Prioritize WMS/TMS compatibility, dock and yard capacity, bonded storage and customs facilitation, climate control for sensitive SKUs, labor skill and scalability, documented SLAs for pick-and-pack and lead times, and clear KPI reporting to track accuracy, cycle times, and cost per order.

Multimodal access—air via El Alto, road corridors to Pacific ports, and local carrier density—reduces transit time and enables consolidation strategies. Better carrier choice lowers freight rates, supports cross-docking, and improves last-mile options, directly impacting landed cost and service windows.

Negotiate transparent storage and handling rates, tiered pick/pack pricing, minimum monthly volumes, seasonal flex and surge rates, SLA penalties and incentives, inventory holding fees, inbound receiving charges, and responsibilities for customs duties and bonded storage costs.

Require API or EDI integrations for real-time inventory, enforce cycle-count schedules and reconciliation processes, set KPI thresholds for accuracy and order cycle time, run parallel validation during onboarding, and include regular reporting and root-cause reviews in the contract.

Start with a phased onboarding: pilot a subset of SKUs, validate WMS integrations, test inbound flows and returns, measure SLA performance, then scale by SKU velocity. Build contingency plans for peak seasons, maintain dual-sourcing options, and include exit and transition clauses to protect continuity.