Import Ocean Freight Sourcing is Complicated to Manage

Negotiating and managing the ocean freight bid and award process is a time consuming, complicated process. Uncoordinated communications, using outdated technology further compounds the issue, introduce inefficiencies and errors. You need to provide adequate coverage in your shipping lanes based on anticipated volumes at a competitive fair cost. To achieve this goal you need to submit your bid requests to multiple steam ship lines that can meet your operating needs and business requirements with the results coming back to you in a centralized portal that allows you to accurately compare pricing and promised service schedules.

Challenges

How do I know that the shipment bids I receive from carriers are fair and competitive?
Compared to last year, are the available rates higher or lower and by how much?
How can our company dramatically reduce the inefficiency of asking multiple steamship lines to bid on a shipping lane?
Can our company access a private, business-to-business online marketplace setup exclusively for our selected steamship lines and NVOCCs?

Improve the Procurement of Ocean Freight with Online Collaboration

Clarity™ Ocean Freight Quote, a software-as-a-service application and hosted module on the ClearTrack® Global Trade Management network platform, replace offline, manual methods with the latest cloud-based collaboration and application techniques. The Clarity™ Ocean Freight Quote application automates the request for pricing, steamship line load bidding, shipper bid analysis and the award for international ocean freight shipments. With access anywhere through the cloud, Clarity™ Ocean Freight Quote software and collaboration system create a powerful cloud-based network platform to automate the sourcing of transportation services to support meaningful business objectives including:

Steamship Line Bid Analysis Dashboard

Benefits

Improve efficiency of procurement

Expedites the entire ocean shipment bidding process by creating a central exchange and online information source that commands and controls the request for quote (RFQ), quote bid, bid analysis, and bid award processes, dramatically cutting inefficient manual processes and follow-up activities.

Minimize steamship line work to support bid campaigns

Centralized collaboration and template uploads reduce steamship line effort and time consumed by offline communications and manual reviews for accuracy to ensure compliance with the shipper’s requirements.

Make smarter buying decisions

Using real-time information, the shipper can choose the best possible combination of price, service level and reliability.

Improved Decision Support

Establish a centralized information source for decision support, analysis, and planning.

Transaction Detail for Insight and Analysis

Captures and displays the history of each bid and allows online bid comparison creating a more efficient, knowledgeable and transparent marketplace for shippers.