Focus on on‑time fulfillment rate, order accuracy, dock turnaround, pick rates per hour, inventory accuracy, and chargeback incidence. Compare SLA remedies, minimum throughput commitments, and how performance is measured and reported to ensure alignment with your service promises and cost-to-serve model.

Assess proximity to motorways and regional distribution hubs, daily departure windows for parcel and pallet carriers, and average drive times to major customer clusters. Request carrier density maps and sample transit times for your key postcode areas to quantify lead-time improvements and shipping cost impacts.

Prioritise facilities with flexible pick-pack stations, scalable labour pools, automated sortation or put-wall options, robust WMS with OMS integration, and real-time inventory visibility across nodes. Verify surge labour plans, seasonal capacity clauses, and SLAs for peak volumes.

Negotiate clear volume tiers, storage rate bands, pick and pack pricing by SKU profile, chargeback caps, minimum throughput waivers, and defined KPIs with financial remedies. Include inventory ownership, insurance, and termination notice periods to limit unexpected costs and preserve flexibility.