Prioritize location relative to primary routes and customers, transit-time impact on SLAs, WMS capabilities and API integration, demonstrated carrier relationships, capacity for peak volume, and proven inventory accuracy. Also evaluate value-added services (kitting, returns) and contingency (power backup, security).

Lower land and labor costs reduce fixed storage and handling charges per unit, but last-mile economics depend on route density and carrier networks. Consolidation, zone-skipping, and multi-node placement in the region can materially lower per-order delivery costs and shrink transit variability.

Many regional 3PLs offer temperature-controlled zones, bonded options, quality-control checks, and light manufacturing or kitting. Validate certifications, capacity during peaks, backup power, and temperature monitoring/reporting before contracting to ensure compliance with product-specific requirements.

Include SLAs for order-to-ship and delivery windows, inventory accuracy targets, chargeback mechanisms for missed SLAs, defined lead times for capacity changes, audit and reporting cadence, and clear cost-change provisions to maintain cost predictability.