To choose a logistics partner for long-term growth, an importer should look beyond the first quotation to what the relationship will need in two or three years: more lanes, more volume, more compliance and more data. A partner that suits one container a month may not suit twenty, and a cheap first rate can be followed by costs that appear later. This guide sets out seven checks, shows with a made-up scorecard how the weights you choose can change which partner wins, and ends with a pilot plan and the contract terms to settle before volume grows. It does not name or rank any provider.
For the first-shipment decision, see how to choose an international freight forwarding company. This guide focuses on the longer view.
Seven Checks for a Long-Term Partner
| Check | Question to ask | Where to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Licence and compliance | Does it hold the licences its role requires? | Customs Act, Section 146 |
| Terms and liability | What are its liability limits and exclusions? | FIATA Model Rules; the conventions in our risk guide |
| Clearance model | Who is the importer of record and who files? | Incoterms 2020 terms; your contract |
| Data and reporting | What status and performance data will you receive? | A sample report |
| Charges | Are all lines itemised, including exclusions? | A full quotation |
| Capability to scale | Can it add lanes, modes and warehousing? | Its service scope |
| Exit and portability | Can you leave and take your data? | The contract |
Check 1: Licences and Compliance
Under Section 146 of the Customs Act, 1962, no person shall carry on business as a customs broker at a customs station without a licence. If a partner clears goods for you in India, ask who holds the licence and who signs the declaration. The text we read is CBIC's consolidation of 30 March 2022, so confirm the current wording with your broker. Section 46(4A) places the duty to ensure that the bill of entry is accurate and complete on the importer who presents it, so the duty stays with you even when a partner prepares the filing. See how to avoid documentation errors during import customs clearance.
CBIC's National Time Release Study 2025 found that bills of entry benefiting from advance filing, Risk Management System facilitation and Authorised Economic Operator accreditation together showed the shortest release time at seaports, ICDs and ACCs. Ask a partner whether it files before arrival and how it would support your own accreditation if you qualify.
Check 2: Terms and Liability
FIATA says its Model Rules for Freight Forwarding Services, first formulated in 1996 and updated in October 2019, set out general principles on the rights, obligations and liabilities of forwarders and their customers, whether the forwarder acts as the shipper's agent or as contractual carrier, and cover the basis of liability, exclusions and monetary limits of liability. FIATA also says earlier versions were a benchmark for associations and enterprises drafting their own trading terms. Use them as a reference list of what a set of terms should cover, and ask to read the partner's own terms before you sign. Our guide to risk management in international shipping shows how liability limits compare with cargo value.
Check 3: Who Clears the Goods
An ICC Academy article on DAP and DDP says that under DAP the buyer must manage and pay for all import clearance formalities and bears all risks of loss or damage during the import clearance process, while under DDP the seller is ultimately responsible for the import clearance process. A partner's role therefore depends on the trade term in your contract. Write down who is importer of record on each lane.
Checks 4 to 7: Data, Charges, Scale and Exit
- Data. Ask for a sample status report and for the performance measures in how to evaluate logistics performance using key metrics.
- Charges. Ask for every line by name. See hidden shipping costs importers should include in their budgets.
- Scale. Ask which modes, origins and services it can add. Our guide to 3PL vs 4PL logistics models describes two models for outsourcing.
- Exit. Ask about the notice period, the data you can export and any minimum volume.
A Weighted Scorecard With Made-Up Numbers
Give each criterion a weight that totals 100 and score each partner from 1 to 5. The weighted total is the sum of weight times score, divided by 500 for a percentage.
| Criterion | Weight | Partner A | Partner B |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compliance and licences | 20 | 4 | 5 |
| Coverage of your lanes | 15 | 5 | 3 |
| Liability and insurance terms | 15 | 3 | 4 |
| Data and reporting | 15 | 4 | 3 |
| Price transparency | 15 | 3 | 4 |
| Responsiveness | 10 | 4 | 3 |
| Scalability and flexibility | 10 | 4 | 3 |
| Weighted total | 100 | 385 (77.0%) | 370 (74.0%) |
Partner A leads on these weights. Now suppose your business ships on a single lane, so lane coverage matters little, and cost matters more. Set coverage at 0 and price transparency at 30, keeping the rest. Partner A then scores 80 + 0 + 45 + 60 + 90 + 40 + 40 = 355 (71.0%), while Partner B scores 100 + 0 + 60 + 45 + 120 + 30 + 30 = 385 (77.0%). The winner changes with the weights, so agree the weights before you see the quotations, and ask whether the weights would change as your business grows.
