THE PROCESS
A structured tender from first conversation to final decision.
We manage the detail, challenge the numbers and give you a clear basis for comparison.
Understand
We learn about your business, freight requirements and what you want the tender to achieve — whether that is benchmarking, reducing cost, improving service or considering a change of provider.
Compile your shipment history
Your actual transaction history is the key input. Depending on the volume of transactions, this may cover one to twelve months. It gives participating providers a realistic picture of what they are being asked to quote.
Select the right providers
We use our industry knowledge to identify providers capable of meeting your specific requirements. Usually four to six well-chosen forwarders provide a useful competitive field.
Run the tender
We prepare the tender package, issue it to the selected providers and manage the response timetable. Clear requirements and deadlines help produce comparable submissions.
Analyse the submissions
Our specialised analysis combines your shipment history, trade lanes, current rates and new rates to produce a like-for-like comparison. This is where pricing anomalies and material differences become visible.
Challenge and clarify
Where a submission contains an anomaly, unexpected cost or apparent misunderstanding, we go back to the provider to verify and clarify the quoted position.
Compare the complete offer
Cost is only one part of the decision. We also consider service standards, network, IT capability, transit times, agents and subcontractors, references and compliance with the tender requirements.
Present and decide
We present the final analysis, discuss the merits and help you prepare a shortlist for presentations if appropriate. You then make the decision and, if needed, work with the successful provider on implementation.
THE PRINCIPLE
A comparison should reflect your freight, not a theoretical basket.
We don't treat a quoted rate as the answer. The useful question is what each provider's proposal would have meant for your actual shipment history.
That approach makes the analysis more relevant and gives you a much clearer basis for discussion.
START WITH A CONVERSATION