The freight-tech RFP checklist.

Good answerAt PO issuance, with order acceptance, vendor communication and booking tracked before anything ships.

Ask nextShow me one of your customers’ POs, from issuance to delivery, in your system.

Good answerBy PO, product and SKU, whichever container each line travels in.

Ask nextIf one container slips a week, how quickly can you tell me which orders and SKUs are affected?

Good answerA clear refresh interval and named sources for carrier, port and rail milestones.

Ask nextWhat happens when a carrier’s milestone is wrong or late? Who notices, and how?

Good answerA direct connection to your ERP or order system, with no re-keying.

Ask nextWhen a PO comes through incomplete or wrong, who fixes it, and how fast?

Good answerYour rules are written into the flow, so a booking that breaks them is flagged before it moves.

Ask nextShow me a mismatch your system caught before it shipped.

Good answerYou do, in a standard format, on demand.

Ask nextIf we part ways, what do I leave with, and in what format?

Good answerAlerts tied to the PO, raised while goods are still on the ground.

Ask nextWalk me through the last exception you flagged for a customer my size.

Good answerA named team that acts on it and tells you the options, not just an alert.

Ask nextIf a cargo-ready date slips 14 days, what does your team do that morning?

Good answerYes, with warnings well ahead of last free day.

Ask nextHow many days before last free day will I hear about it?

Good answerA clear answer, and a clear owner for how the pieces fit together.

Ask nextWhen two of those tools disagree, who is accountable for the answer I see?

Good answerSpecific releases, with dates.

Ask nextWhat’s on the roadmap, and how do customers influence it?

Good answerOne or two real uses on live freight, not a slide.

Ask nextShow me one thing AI does for a customer now.

Good answerA named person or team who can see your data and act on it.

Ask nextCan I meet them before I sign?

Good answerReal tenure figures, and customers willing to talk.

Ask nextCan I speak to a customer who has been with you for five years or more?

Good answerWeeks, not quarters, with a clear list of what they need from you.

Ask nextWhat did the last onboarding for a customer my size actually take?

Good answerIncluded in the service, or priced simply and openly.

Ask nextIs anything charged per user, per shipment or per integration?