Evaluate road and intermodal access, proximity to regional distribution centers, on-site loading bays, and local parcel/carrier networks. Confirm availability of specialized infrastructure—cold storage, hazardous handling, high-bay racking—and verify carrier schedules and dock capacity to avoid inbound/outbound bottlenecks.

Labor and facility costs drive landed-unit economics; lower local wages can reduce per-pick costs but also affect service levels. Negotiate mixed cost models (storage + pick/pack + activity fees), defined SLAs, and volume-tier pricing to align incentives and allow predictable scaling as demand fluctuates.

Require measurable KPIs: order accuracy, on-time fulfillment, inventory accuracy, dock-to-ship dwell time, and return processing time. Include monitoring cadence, penalty/bonus clauses for SLA adherence, and requirements for real-time reporting or API-based visibility into inventory and orders.

Validate WMS capability, API or EDI connectivity for orders and inventory, sample integration tests, and access to dashboards. Confirm data fields, cutover plans, cycle-count procedures, and security/compliance controls. Require pilot runs and reconciliation reporting before full-scale launch.