Prioritize transit time to your primary customer bases, carrier density and lane coverage, dock and staging capacity, warehouse management system capabilities, and the provider's experience with returns and kitting. Also evaluate labor availability and real estate costs to estimate total landed fulfillment spend.

Carrier density and proximity to major highways or intermodal points reduce linehaul and last‑mile costs. A central Quincy location can shorten regional lanes and enable more competitive rates from LTL, parcel, and contract carriers, lowering average transportation spend and improving delivery windows.

Services that impact customer experience include real-time WMS visibility, same‑day picking, parcel optimization, returns automation, and multi‑channel order routing. Combining these with accurate demand forecasting and cycle counting increases inventory velocity and reduces OOS risk.

Model fixed and variable costs: storage rates (per pallet/cubic), inbound receiving fees, pick/pack labor, handling for special services (kitting, labeling), minimums, and returns processing. Include expected transportation spend and any onboarding or integration fees to get a true landed cost comparison.

Require clear SLAs for lead times, order accuracy, and damage rates; mandate API or EDI integrations for real‑time order and inventory data; set penalties or KPI review cadences; and run an initial pilot period to validate throughput, reporting, and exception handling before scaling volume.