Third Party Logistics Evaluation and Selection

F. Curtis Barry & Company believes that third party logistics (3PLs) can provide strategic advantages to companies in numerous ways but it’s not right for every company. These advantages can help your company grow without the need for capital investment to manage and run your own distribution center, thus allowing your management team to focus on business growth core competencies. We work with clients to assess their fulfillment needs, evaluate third party logistics vendors, compare costs from various providers versus internal costs, negotiate contracts, and developing transition relocation plans.  For both domestic and international third party logistics, F. Curtis Barry & Company can help you find the right partner, regardless of your order volumes and fulfillment complexities.

Third Party Logistics Benefits 

Our experience in working with third party logistics providers allows our clients to quickly understand:

• How do certain 3PL’s compare against my needs for processes in receiving, kitting, picking packing and shipping, etc.?
• Do these vendors have the systems, technology and EDI needs that I require?
• Are these vendors supporting similar product lines in their facilities, or the unique storage requirement such as climate control, food grade facilities etc.?
• Are their warehouses strategically located to reduce freight costs and time in transit to the customer?
• Which vendor can provide us with the best service levels, and help us grow?
• How do the costs from one vendor compare to other third party logistics companies, and how would they compare to doing fulfillment internally?
• Do I have the best negotiated contract, including service level agreements and statements of work?
• Do they have the scalability and flexibility that you desire?

Third Party Logistics Client Methodology 

Our methodology for evaluating and selecting a third party logistics provider allows our clients to quickly determine and select the best option.

• First, we assess your current fulfillment processes either internal, or with your current third party logistics provider, to understand the full scope of requirements.
• We look for what may be the bottlenecks or stifling productivity in your current facility or the difficulties you face with your current third party logistics provider.
• From the above, we develop a RFP with your requirements to evaluate how third party logistics companies compare against your needs for product uniqueness, processes needed for receiving, kitting, picking, packing, shipping, returns, storage requirements etc.
• We will evaluate the 3PLs systems and technology abilities against your needs, including integrations.
• We will assess each option, and help you determine how well each vendor meets your strategic fulfillment needs.
• Based on the RFP responses, FCBCO will develop a comparative cost matrix to allow you to quickly see each vendors fully loaded costs.
• FCBCO assists each client with negotiating the contracts for service level agreements, statements of work, costs and terms.

 Third Party Logistics Capabilities 

Our third party logistics consulting has assisted clients in selecting the best third party logistics companies in a wide array of ways, including:

• Ecommerce fulfillment services, catalog fulfillment and wholesale or retail distribution.
• S. based fulfillment services, and vendors with internationally based centers.
• Domestic and international logistic services.
• Special projects such as product assembly, kitting and light manufacturing.
• Inbound receiving, inspection and labeling of domestic and imported goods.
• Wholesale distribution of carton and/or pallet quantities.
• Retail replenishment, as well as pre-sort and bulk distribution to retail locations.
• Collateral fulfillment, print on demand and product samples.
• Bulk third party warehousing.
• Third party and fourth party logistics.