Continuous Improvements in Tendering

What is continuous improvement in tendering?

In today’s 4PL logistics landscape, lower rates and cost savings alone are no longer enough. The real challenge is to build tender processes that create lasting value, processes that strengthen partnerships, secure capacity, and continuously improve performance.

How can a CAROZ Freight tender drive real and sustainable savings?
That’s the question many companies start with, and yes, savings are often achievable. But tendering is about much more than that. We aim to match the right carriers to the right jobs at the most competitive rate while ensuring capacity security and service quality.

If we don’t take action, rates will inevitably rise. Networks evolve throughout the years, volumes shift, lanes change and carrier performance fluctuates. That means a network that worked last year may not be optimal this year. By regularly reviewing and re-tendering your network, we ensure it remains efficient, competitive, and ready for the future.

At CAROZ THE Control Tower, we combine logistics knowledge, smart tools, and our carrier-neutral network to deliver tenders that go far beyond a one-off procurement event. As a 4PL Control Tower, we integrate data, people, and technology to manage the full tender cycle: from data preparation and requirements to carrier selection, implementation in the TMS and continuous improvement. That is where the real long-term value lies.

This blog by Marie Selen is a follow-up to our recent TMS Webinar. Marie explains how we approach tendering as an engine for continuous improvement and how CAROZ creates measurable value for our customers every time.

Tendering is more than procurement

Companies are not simply looking for the lowest rate, they want the most competitive price combined with the right service level for them. Whether it’s in the food, pharmaceutical, or baby products industry, quality and reliability come first.

True value is found in selecting the right carriers, setting clear and realistic requirements, and creating a foundation for reliable execution. The tender process should secure capacity while ensuring service excellence.

Step 1: Defining requirements and data foundations

Every successful tender starts with clarity. Together with our customers, we review the requirements, refine service levels, operational standards, and compliance needs to ensure they are up to date and future-ready.

Data quality is equally critical. Many companies face fragmented shipment information. With our experience across numerous tender projects, we know which data is essential, how to clean it, and how to structure it into a solid baseline for realistic comparisons and scenarios. If the customer is using our TMS then we have already a complete data set.

Step 2: Precision and transparency with carriers

Our tendering process is built on trust and transparency. We invite both existing and new carriers from our network, ensuring the right mix while always respecting customer preferences for preferred or excluded partners.

Through structured bid rounds, transparent analysis, and in-depth meetings, we ensure every carrier fully understands the requirements and has the chance to present their best proposal. This way, we achieve the right cost-service balance and establish partnerships based on mutual understanding.

Step 3: Implementation: where value becomes reality

A tender only delivers value when it’s successfully implemented, and this is where CAROZ makes the difference.

We don’t stop at analysis, we take responsibility for turning results into execution. This involves setting up service level agreements, preparing contracts, and embedding rates and rules directly into the Transport Management System (TMS).

With the right setup, rates are uploaded in the correct format, allocations are managed automatically, and performance is tracked in real time. Our Control Tower model ensures operational continuity while integrating new carriers and processes, making sure that what was promised in the tender is delivered in daily operations

THE CAROZ WAY  

Our value lies in experience, neutrality, and execution. Managing multiple large tenders every year allows us to constantly refine our processes and share best practices across industries. We know how to clean and structure data, define realistic requirements, and pre-select the right carriers based on their strengths in different areas. This ensures that every tender starts from a strong foundation and that carrier selection is both strategic and objective.

Because we are carrier neutral and asset-free, our customers can be confident that every recommendation is objective and designed for their benefit. And because we manage not only the tender itself but also the implementation and follow-up, we ensure real, measurable, and sustainable improvements.

The goal of every Caroz-tender is to guarantee the right service levels for your goods. 

At CAROZ, we transform tenders from procurement events into strategic projects that strengthen supply chains, create reliable partnerships, and enable continuous improvements.

By leveraging our expertise, data capabilities, and global carrier network. We ensure every tender is not only executed with precision but also embedded into daily operations through our TMS. That is how we help companies achieve smarter, more resilient, and future-ready logistics.