Prioritize transit time to your customer base, proximity to major freight corridors, carrier and LTL/parcel connectivity, dock door count and throughput, WMS features and integration, labor availability and unit handling costs. Assess SLA flexibility for peak season scaling and the 3PL’s experience with eCommerce, B2B and omnichannel flows.

Model landed cost per order including inventory carrying, inbound freight, last-mile delivery zones, pick-pack labor and returns handling. Compare average transit days, zone-based parcel costs and safety stock required for decentralized inventory. Use scenario analysis to forecast total cost per order at different volumes and service targets.

Verify proximity to highways and rail terminals, scheduled LTL and FTL lane coverage, on-site consolidation and cross-dock capacity, appointment scheduling systems, dock-level loading equipment and real-world throughput metrics (dock moves/hour, weekly container handling). Confirm carrier contracts and transit-time averages for primary lanes.

Negotiate target order accuracy, on-time shipping percentage, cut-off times, pick-and-pack lead times, inventory accuracy, returns processing turnaround, SLA credits/penalties and reporting cadence. Require visibility into exceptions, root-cause analysis and continuous improvement commitments tied to agreed KPIs.