Growth Stages and What Each Needs
| Stage (our framework, not an official classification) | Main need | What to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Occasional shipments | A quote per shipment and clear documents | Itemised charges and free days |
| Regular shipments on set lanes | Stable rates, reporting and booking discipline | Review dates and the data sample |
| Several origins and storage | Consolidation and warehousing | Capacity and visibility |
| Integrated supply chain | One party managing several providers | Service levels and exit terms |
Run a Pilot Before You Commit
- Choose two or three shipments of average value on your main lane.
- Agree the metrics in advance, such as transit time against plan, document corrections, response time and the gap between quoted and final cost.
- Record each result and the reason for any miss.
- Hold a review and compare the results with the scorecard.
- Sign a longer contract only when the pilot results match what the partner said.
Questions for a Reference Call
Ask a partner for the names of two customers with a similar profile, and put the same questions to each. Did the quoted total match the final total? How were problems reported, and how quickly? Did the partner change its service when your volume or lanes changed? Would the customer use the partner again for a shipment that mattered? A reference proves little by itself, but it tests whether the answers you were given match another customer's experience.
Warning Signs
- It will not share its terms of business before you sign.
- It cannot say who holds the customs broker licence or who signs the declaration.
- Its quotation shows one total with no lines and no exclusions.
- It promises a transit time or a clearance time with no record to support it.
- It cannot show a sample report or explain how it measures its own service.
Terms to Settle Before Volume Grows
- The term, the notice period and the right to review rates.
- Liability limits, exclusions and the process for claims, including the deadlines in the applicable law.
- Responsibility for customs filings and for corrections.
- Data you can export and when.
- Subcontractors and who answers for them.
Review Cadence
Review monthly in the first quarter, then quarterly. At each review, compare results with the scorecard, record the reason for any miss and agree one change. Bring the data to the meeting, because the partner's summary is a starting point and not the evidence. After a year, repeat the scoring with the current weights, since your needs will have moved.
Grow With RR Brothers and Logistics
RR Brothers and Logistics arranges sea freight and air freight from China, offers multimodal transport including Sea-Air and Air-Air under one contract and one point of contact, handles customs clearance in India and provides warehousing services. Send us your lanes and the questions above and we will answer them in writing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Check licences and compliance, liability terms, who clears the goods, data and reporting, charge transparency, ability to scale and exit rights, then run a pilot before signing a longer contract.
Section 146 of the Customs Act says no person shall carry on business as a customs broker at a customs station without a licence. Ask who holds the licence for your clearance.
It can prepare the filing, but Section 46(4A) places the duty to ensure the bill of entry is accurate and complete on the importer who presents it.
FIATA says its Model Rules, first formulated in 1996 and updated in October 2019, set out general principles on the rights, obligations and liabilities of forwarders and their customers, including the basis of liability, exclusions and monetary limits.
Because each criterion counts in proportion to its weight. In the made-up example, setting lane coverage to 0 and price transparency to 30 moved Partner B from 74.0% to 77.0% and Partner A from 77.0% to 71.0%.
Transit time against plan, document corrections, response time and the gap between quoted and final cost, with the reason recorded for any miss.
Sources
- CBIC: Customs Act, 1962 (Sections 46 and 146)
- CBIC: National Time Release Study 2025 (released 20 June 2025)
- FIATA: FIATA updates Model Rules on freight forwarding services (3 October 2019)
- ICC Academy: DAP and DDP, Incoterms 2020 explained
This article is general information, not legal, tax or customs advice. Rules, rates and procedures change; confirm current requirements with the relevant authority or a licensed customs professional before you ship. Regulatory references were checked against the official sources listed above on 28 October 2026.
Image credits: header photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash; photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash. Used under the Unsplash License.
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