Evaluate proximity to major highways, number of dock doors and staging bays, racked versus bulk storage ratios, WMS capabilities and integrations (EDI/API), availability of cross-dock services, and contracted carrier lanes. Also assess typical pickup windows and on-time performance for regional LTL and parcel carriers.

Use inventory placement to reduce long-haul moves, employ zone-skipping and regional parcel hubs, negotiate lane-specific carrier rates, and leverage cross-dock to minimize handling. Local labor cost advantages and lower real estate spend also contribute to lower per-unit fulfillment costs.

Require standardized KPIs: OTIF, pick-and-pack accuracy, order cycle time, inventory accuracy, days of inventory, and dock-to-shipment time. Ensure the 3PL provides regular scorecards and API/EDI reporting for real-time inventory and order status to integrate with your OMS and ERP.

Compare land and occupancy costs, labor availability and wage rates, local taxes and incentives, inbound/outbound transportation spend, average transit times to major customer clusters, handling fees, minimums, and the cost of safety stock required for service-level targets.