E-commerce · Carrier tenders
What should a European parcel carrier tender compare?
Short answer
Compare carriers on the services your customers need in each market, the all-in cost for your real parcel profile (base rates plus surcharges, fuel and returns), measured quality, integration and contract terms, not on base rates alone.
Start the tender with a clear brief: your customer promise per country, volumes and parcel profile, required services and data, and how you'll score the answers.
Start with a brief carriers can price properly
A tender is only as good as the brief. Carriers price risk: the less they know about your parcels, the higher their margin of safety. Give them:
- Volumes per destination country and month, with seasonality and peak.
- Parcel profile: weight and size distribution, share of non-standard items, contents.
- Services required per market: home, parcel shop, locker, signature, cash on delivery, returns.
- Pickup or injection details: warehouse locations, cut-off times, handover format.
- Data and integration requirements: pre-advice, labels, tracking events, returns.
- Quality expectations and how you'll measure them.
- Contract term, start date and transition plan.
What to compare
| Area | Questions |
|---|---|
| Services by market | Which services in which countries, own network or partner, out-of-home density |
| All-in cost | Base rates by weight/zone, fuel mechanism, surcharges (size, remote, peak, address correction), returns, minimums |
| Quality | First-attempt delivery, transit-time distribution per country, damage and loss, claims performance, with data |
| Returns | Return products per country, label-less options, consolidation, return transit and cost |
| Integration | API quality, label formats, tracking events, test environment, support |
| Customer experience | Notifications, rerouting, delivery choices, language, tracking pages |
| Contract | Term, price review clauses, volume commitments, liability, SLA remedies, exit |
| Sustainability | Emission data per parcel, low-emission delivery options, if it matters to your customers |
Calculate the all-in cost on your own parcels
Rate cards aren't comparable on their own. Take a real sample of your recent shipments (a few months), apply each carrier's base rates, fuel and every surcharge that would apply, add returns at your return rate, and compare the total and the cost per parcel per country. Carriers that look cheapest on base rates are often not cheapest once size surcharges and returns are included. See how to benchmark parcel rates.
Scoring offers
- Set weights before you open offers: for example cost 40%, quality 25%, services 20%, integration and support 15%.
- Score each carrier per country, not only overall.
- Ask for references from shippers with a similar profile.
- Run a pilot on one lane before moving all volume.
- Negotiate on the full package: surcharges, quality clauses and returns, not only the base rate.
Common mistakes
- Sending a vague brief and getting padded prices.
- Comparing base rates and ignoring surcharges.
- Choosing one carrier for all countries when local carriers are clearly better in some.
- No quality clauses, so there's nothing to manage once the contract is signed.
- Switching all volume at once before peak season.
A realistic tender timeline
- Weeks 1–3: collect data, build the parcel profile and the brief, agree scoring internally.
- Weeks 4–6: carriers receive the brief, ask questions, and submit offers.
- Weeks 7–8: all-in cost modelling, scoring, references, shortlist.
- Weeks 9–10: negotiation with the shortlist, including the incumbent.
- Weeks 11–16: contracts, integration, pilot and phased transition, finishing well before peak season.
Plan backwards from the date you want to be live, and avoid switching carriers in the two months before your peak.
Who this is for, and who it isn't
A good fit
- E-commerce companies shipping to several European countries
- Brands whose carrier contract is up for renewal
- Companies unhappy with delivery quality or rising costs
Not a good fit
- You want a broker or reseller to get you rates
- Freight, pallet or container tenders
- Very low volumes where a shipping platform's rates are enough
How I help
A Delivery & Returns Network Review (from €1,750) analyses your current network, costs and quality and produces the tender brief and priorities. Tender and negotiation support can be part of a Fractional Head of Delivery & Returns engagement (from €2,250/month).
I've worked on the carrier side, building European parcel products and networks in international product development at Hermes, and on the shipper side in cross-border operations at BorderGuru, where I negotiated and worked with carriers, brokers and 3PLs. I know what carriers price in and where they have room to move.
Questions
How many carriers should we invite?
Usually three to five per market or region: enough for real competition, few enough to evaluate properly.
How often should we tender?
Typically every two to three years, or sooner if volumes, markets or quality change significantly.
Should we tell carriers our current rates?
Generally not. Share volumes, profile and requirements; let them price the brief.
What if our current carrier is fine?
A well-run tender often improves terms with the incumbent too. You don't have to switch to benefit.
Free discovery call
Running a carrier tender? Get the brief right first
30 minutes, no cost. Bring your lanes, volumes and questions; you leave with a clear next step, whether or not we work together.