Engagements & Pricing

Carrier RFP management for parcel shippers.

Carrier RFPs, ongoing shipping advisory, and migration support.

Better rates, better carrier mix, better customer experience.

Shipping that wins deals and protects margin.

Engagements

Four shapes. One process.

Focused $5,000

RFP & analysis across 1–2 carriers, single shipping setup, domestic.

Clean setup, testing or replacing one carrier.

Most common
Standard $7,500

RFP & analysis across 3–4 carriers, domestic plus basic international.

Established volume with some complexity.

Most common
Comprehensive $12,500

RFP & analysis across 5–6 carriers, international depth, or multi-warehouse.

Multiple accounts, international scope, or layered complexity.

Custom Quoted

RFP & analysis paired with WMS/TMS migration, multi-account work, 3PL sourcing, or 3+ shipper profiles.

Let's talk.

Every engagement runs the same six-week process: discovery, RFP, negotiation, recommendation, carrier onboarding, and a structured test pickup before you commit volume.

Gainshare option

Prefer to pay only if we save?

Some clients prefer a gainshare instead of a flat engagement fee. We offer it: 75/25 split, 75% of validated savings to you, 25% to Iron Margin, calculated on the first 12 months of new carrier invoices. A refundable deposit upfront, credited against the gainshare invoice or returned in full if we don't find savings.

How savings are measured: for each shipment in the 12-month window, we price the parcel under both your old contract and your new contract. The difference is the savings. This holds the comparison apples-to-apples regardless of fuel surcharges or general rate increases.

Most clients come out ahead on the flat fee, especially at higher shipping volumes. Gainshare is for situations where no upfront commitment matters more than total cost. We'll walk through the comparison on a scoping call.

3PL placement

Looking for a new fulfillment partner?

Same independent posture as the carrier RFP, applied to 3PL selection. We run a six-week structured search: a longlist of qualified candidates, a shortlist with deep evaluation (rate analysis, software demos, references, FaceTime warehouse tour), and a one-page recommendation with the top choice and alternatives.

Where we differ from generic 3PL match-makers: we apply your actual SKU and order data to each shortlist 3PL's handling cost AND their negotiated carrier rates. The comparison is true all-in cost per shipment, not a "cost per order" abstraction.

Quoted per engagement. See Custom engagements below to scope.

Retainer

Retainer: $2,000/month

Savings defense
Stop carriers from clawing back what you negotiated
CX oversight
Catch performance dips before they reach support
Trade-off advice
Packaging, speed, claims policy, weighed live
Quarterly market re-check
New carriers, new tiers, what shifted
Markup strategy
Set and adjust margin as carrier costs shift
Sales-pitch playbook
How to price and pitch shipping to prospects
Customer rate refresh
Flag when a customer's rate sheet needs updating
Quarterly market re-check
New carriers, new tiers, what shifted

A fit at $100K+/month in shipping spend.

A fit if you're taking multiple prospect calls a month.

Bi-monthly strategy calls · Slack access · monthly performance review · cancel anytime, no charges after the month you cancel.

SMB program

Where do you fit?

Under $10K/mo
Self-serve apps, or your 3PL's negotiated rates
$10K to $50K/mo
Iron Margin SMB program. Book a free evaluation, get a vetted recommendation.
$50K+/mo
Direct carrier engagement, full RFP

If $10K to $50K is you, book an intro call. We've vetted the options and hold referral relationships with the ones we'd recommend. Email .

Custom engagements

Doesn't fit the four tiers?

Custom engagements typically pair an RFP with something else: a WMS or TMS migration, multi-account renegotiation, three or more shipper profiles, or 3PL sourcing and selection (finding a new fulfillment partner, running the RFP, managing the transition). Standalone work also lands here: one-off analyses, fractional ongoing engagements, multi-quarter projects, anything outside the four-tier shape.

Email to scope it together.