Prioritize proximity to major customer concentrations and carrier hubs, dock‑door capacity, and multimodal access (road/rail/air). Evaluate peak throughput, pick‑pack productivity metrics, inventory accuracy, and the provider's experience with omnichannel flows to ensure alignment with SLAs and return handling.

Review WMS capabilities, API maturity, and outbound/inbound EDI or marketplace integrations. Request sample SLA dashboards, uptime and incident history, and confirm support for lot/serial tracking, batch picking, and real‑time inventory sync to minimize stockouts and improve order visibility.

Key levers include labour models, slotting efficiency, consolidation and cross‑dock usage, and negotiated carrier discounts tied to volume. Tradeoffs often involve longer transit lanes to cheaper facilities versus higher last‑mile costs; model total landed cost per order including returns to compare options.