Most TMS RFPs ask the same things: routes, visibility, reports. This RFP includes the 15 financial control questions most skip — and where the 5–7% leakage occurs.
- total questions
- 40
- financial control
- 15
- typical leakage without audit
- 5–7%
- measurable pilot
- 6–8 wk
Why this RFP is different
This RFP includes questions a CFO or COO should ask but rarely appear in traditional templates. These are the questions that expose whether the TMS records transactions or actually controls freight spend.
4 question blocks
RFP structure
Planning, execution, and visibility (10 questions)
What everyone asks: routes, assignment, GPS, POD, KPIs. Necessary, but almost any TMS answers them. They don't differentiate.
Financial control (15 questions)
The block most skip: pre-pay audit, CFDI + Carta Porte + GPS + POD + rate cross-check, dispute windows, stamping. This is where the difference is.
Implementation and costs (8 questions)
Timeline, migration risk, pricing, integrations. Validate whether the vendor can deliver, not just promise.
Support and scalability (7 questions)
What matters when the system is already in production: SLA, Spanish support, how it scales with volume.
This RFP is vendor-neutral. Financial control questions expose gaps in any TMS — including the one you already have. Use the scorecard to compare options, not to validate an already-made decision.
Interactive scorecard (40 questions)
Mark the questions your current vendor (or the one you're evaluating) can answer. The scorecard generates a gap report you can copy for your meetings.
Interactive scorecard
Mark the questions your current vendor can answer. Generate a gap report for your evaluation. Everything on your device — nothing sent to any server.
Attention: You have 15 gaps in Financial control. These are the questions most traditional TMS cannot answer — and where the 5–7% leakage occurs.
The block most skip
The 15 financial control questions are what separate a TMS that records from one that controls. Here's why each matters:
Pre-pay vs post-pay audit
"Does it audit freight invoices against operational evidence before payment?" — If the answer is "post-pay" or "by sampling", the error already got paid. The timing of the audit defines the recovery rate.
5-source cross-check
"Does it cross-check CFDI + Carta Porte 3.1 + rate + GPS + POD automatically?" — If it has to be done manually, it doesn't get done. Sampling becomes policy and 85–95% passes without cross-check.
Dispute windows
"Does it track dispute windows by retailer/carrier?" — A retailer gives 30 days to dispute deductions. If you don't track the deadline, the right expires. The money leaves.
Automatic file
"Does it build dispute file without manual intervention?" — If your analyst has to search GPS, POD, rate, and invoice every time, it won't scale to 300 disputes. The file must be generated automatically.
How to use this RFP in your evaluation
Evaluation process
Complete the scorecard with your current vendor
Mark the questions they can answer. Identify gaps — especially in financial control.
Copy the gap report
Use the "Copy report" button. Take it to your vendor meeting or to the executive meeting.
Request specific demos
Don't ask for "a TMS demo". Ask: "Show me how it cross-checks this real invoice against GPS and contracted rate."
Demand a pilot on a real corridor
No demo data. Your corridor, your invoices, your carriers. 6–8 measurable weeks.
How OCL Cargo answers
OCL Cargo answers the 15 financial control questions:
- Audits 100% pre-pay with agents (not sampling)
- Automatically cross-checks: rate + CFDI + Carta Porte 3.1 + GPS + POD
- Detects accessorials outside rate, inflated detention, duplicates
- Generates dispute file automatically
- Tracks dispute windows by retailer/carrier
- Can stamp invoices and Carta Porte 3.1
- Automatically holds payment if there's a discrepancy
- Complete audit trail of every approval
On standard questions, OCL operates as an autonomous TMS: agents execute assignment, tracking, capture; your team decides diagnosed exceptions.
Coexistence: OCL operates on top of your current TMS/ERP. No forced migration. 6–8 week pilot on a real corridor.
Key takeaways5 points
- 40 questions in 4 blocks: standard, financial control, implementation, support.
- Standard questions are answered by almost any TMS. Financial control, by few.
- Financial control = the difference between a TMS that records and one that recovers 5–7%.
- The scorecard generates a gap report you can copy for your evaluation meetings.
- OCL answers the 15 financial control questions. 6–8 week pilot without migration.
Book your diagnostic
Next operating step
Use the page that matches your current situation.
Related reading
FAQ
Because a TMS that only records shipments doesn't control costs. If it doesn't cross-check invoices against evidence before payment, errors pass. Financial control questions (pre-pay audit, CFDI + Carta Porte cross-check, accessorial detection) are what separate a traditional TMS from one that recovers 5–7% of spend.
Depends on your operation. Standard questions (planning, execution, visibility) are answered by almost any TMS. Financial control, by few. Implementation and support questions validate the vendor, not the product. Use the scorecard to identify critical gaps vs nice-to-have.
Because post-pay you've already lost leverage. Detecting an error weeks later means disputing with money already delivered. Pre-pay you hold, escalate, and decide with file. The timing of the audit defines the recovery rate.
Doesn't mean you should change TMS. You can complement with agents that audit on top of your current stack. The healthy pattern is coexistence: your TMS/ERP records; agents execute the 100% cross-check. 6–8 week pilot without migration.
OCL Cargo answers the 15 financial control questions (audits 100% pre-pay, cross-checks CFDI + Carta Porte + GPS + POD + rate, can stamp, tracks dispute windows). On standard questions, OCL operates as an autonomous TMS — agents execute, your team on exceptions. Book a diagnostic to validate fit with your operation.
Yes. This guide is vendor-neutral. The scorecard identifies gaps regardless of vendor. Use the generated report in your evaluation meetings with any TMS.