Opening Insight:

Freight forwarders are drowning in tenders. Every day brings a new RFQ with more lanes, more complexity, shorted deadlines for submission and tighter margins. Yet win rates are declining. The effort-to-return ratio is getting worse—and leadership teams are rightly asking: why aren’t we winning more?

The answer lies in how your teams approach tenders—not just what they submit.

The Freight Tender Problem

Here’s what’s happening inside many logistics companies:

 

Industry Insight:

Research from Procurement Leaders Network shows that only 24% of suppliers receive meaningful feedback after tenders, which means teams are flying blind when preparing the next one.

Meanwhile, the average tender win rate across global freight forwarders has dropped below 20% for complex, multi-lane bids.

Real Talk: Tenders Are Not Just About Price

Customers today want:

If your RFQ responses don’t reflect that—or worse, if your sales team doesn’t know what your differentiators are—you’re not going to stand out.

The Fix: Treat Tendering Like a Growth Engine

1. Pre-Tender Strategy:

• Should we even bid?
• Is this in our ICP?
• Can we win operationally, not just commercially?

2. Internal Alignment:

• Sales, pricing, and operations must sit at the same table
• Agree on walkaway margins, red flags, and service commitments

3. Smart Storytelling:

• Every RFQ is an audition. Does your submission tell a story about your value?
• Don’t just quote—show proof of capability: case studies, sector experience, KPIs.

4. Debrief and Learn:

• Every tender loss should teach you something
• Build a win/loss library to improve future submissions

 

Client Example:

One global forwarder we supported in the UAE was consistently losing large FMCG tenders despite competitive pricing. After a strategic review, we identified three gaps:

• No dedicated tender coordinator
• Generic service descriptions
• Zero sector-specific language

With our support, they restructured their approach, clarified sector differentiators, and built a reusable “tender assets” toolkit.

Result: A 17% increase in tender win rate over the next 2 RFQ cycles.

Final Thought:

Tenders are not admin exercises—they’re growth opportunities. But only if approached strategically. Don’t let another one pass by with a copy-paste response and crossed fingers.

At We Think Solutions, we help freight companies build tender strategies that win. With the right tools, training, and cross-functional rhythm, your RFQs can become revenue.

Stop quoting to lose. Start submitting to win.