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What is a tender letter?
A tender letter is the letter you send to the selected carriers to request quotes.
A tender letter doesn't have to be long or filled with complex legalese. What matters in your tender letter is to provide a thorough description of your freight.
Clearly describing your freight setup and requirements for a freight agreement enables carriers to provide the Best possible offer based on your needs and freight composition.
We recommend giving carriers the opportunity to visit your company and ask any questions they may have after the tender letter has been sent out.
Small or large offers
In your tender, you decide whether you want to receive offers for individual areas and/or modes of transport or combine them into one offer.
Men However, by combining several areas or modes of transport into one larger offer, you can often get better prices.
For example, if you're looking for road transport quotes but you know you'll need air or sea transport quotes in the coming months, you may want to mention this in your tender letter.
To learn more about the entire tender process and to see examples of a tender checklist, read our large guide to your tender process.
What does a tender letter contain?
A tender letter should explain what you want to quote for and how your freight setup fits together.
When writing a tender letter, it's important to be precise about your shipping setup.
Start by Introduce your business and the purpose of the letter. Then describe your shipping setup and the types of shipments you normally handle.
If you have special requirements, conditions or termsthat may affect your shipping agreement, these should also be mentioned.
You can also include Images of your typical shipments to better illustrate your needs and expectations of suppliers.
A well-crafted tender letter can help you find the right freight provider and build a strong partnership. Make sure you take the time to write a clear and concise tender letter and be open to answering clarifying questions if needed.
An example of a tender letter
Below you can see an example tender letter we created for a fictitious company.
The example follows the layout we use for our customers' tender letters. By following the same setup, you can therefore ensure that you get everything in your tender letter.
Do you have questions about your tender process?
If you are unsure how to use the checklist correctly, which parameters to include, or anything else, drop us a line here.
We are not transport consultants. We'll help you get the best freight deal for your needs
In 2023, we helped a number of our customers with their tenders. 80 % of these chose to stay with their current carrier - but 100% savings achieved.