RFP Automation

Award Freight With Confidence

RFPs shouldn’t live in spreadsheets or sit on the sidelines. Shipwell connects procurement directly to execution so the rates you negotiate are instantly ready to run.

• Cut RFP management time by 50 to 70%
• Instantly compare bids with lane-level insights
• Automatically turn awarded bids into live contracts

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See How to Automate Your RFP Lifecycle

Shipwell simplifies bid collection, comparison, and contract creation by bringing your data out of isolated inboxes and into one connected platform.

A Seamless Way to Procure Freight from End-to-End

Shipwell automates the full RFP cycle, meaning it handles bid creation all the way through routing guide deployment. Procurement becomes a seamless part of your operation.

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Centralize Procurement

Stop running RFPs out of spreadsheets and inboxes. Manage a structured, platform-level process without the manual consolidation chaos.

Bridge the Execution Gap

What you bid is what you run. Awarded lanes automatically flow directly into your TMS as active routing guides—no rework, no translation lags.

Continuous Freight Management

Turn a once-a-year scramble into an ongoing operational advantage. Easily re-engage the market as capacity, fuel, and rates shift.

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Built for Market Volatility

Market conditions change by the week. Your rates should be able to do the same. Shipwell gives you the agility to transition from rigid, once-a-year events to a continuous procurement strategy.

• Run Targeted Mini-Bids
• Adapt to Variability
• Protect Contract Integrity

The Procurement Health Check

Is your freight procurement built to keep up? Take a quick look at your current setup. If you can't check all four boxes, manual work is slowing down your transportation strategy.

1. Can you instantly structure bids by lane, equipment type, volume, and rate type without rebuilding spreadsheets from scratch?
2. Can you directly compare incoming bids at the lane level and view real-time carrier performance data during evaluation?
3. Do your awarded bids automatically convert into active routing guides in your TMS without manual data re-entry?
4. Can you run targeted mini-bids or re-engage the market the moment capacity, fuel, or rates shift?

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Real Results, Not Just Better Workflows

• Instant bid comparisons with lane-level summaries
• Built-in carrier performance and history visibility during evaluation
• Flexible filtering and re-ranking based on price, performance, or volume
• Full, compliance-ready audit trail of all RFP activity and decisions

From Bid to Execution, in One Connected Platform

1. Create RFP
2. Carriers Respond
3. Evaluate Bids
4. Award Lanes
5. Move to Execution
6. Repeat & Improve

Take Control of Your Transportation Spend

• Award Confidently
• Avoid Mistakes
• Decide with Certainty
• Know your Data

Stop Running RFPs the Old Way

Move procurement out of spreadsheets and into the flow of execution.

Frequently Asked Questions

How hard is it to move our current RFP spreadsheets into Shipwell?

Easy. You don’t have to build anything from scratch. Shipwell uses standardized templates that allow you to quickly upload or input your existing lane data, equipment types, and volumes. You can structure and launch an entire procurement event in minutes rather than spending days building complex spreadsheets.

Do my carriers need to learn a complicated new system to submit bids?

No. We know your carrier relationships are vital, so we made the process painless for them. Carriers review lanes and submit their rates through a streamlined, easy-to-use portal. They get a clean, organized view of your request and can input their bids directly, meaning you get perfectly structured data back without any onboarding friction.

How does this tool cut our RFP management time by 50% to 70%?

By eliminating the manual "admin work" that eats up your day. Shipwell automates the most time-consuming parts of procurement: building the templates, emailing carriers back and forth, correcting broken Excel formatting, manually cross-referencing bids, and typing the final rates into your TMS.

Is this just for big annual RFPs, or can I use it for smaller market shifts?

Yes, both. While it’s robust enough for your large annual events, the system is built for continuous procurement. If capacity tightens or a carrier drops a lane, you can run a targeted "mini-bid" for specific lanes or equipment types in just a few clicks, keeping your rates aligned with the current market.

How does the RFP tool connect directly to my daily shipping execution?

This is where the real magic happens. The moment you finalize your award decisions, Shipwell automatically converts those winning bids into live contracts and routing guides inside your TMS. There is zero manual data re-entry or translation lag—your team can immediately begin booking loads at the exact rates you just negotiated.

Can I evaluate carrier bids on factors other than just the lowest price?

Absolutely. Shipwell pulls historical carrier performance and reliability metrics directly into your bid evaluation screen. This allows you to compare incoming rates alongside actual service quality and volume history, helping you pick the best carrier for the lane, not just the cheapest one.

How does the lane-level summary view work?

Instead of forcing you to pivot-table multiple carrier spreadsheets together, Shipwell automatically aggregates all incoming bids into a single side-by-side view at the individual lane level. You can instantly see who bid what, compare outliers, and identify the best-fit options without the manual math.

Can we filter or re-rank carriers based on our specific business priorities?

Yes. Every supply chain has different goals. You can apply custom filters to instantly sort and re-rank carrier options based on price, historical performance, transit times, or capacity commitments, making it easy to tailor your final choices to your operational needs.

Does the system keep track of who approved what decisions?

Yes. Shipwell maintains a complete, compliance-ready audit trail of all RFP activity, carrier communications, and final award decisions. If leadership or your finance team ever needs to know exactly why a specific carrier was chosen for a lane, the data is completely transparent and readily available.

How long does it take to get our team up and running with this tool?

Because the RFP module is fully built into the native Shipwell platform, implementation is exceptionally fast for current customers. Our team will guide you through setting up your initial templates and carrier lists so you can confidently launch your first automated bidding event right away.