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Listing their business
A fulfilment house (3PL) signs up on the platform, provides key details: location(s), services offered (storage, picking/packing, pallet loading, courier/post dispatch, D2C vs B2B, returns handling, integration with web orders, etc.). -
Adding detailed pricing inputs
The 3PL can enter their cost structure: for example:-
Storage cost per pallet per month (or per cubic metre, per shelf-rack, etc).
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Storage cost for small items, medium items, large items.
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Picking cost: small items (e.g., items under certain size/weight), medium items, large items.
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Handling cost for pallet movements, large-item dispatch, special packaging.
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Courier or postal dispatch cost (or note which carriers they integrate with).
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Any other cost “add-ons” (e.g., special packing, climate-controlled storage, weekend dispatch, etc).
This allows the 3PL to reflect the typical overheads they face in fulfilling D2C/B2C orders or web orders, including the complexity of item size, picking workload, storage footprint, and dispatch method.
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Service Offering Specification
The 3PL also specifies the types of orders it accepts: e-commerce/web orders, small parcel, medium pallet, large pallet, return processing, value-added services (kitting, assembly) etc. They also specify the geographic location of their warehouses, lead times, shipping zones, courier / postal service coverage, integration capabilities (e.g., webstore plug-ins, API, etc).
By doing this, the 3PL commits to a transparent listing: they show potential clients “Here’s what we can do, here is a rough cost basis, here is our location and service scope”.
How Potential Clients Use Search3PL
From the client side (the brand, retailer, e-commerce business) the platform offers the following workflow:
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Search form / requirement capture
The client fills in a specific 3PL search form on the platform. The form asks questions such as:-
How much storage do you require (pallets, cubic metres, number of SKUs, shelf/rack etc)?
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What is your picking requirement: number of picks per order, number of orders per month, average size of items (small / medium / large)?
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What dispatch method: small parcel via courier/post, pallets, large items?
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What geographic region(s) you need fulfilment in (national, international, within the UK, EU, etc).
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What lead-time expectations, integration requirements (webstore, multi-channel), any special handling (e.g., climate control, hazardous goods).
By completing the form, the client essentially provides the baseline parameters that will influence most (~95 %) of the cost of fulfilment services.
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Indicative cost estimation
Using the inputs from the client (storage, picks per order, size of items, order volume), the platform uses the 3PL listings (with their cost structures) to provide an indication of what the monthly spend might be. Because the bulk of the cost in fulfilment is storage + picks + dispatch of items, this gives a realistic ballpark of monthly logistic fulfilment spend before detailed quote discussions.This helps clients compare “what this is likely to cost us” across multiple candidate fulfilment houses, in one place, based on their own volume and size requirements.
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Filtering & matching fulfilment providers
Clients can then search/filter the directory of 3PLs (those who have listed on Search3PL) based on the criteria they provided: location, storage capacity, picking ability, size-item capability (small/medium/large), dispatch method, order volume capability, etc. The client can thus identify 3PLs that actually meet all (or most) of their requirements, rather than spending time contacting many that don’t. -
Shortlisting & selection
After narrowing down to a shortlist of 3PLs via the Search3PL platform, the client can then initiate contact with those providers, ask for detailed quotes, review service levels, SLA (service level agreement) terms, integration/IT connectivity, references, and then select the partner.
Overall, the platform saves time, reduces wasted outreach, and provides more pricing transparency up front.