To quote warehousing we need five things: a description of the goods including any temperature requirement, the expected pallet count at peak and at trough, the rhythm of receipts and releases, the release pattern (full pallets or part quantities) and the storage horizon. With those we come back with a cost breakdown rather than a single rate.
Information about the goods
Give us the type of goods, the dimensions and weight of the load unit, the pallet height and whether the load needs temperature control. If it does, give the range rather than the word chilled: the difference between a chilled and a frozen zone decides everything from location to how a review would be run. Add whether pallets can be stacked, because that drives how they are placed. For date-coded goods give batch dates, not only pallet counts.
Rhythm, the single most important line in the enquiry
A hundred pallets sitting for six months and a hundred pallets turning over weekly are two entirely different services at different cost, despite the identical figure in the enquiry. Tell us how many receipts a month you expect, how many releases and how large typical batches are. If you do not know, give a range and mark it as an estimate. Why rhythm governs the bill is explained in pallet-in and pallet-out billing.
The release pattern
Decide whether releases are full-pallet or whether you want partial releases by unit. It is one of the few decisions that genuinely changes cost, and one of the most commonly omitted from enquiries. If your trading partners will collect with their own transport, say so at once, because the authorised set has to be agreed; that is covered in who may collect goods from the warehouse.
The storage horizon
Tell us how long you plan to leave the goods, even approximately. It is not a commitment but information that changes how the load is placed and how it is billed. Why the horizon is worth stating even under real uncertainty is explained in how long goods can stay in storage. An answer of not sure yet is acceptable; no answer is not, because then we assume the most conservative scenario.
Common traps in describing goods
First: giving net weight instead of the weight of the load unit including its carrier. Second: measuring pallet height without the film and without overhang, so the pallet turns out taller on arrival than the enquiry suggested. Third: describing goods as food without saying whether they need temperature. Fourth: omitting that part of the batch arrives on non-standard carriers. Each of those ends in a correction after the first vehicle arrives, and a correction always costs more than correct information upfront.
Three decisions before the first vehicle
Who on your side issues release instructions, and from which address. Who answers the phone when something happens to the goods outside office hours. Which criteria we should apply when saleable stock has to be separated from write-offs; why settling that in advance pays is explained in damaged goods in the warehouse. Companies that settle this at the start get through their first difficult situation in a day rather than a week.
Can we start with one pallet
Yes. We have no entry threshold counted in pallets and treat single units exactly as large batches, with the same receipt procedure described in pallet receipt and release. Many working relationships start with one test pallet, and it is a sound way to check that the document flow works on both sides before a full vehicle sets off.
What you do not need to supply at enquiry stage
You do not need a signed agreement with a receiver, you do not need exact dates and you do not need to have decided whether the goods will return or stay. A warehousing quote rests on physical parameters and rhythm, not on your commercial plans. So if you are holding the enquiry until everything is certain, you are probably waiting for no reason: fitting a sales plan around a known storage cost is easier than the reverse.
What the first week looks like
Once terms are agreed we send the list of data a delivery booking needs and ask for the contact people on your side. The first delivery goes through the standard receipt procedure, and you receive a confirmation describing the condition of the units. After it we usually adjust two things: the booking format, so it fits how your own system works, and the scope of the stock report. The third delivery runs as routine.
Ready to cost your service? Send the five items through the quote form or write via the contact page. The service scope is on the Milton Keynes warehouse page.
