Control 3PL/warehouse spend by making invoices match reality: clear units → rate card → accessorial definitions → invoice-to-ops matching → disputes → governance.

Primary outcomes:

• Cost reduction: reduce accessorial leakage, billing disputes, and misapplied minimums
• Risk mitigation: improves service reliability and reduces fulfillment disruptions
• Carbon impact (secondary): better shipment data can support emissions estimates, but cost control is primary

Beginner truth: 3PL invoices are “complex” because units are unclear and accessorials are ungoverned.

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What you’ll build

1. Service + rate card with clear units
2. Accessorial definitions (when fees apply)
3. Operational data requirements (what evidence supports billing)
4. Invoice QA matching billed units to WMS/ops records
5. Governance cadence (monthly billing review, quarterly QBR)

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Step-by-step

Step 1 — Define the unit economics

Common units:

• receiving per pallet/case
• storage per pallet/day
• pick/pack per order or per line
• returns processing per item
• shipping management fees
• accessorial fees (detention, special handling, etc.)

Step 2 — Build the rate card

A usable rate card:

• defines the unit
• defines what triggers the fee
• defines what evidence supports it

Step 3 — Install invoice matching

Match:

• billed units → WMS/ops counts (orders, pallets, lines)
• accessorials → documented triggers
• minimums → contract terms

Step 4 — Governance

• weekly ops check-in (optional)
• monthly billing review (required)
• quarterly QBR for critical 3PLs

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Templates (copy/paste)

1) 3PL Rate Card Template

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2) Accessorial Definitions Sheet

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3) Invoice Match Checklist (3PL)

Copyable template (TEXT)
Copy
3PL Invoice Match Checklist

- billed units match WMS/ops records
- rates match contracted rate card
- accessorials have trigger evidence
- minimums are applied correctly
- credits promised are verified applied

Outputs:
- variances logged
- disputes initiated
- corrective actions assigned

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Related resources (guaranteed to exist)

• Freight Lane Cost Normalizer (freight-lane-cost-normalizer)
• Pass‑Through Markup Checker (pass-through-markup-checker)
• Invoice Integrity Copy Pack (invoice-integrity)
• Disputes + Credit Recovery System (disputes-credit-recovery-system)
• Vendor Risk Scoring Starter Kit (vendor-risk-scoring-starter-kit)
• 3PL Accessorial Overcharge Checker (threepl-accessorial-overcharge-checker)

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Definition of Done

• rate card and accessorial triggers are clear
• invoices are matched to operational truth
• accessorial leakage trends down
• disputes close with credits applied