Vendor & TMS Selection

3PLs, transportation management systems and freight audit firms, selected against what you actually need. Or left out.

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Years in business

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Shipping clients

$0M+

Freight under contract

Parcel, LTL, truckload, air, ocean, intermodal

WHAT YOU GET

The solutions you need, not more demos

What we select:

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Third-party logistics providers

Shortlist matched to your goals and service standard.
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Transportation management systems

Plus manifesting systems, SaaS solutions and trade management software.
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Freight audit and pay providers

Compared on recovery rates and on whether they can process UPS and FedEx EDI detail, not on the per-invoice charge.
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Carriers

Matched to your lanes, modes and freight type, with service claims validated against shippers already using them.

Where we go deep for you

We run a gap analysis between what your current systems do, what your customers require, and what the market offers. Then we argue the requirements down before anyone quotes a price.

  • Overbuying

    You may be paying hundreds of thousands for functionality you don't use enough.

  • Overselling

    Some systems promote capabilities their solution and support staff cannot deliver.

  • The gap analysis

    Avoid costly modifications to systems that do not fit.

  • The big-name fit

    A one-size-fits-all approach from a major vendor can damage your business.

  • What the 3PL actually runs

    Old material handling equipment, dated interconnectivity and manual operations all turn to cost.

  • Capacity in the right location

    Shipping partners do not always have space where you need it.

  • Attention after the assessment

    A provider that forgets your account once the contract is signed drives their profit and your service failures.

  • Whether you need it at all

    Sometimes, you do not have to buy a TMS to get best-in-class track and trace.

What the service has produced for our clients

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Vendor & TMS Selection Truckload and LTL Consumer electronics

$1M+ saved, delivery half a day faster — Electronics manufacturer acquired by Amazon

The easy answer was to use the parent company's fulfillment. We rebuilt the baseline the parent would not provide, then tested it against the market.

Read the full case study
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Vendor & TMS Selection Parcel and ground Nutraceuticals

$367K saved on $1.55M of spend, 23.7% — Fast-growing Texas nutraceutical company

A fulfillment partner that no longer fit, replaced with one closer to customers, and the transportation agreement brought in-house.

Read the full case study
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Vendor & TMS Selection Multi-mode Logistics and 3PL

A scalable TMS bought under budget — Multinational third-party logistics provider

The savings came from taking functionality out of the specification, not from negotiating a discount.

Read the full case study

Defined scope of work, priced up front

Selection work is analysis and RFP management rather than negotiation, so it runs on a project fee. After input from you, we define a clear scope of work and timeline, along with our costs to complete it

Where the selection includes carrier rate negotiation, that part moves to gainshare and we are paid a minority share of your savings.

What we charge
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Example savings. Actual range can be 10–35%

Is this the service for you?

  • You spend $1M or more a year moving freight
  • You need to justify a TMS, a 3PL or an audit firm internally
  • You are being sold a system and cannot tell which capabilities are real
  • Your 3PL was chosen when the company was smaller
  • Your transportation sits bundled inside a fulfillment contract where you cannot see or control it

Who does the work

Paul Brinkman, the President, participates in every engagement himself. He reviews every analysis, sits in the negotiations, and stays through implementation.

No junior consultant individually inherits your account after the sale.

Behind Paul is a bench of analysts and engineers who build the data and the models, plus founder Giles Taylor, who started the firm in 1997 and still weighs in.

Meet the Team
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How much are you leaving on the table?

Get an instant calculation of your savings potential. Based on the database of carrier contracts we have audited and negotiated for 600+ clients since 1997, and on current benchmark data showing what companies with your profile pay today.

Ready to get started?

Book a call with Paul