The decision to outsource (or continue to outsource) your logistics is obviously hugely important, and so is the process of tendering your requirements in a way that invites the very best responses such that you partner with the right companies.

The reason why so many 3PL relationships break down in the early months/years of a contract is often the poor quality of the initial tender process. 

Having been on the wrong end of many poor invitations to tender when working for 3PLs, we at Key3 know how hard it is to accurately communicate the right information to the 3PL market so that they can respond with the right service offering and costings with MINIMAL assumption.

Our tender preparation process contains the following elements to guarantee that you work with the right providers in a commercially acceptable environment for the future:

1) Tender document and data preparation
2) Provider shortlisting - The Request for Information process
3) Management of the tender process
4) Clarification and analysis of the responses - like for like comparison
5) Supplier audit (Processes, systems, capability)
6) Commercial recommendations
7) Implementation of the new supplier(s)
8) Post implementation review