence without starting a new claim? How does the next person know the case is ready?
- Reporting and data access. Show claims by product, failure type, batch, dealer, outcome, and cost if those fields exist in the proposed setup. What raw data can your team export, and how are corrections to product or claim records reflected?
- Integrations and migration. Name each system of record, direction of data flow, field owner, update frequency, error handling, and responsible implementation party. Show a sample product import and a failed sync.
- Launch, support, and commercial scope. Provide a written plan for configuration, migration, training, testing, and go-live. Identify subscription tier, included volume, integration needs, one-time services, and ongoing support. Name the work your team must supply.
For manufacturer scenarios, use the manufacturer warranty page to pick the registration, claims, returns, and supplier steps you want shown. WarrantyHub's registration capabilities include online, QR code, dealer, and API paths. Still, test them with your data and the path your dealers use. A brochure category doesn't earn a point.
Agree on a scoring rubric before demos
Keep the evidence scale simple. Give a 0 when the vendor can't show the requirement or give a credible answer. A 1 means a workaround or future work with key details still open. A 2 means documented configuration or a connected process within the quoted scope can meet the requirement. A 3 means the vendor shows your scenario end to end, including the evidence, permissions, and output you need. Put a link or note next to every score; you'll want it when the team revisits the decision.
| Score | Evidence to record | Buyer action |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Cannot show it, or answer does not address the scenario | Mark the gap and its consequence |
| 1 | Manual workaround, unscoped third party, or future feature | Ask for owner, timing, and cost before revising |
| 2 | Configured or integrated path with written scope | Verify it in a follow-up demo |
| 3 | Scenario works end to end in the shown setup | Keep the evidence and confirm plan inclusion |
Mark your must-haves before scoring. If a system can't preserve a required product identifier or show who approved a costly claim, a high total score may not matter. Use those requirements as gates, then compare the vendors that pass them by weighted score.
Weighted checklist: an example you can adjust
Example only: these weights describe a hypothetical manufacturer with dealer claims and physical returns. They're not recommended weights for every company. Set yours before reviewing responses. For each row, multiply the vendor's 0–3 score by the weight, then divide by 3. Add the results for a total out of 100. Keep the original scores and evidence beside that total; a good number can hide a bad handoff.
| Requirement group | Example weight | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Product record and eligibility | 20% | Serial, term, owner, dealer, mismatched records |
| Claims and human decisions | 25% | Intake, rules, exceptions, approvals, history |
| Returns and partner work | 20% | Dealer steps, return state, repair or replacement handoff |
| Reporting and data access | 15% | Product and failure views, exports, data definitions |
| Integrations and migration | 10% | Field map, failed sync, import ownership |
| Launch and support | 10% | Training, configuration, response path, full quote |
A score of 2 on a 25% row contributes 16.7 points after rounding; a 3 contributes 25. One vendor may handle registration well but leave supplier returns in email. Another may show the return flow but need significant migration. Read the notes behind the scores before you decide. Our human review guide gives you exception cases to test in the claims row.
Run the same demo script with each finalist
Send the scenarios ahead of time and let an operations reviewer drive the questions live. Don't let the vendor jump from intake to a finished dashboard. Make them show where a claim waits and what your team has to do next.
- Find or register the sample product. Show the exact warranty term and any uncertainty in purchase or registration data.
- Submit an ordinary dealer or customer claim with its evidence. Show validation, claim owner, status, and the message the claimant receives.
- Submit the exception claim. Change one fact after intake. Show how the reviewer sees the reason for review, the relevant terms, and the previous action.
- Ask the reviewer to approve, request more information, or decline according to your scenario. Show permissions, reason codes, and what the claimant sees.
- Send an approved case through a return or repair handoff. Show what a dealer or service partner can update and what happens when an expected part or document is late.
- Close the case, reopen it, then find its full history in a report or export. Ask which step was configured for the demo and which would be included in your quoted plan.
WarrantyHub's claims workspace describes configured intake, routing, approval chains, status, documents, and reporting. Test those against your policies and ask to see the configuration. By the end of the demo, you should know whether staff can explain a decision later without piecing together several systems.
Use reference calls to test the handoffs
Ask to speak with a customer whose product mix, dealer model, or return process resembles yours. What data took longest to prepare? Which workflow changed most after launch? How does the team handle unclear coverage now? Find out whether dealer submissions arrive ready to act on, whether reports match the source systems, and what support did when a configured rule behaved unexpectedly. Then ask what the customer would set up differently.
Get a launch plan from every finalist. It should name system owners, test records, migration checks, training, and the first claim types to go live. For WarrantyHub, most customers go live in 30–60 days. White-glove onboarding has a separate, paid, one-time fee scoped to the project; include it in the first-year comparison.
Make the next step small and specific
Before you pick a high-scoring vendor, test its weakest important row. Bring the claim that caused a dispute last month. Who sees the evidence? Who can decide? Where does that decision appear for the dealer or customer? Find the gap before you move your records.
Bring one manufacturer claim to a WarrantyHub demo and run the script above, or request a guided 14-day free trial with no credit card required. Get the applicable plan, the configuration needed to pass your test, a separate paid onboarding quote, and the proposed 30–60 day go-live plan in writing.
Manufacturer warranty software RFP FAQs
Describe your products and claim channels. Ask vendors how they handle registration and eligibility, claim decisions, returns, partner access, reporting, integrations, implementation, and support. Have each one show your ordinary claim and an exception, then put in writing what is standard, configured, or unavailable.
Set requirements and weights before the demos. Use the same 0–3 evidence scale for every vendor, multiply each score by its category weight, and note the evidence behind it. The weights here are an example; choose yours based on the work your program does.
No. Score what the vendor can show for your scenario today. A credible configuration plan can earn partial credit if you record the work, owner, timing, and quoted scope. Treat a future feature or a step needing an unquoted third party as unproven until you have evidence.
Bring a sample registered product and its warranty terms, an ordinary dealer or customer claim, a claim with unclear coverage or a high quote, and an example return or supplier handoff. Remove personal information where needed. Have each vendor show the same sequence and the final record.
Yes. Book a demo with a real claim or request the guided 14-day free trial with no credit card required. Ask which plan and configuration support the result. White-glove onboarding is a separate, paid, one-time fee scoped per project, and most customers go live in 30–60 days.