Club Software RFP Template

This club software RFP template is a complete request for proposal a private golf or country club can send to club management software vendors. It covers the club profile vendors need to quote accurately, submission instructions, functional requirements by module with Must, Should and Nice priorities, vendor questions, data and migration, security and payments, implementation and support, a pricing disclosure schedule, references and the evaluation timeline. It's vendor-neutral: copy it into your own document, delete what doesn't apply, adjust the priorities, and add requirements specific to your club.

How to use this template

1. Fill in the club profile in Section 1. Vendors can't price or scope without it.
2. Set the dates in Section 2.
3. Review every requirement in Section 4. The suggested priority is marked with ✓; move it to the column that fits your club, delete rows that don't apply, and add your own. Write club-specific requirements as situations ("Full golf members book seven days ahead at 7:00 a.m."), not features.
4. Keep the response codes. Asking every vendor to answer with the same codes makes responses comparable.
5. Send the same RFP to every vendor and share answers to vendor questions with all of them.
6. Score the responses with the club software evaluation scorecard.

For the process around the RFP, see how to choose country club management software and club software selection for boards.

Section 1: Club profile

Complete this table before sending.

Section 2: Instructions and timeline

Submission instructions

• Submit responses electronically to the contact below by the response deadline.
• Answer every requirement using the response codes in Section 4.
• Provide pricing in the format in Section 9. Proposals without complete pricing may not be evaluated.
• Direct all questions in writing to the contact below by the question deadline. Answers will be shared with all vendors.
• The club may accept or reject any proposal, and is not obligated to select a vendor.
• Responses will be kept confidential and used only for this evaluation.

Club contact: name, title, email

Timeline

Section 3: Vendor information

1. Company legal name, headquarters and year founded.
2. Ownership (private, private-equity backed, public, subsidiary). Has the company been acquired or acquired another club software company in the last five years?
3. Number of employees in product development, implementation and support.
4. Which modules in this RFP does your company build and support itself, and which are provided by partners or third parties?
5. Describe how you decide what to build next and how clubs influence those decisions.
6. Describe your release process. How often are updates released, and how are clubs notified? Do updates ever require downtime?
7. Describe any pending litigation related to your software or services.
8. Provide a sample contract, service level agreement and data processing agreement.

Section 4: Functional requirements

Response codes

Vendors should add a short comment where the code alone doesn't explain the answer.

4.1 Membership and member records

4.2 Tee sheet

4.3 Tournaments, leagues and handicaps

4.4 Member app and communications

4.5 Point of sale

4.6 Food and beverage operations

4.7 Retail and inventory

4.8 Member billing and receivables

4.9 Accounting

4.10 Events and banquets

4.11 Staff management

4.12 Reporting

Section 5: Integrations

List each integration in the proposal and answer for each:

1. Is it real-time or batch? How often does it run?
2. Which direction does data flow?
3. Which fields are exchanged?
4. Who builds and maintains it, and who is responsible when it fails?
5. Is there a setup or ongoing fee?
6. How is the club alerted to a failure?

Integrations the club uses or expects: payment processing, payroll, accounting (if not native), USGA handicap services, email and SMS, website, card readers and printers, and any others the club lists here.

Section 6: Data, migration and exit

1. Which data will you convert from the club's current systems? Address members, households, categories, balances, open receivables, statement history, autopay authorizations, future tee times, standing times, future events and deposits, inventory, stored value and GL balances.
2. How many test conversions are included? Who validates them?
3. Can the club go live in stages, one department at a time? Describe how stages coexist with systems not yet replaced.
4. Describe your rollback plan if a stage fails.
5. Can the club export all of its data at any time, in a documented format, without a fee? Provide a sample of the export and its documentation.
6. At termination, what data is returned, in what format, within what time, and at what cost? When is the club's data deleted?
7. Who owns the club's data, including member data, transaction history and configuration?

Section 7: Security, privacy and payments

1. Where is the club's data hosted? Which regions?
2. How is data encrypted in transit and at rest?
3. Describe backups: frequency, retention, and restore testing.
4. Describe access controls for staff: roles, sign-in methods, multi-factor authentication, and audit logs.
5. How is card data handled? Which parts of card processing are in scope for the club's compliance obligations?
6. Which security standards and certifications do you hold? Provide current evidence, not a description.
7. Describe your incident response process and how clubs are notified of a breach.
8. How do members control their own data, including directory visibility and communication preferences?
9. Who is the payment processor? Can the club choose its own processor? Where do funds settle, and on what schedule?
10. Are processing rates fixed for the contract term? Who pays chargeback fees?
11. How are ACH payments processed, and at what cost?

Section 8: Implementation, training and support

1. Provide a sample implementation plan and timeline for a club of our profile.
2. Who manages the project, and how many hours of their time are included?
3. What does the club need to provide (staff time, data, decisions)?
4. Describe training by department, including seasonal staff hired after go-live.
5. Will your staff be on site for go-live? For how long?
6. Support hours, including weekends and holidays during golf season. How are urgent issues handled on a Saturday morning?
7. Response and resolution targets by severity, and the remedies if they are missed.
8. Is there a dedicated account manager after go-live?
9. How is the system updated, and how are clubs trained on new features?

Section 9: Pricing disclosure

Complete this schedule for the modules proposed. Include every cost the club will pay. Costs not disclosed here will not be accepted later.

Also answer:

1. How is the subscription priced (per module, per member, per user, per location, flat)? How does the price change if the membership grows or the club adds an outlet?
2. What is the maximum annual price increase, and is it written into the contract?
3. Card processing rates and structure (interchange-plus, flat, tiered) based on the club's volume in Section 1.
4. ACH processing cost per transaction.
5. Fees for data export, during the term or at termination.
6. Hourly rates for any work billed hourly.
7. Minimum term, renewal terms and notice period.
8. Early termination costs.

For how to compare these figures, see country club software cost.

Section 10: References

Provide three references from clubs similar to ours in size, departments and member count, live for at least one year, including:

• Club name, contact, title, phone and email
• Modules in use
• Go-live date
• The system they replaced

Please include at least one club that switched to your software from another system in the last two years. The club may contact other clients of your company in addition to those listed.

Section 11: Evaluation

Proposals will be evaluated on:

Adjust the weights before sending. Shortlisted vendors will receive a scripted demonstration in advance. Demonstrations must use the product proposed, not a prototype.

Section 12: Contract terms the club expects

State these in the RFP so vendors price accordingly:

• The club owns its data and can export it at any time, in a documented format, without a fee
• Annual price increases capped at a stated percentage
• No automatic renewal without written notice from the vendor at least 90 days before the renewal date
• Service levels with remedies for critical issues
• Freedom to add or remove modules at the end of each contract year
• Implementation fixed fee or not-to-exceed amount
• Return of data at termination within a stated number of days

Copy and adapt

This template is free to copy, change and share. Replace the club profile, adjust the requirements, and send it. Pair it with the evaluation scorecard to score responses and run demos, and read switching club management software before signing so the conversion plan is part of the contract.