Prioritize dock door capacity, throughput rates, slotting and storage density, warehouse management system (WMS) capabilities and integrations, SLA guarantees for pick/pack/ship, returns processing, and labor flexibility. Also validate carrier interfaces, cross-dock options, and value-added service capacity to match SKU velocity and customer promise windows.

Location determines drayage to ports, proximity to major highways for FTL/LTL lanes, and access to regional carrier terminals. Closer sites lower transit times and last‑mile expense; peripheral sites may offer lower rent but higher inbound consolidation costs. Model landed cost with local transit times, fuel surcharges, and carrier frequency.

Include order cycle time, on-time shipment rate, pick accuracy, inventory accuracy, dock-to-stock time, chargeback incidence, labor productivity (lines per labor hour), and returns SLA. Request baseline reporting cadence and penalty/reward terms tied to these KPIs to align incentives.

Ask for scalable labor pools or managed seasonal labor, temporary storage options, slotting optimization services, surge capacity in racking and pick zones, robust WMS rule-based batching, multi-carrier label templates, and defined onboarding timelines for new SKUs to ensure predictable service during peaks.