Freight service purchasing as a strategic element

The procurement of freight and transportation services is no longer merely an operational purchasing process, but has become a strategic management tool within modern supply chain management. Through professional tender management, data-driven market analyses, and long-term supplier strategies, companies can not only achieve cost advantages but also sustainably improve the quality, stability, and resilience of their transport networks.

In general, it is advisable to regularly review existing freight services and benchmark them against current market prices and performance levels. This transparency is essential to prevent overpayments, outdated tariff structures, or inefficient contract setups. In many cases, a targeted re-tendering in the transport market—especially for significant volumes—can generate savings potentials of up to 10%. In economically volatile times, however, the focus lies not only on short-term cost reductions, but increasingly on sustainability, reliability, and partnership-based business relationships. Short-term “quick wins” must not come at the expense of service quality, delivery reliability, or supply chain stability.

A successful freight tendering process starts with defining clear strategic objectives and boundary conditions. The foundation is a thorough analysis of existing transport concepts and processes: Where do unnecessary costs arise? Which routes, lanes, or carriers are oversized or redundant? How can shipment volumes, transport frequencies, and modes of transport be consolidated more efficiently? Only after optimizing these parameters can companies establish the basis for an effective tendering process that enables truly comparable proposals.

Standardizing freight conditions plays a key role. Uniform tariff structures, billing principles, and service-level definitions enable objective comparability of offers and create transparency across all cost components—from base freight rates to surcharges for fuel, tolls, waiting times, or special services. This level of transparency is also a prerequisite for a reliable Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) model that considers not only purchase prices but also process costs, quality costs, and service effects.

A strategically oriented freight procurement approach furthermore offers substantial bundling and consolidation potential. Over the years, many companies have built up a heterogeneous landscape of numerous small and regionally operating transport providers. By bundling volumes—e.g., by product group, region, or transport mode—companies can benefit from volume discounts and economies of scale. At the same time, focusing on a limited number of high-performing, strategically selected partners strengthens negotiation power and enhances the controllability of transport processes.

However, the focus should not be solely on price reductions. Strategic supplier management ensures that service providers are continuously evaluated according to defined KPIs (e.g., on-time performance, damage rates, CO₂ emissions, billing quality). Regular performance reviews, service-level agreements (SLAs), and joint improvement programs foster transparency, trust, and innovation.

In the digital age, automation of the tendering process is becoming increasingly important. Modern e-tendering platforms facilitate structured solicitation, evaluation, and awarding of transport contracts. They reduce administrative workload, increase auditability, and ensure that all providers are assessed based on uniform criteria. Combined with Transport Management Systems (TMS) and analytics tools, tendering data can also be leveraged for simulations, forecasting, and continuous optimization.

Sustainability is also becoming a critical factor in strategic freight procurement. In addition to cost and quality, environmental criteria—such as CO₂ emissions, use of alternative drive technologies, or environmental certifications—are increasingly incorporated into tender requirements. Companies prioritizing sustainable transport solutions not only improve their environmental performance but also strengthen their reputation and customer loyalty.

ebp-consulting supports companies in systematically identifying and realizing the potential of professional freight procurement. Through market analysis, benchmarking, tender design, and the implementation of governance structures, strategic procurement advantages are achieved and secured in the long term.

Thus, freight procurement becomes a strategic value driver in logistics: it combines cost efficiency, transparency, service quality, and sustainability—forming the foundation for a more resilient and competitive supply chain.