Choose an ATS by testing your hiring workflow, permissions, data handling and total contract cost against written requirements. This guide includes a vendor-neutral RFP, an evaluation worksheet and a demo evidence checklist. Set priorities before demonstrations, record what each vendor actually shows and keep the final buying decision with your hiring, finance and security owners.
Last verified: October 14, 2026. Prepared by Treegarden, an ATS and HR software provider. These are original buying templates, not an independent vendor ranking or a market-price survey.
Start with your hiring requirements
Record who will use the system, your peak concurrent jobs, approximate application volume and the workflow that must improve. Separate a required capability from a preferred convenience. Avoid copying an enterprise feature list if no one on your team will own those workflows.
Describe a successful rollout in observable terms: a hiring manager can review only their jobs; an applicant can complete the intended application; interviewers can record job-related evidence; and an authorized recruiter can export the agreed records. Each requirement should have an owner and a test.
Copy-ready ATS RFP template
Replace bracketed fields. Ask vendors to answer each requirement with included, configuration required, additional cost, not supported, or needs confirmation, plus a documentation link or demo evidence. Blank fields are intentionally left for your organization.
| RFP section | Information to provide or request |
|---|---|
| Business context | [Organization, US locations, hiring owner, target decision date]. Describe [peak active jobs], [annual hiring plan], [recruiter and hiring-manager users] and the workflow problem. |
| Application workflow | Show careers pages, application fields, mobile completion, accessibility considerations, screening stages, candidate communication and duplicate handling. |
| Interviews and decisions | Show scheduling, role-specific evaluation forms, permission boundaries, feedback visibility and a documented human decision process. |
| Data and integrations | List supported integrations, prerequisites, field mapping, sync direction, failure handling, export formats and who owns setup and maintenance. |
| Security and privacy | Provide available security documentation, access controls, audit information, retention/deletion options, subprocessors and contractual data-handling terms. |
| Implementation | Propose named responsibilities, migration scope, training, support, acceptance tests, dependencies and a timeline based on those inputs rather than a guaranteed duration. |
| Commercial terms | State the pricing unit, included capacity, optional charges, contract term, payment schedule, renewal rules, taxes, cancellation notice and data access at exit. |
| Response and evaluation | [Response date, contact, format]. Identify requirement owners, evidence needed and unresolved questions before a final decision. |
Vendor-evaluation worksheet
The CSV contains these columns: Category, Requirement, Priority, Vendor response, Evidence, Owner review, Illustrative score, Notes. Duplicate the file for each vendor or add vendor-specific columns. Keep evidence separate from a salesperson's description.
| Category | Requirements in the worksheet | Illustrative scoring guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Workflow | Application completion; stage ownership; communication history; duplicate handling. | 1: not demonstrated. 2: partly demonstrated or dependent on unconfirmed work. 3: demonstrated against the stated requirement. |
| Interviews and permissions | Scheduling; job-related evaluation form; hiring-manager access; decision record. | Record the evidence and an owner review. A number is not a substitute for a requirement test. |
| Data and security | Export; integration mapping; retention/deletion; access and audit evidence. | Mark unresolved critical requirements for follow-up rather than hiding them in an average. |
| Delivery and contract | Migration responsibilities; training/support; capacity and charges; renewal/exit terms. | There is no universal pass score. Agree priorities and decision rules before evaluation. |
Fictional completed example: Cedar Works, an invented 55-person US services employer, expects a peak of eight active jobs and wants two recruiters and six hiring managers to collaborate. Its required evidence is a manager restricted to assigned jobs, a completed interview form and an export sample. Vendor A demonstrates access correctly but has not supplied the export sample; the owner marks export as needs confirmation, not as a pass. No real company result or vendor endorsement is implied.
Demo evidence checklist
- Start with a test job. Show the same role and application through every shortlisted product.
- Use different roles. Show recruiter, hiring-manager and restricted-access views, including a direct attempt to access an unrelated record.
- Follow the full journey. Application, screening, interview, evidence, decision and offer; ask what remains manual.
- Test the exception. Duplicate applicant, changed interview, incomplete form, integration failure and corrected data.
- Ask for documentation. Record the source for each changing feature, pricing term and security representation.
- Define acceptance. Name an owner and a repeatable test for each required capability before signing.
The OPM structured-interview guidance supports consistent, job-related questions and assessment. It does not certify an ATS or establish a universal software evaluation score. The NIST small-business Cybersecurity Framework resources provide risk-management context; request evidence relevant to your own risks rather than treating a logo as proof.
Total-cost framework, without invented market ranges
Use the quoted contract and your own internal estimates. Count the same categories and time horizon for every vendor. Annual commitment, payment frequency and unit price are different questions.
Total evaluated cost = subscription + implementation + migration + training + integrations + expected usage charges + internal administration + applicable taxes and exit costs. Avoid double-counting a charge already included in the subscription.
| Cost item | Fictional year 1 (USD) | Fictional year 2 (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | $3,600 | $3,600 |
| Setup | $1,200 | $0 |
| Migration | $500 | $0 |
| Training | $400 | $0 |
| Integrations | $600 | $600 |
| Internal administration estimate | $900 | $900 |
| Total | $7,200 | $5,100 |
The two-year total is $12,300. These numbers are invented to demonstrate the calculation, not Treegarden pricing, vendor quotes or market benchmarks. Taxes, variable usage, renewal changes and exit costs are excluded in this example and must be added when applicable.
Questions before you sign
- What exactly is the pricing unit: active jobs, employee band, users, usage or a negotiated scope?
- What happens at your expected peak capacity, and which features or services need another contract?
- What is the annual commitment, payment schedule and renewal notice deadline?
- Which migration records, attachments and history are included, and who resolves bad source data?
- Which support obligations and acceptance criteria are written into the agreement?
- How can authorized users export their records during the contract and at exit?
Compare pricing models in the ATS pricing comparison guide. For Treegarden's actual annual-commitment model, use the current pricing page, not the fictional figures above.
Frequently asked questions
What should an ATS RFP include?
Include business context, required hiring workflows, interviews and permissions, data and integrations, security and privacy, implementation responsibilities, commercial terms and the evidence needed for evaluation.
How should we compare ATS costs?
Use the same contract horizon and cost categories for each vendor. Include quoted subscription and services, expected usage, internal administration, renewal conditions and exit costs without double-counting included items.
Is there a universal ATS evaluation pass score?
No. The example scores are illustrative. Set your own priorities, review evidence and resolve critical requirements before making a human purchasing decision.
How long should ATS implementation take?
Request a scoped delivery plan based on migration, integrations, configuration, training and acceptance tests. This guide does not promise a fixed implementation duration.
Sources and disclosure
Last verified October 14, 2026. The original templates translate practical purchasing questions into evidence requests; no independent testing, analyst cost study or guaranteed outcome is claimed. Sources: OPM structured interviews and NIST small-business cybersecurity resources.
Next step: use the RFP to evaluate your workflow against Treegarden's ATS capabilities, with unresolved requirements checked during a demo.