Detritus/Evaluate a partner
Buyer’s guide
Unit price is easy to compare and rarely the variable that determines whether a program succeeds. These questions test the things that do: coverage, accountability, and commercial control. Use them on us too.
The standard evaluation criteria are mis-weighted. Almost every scoring matrix we see rewards the cheapest unit rate and asks nothing about what happens in a county the vendor has never served.
Coverage is the binding constraint on distributed work, and it is the easiest thing to overstate. These three questions ask for facts rather than claims.
In how many distinct cities did you deliver work last year?
Why it matters. National coverage is a claim anyone can make. A city count is a fact that can be checked against a system of record. It also tells you whether the vendor operates a network or a fleet.
A specific number, with the year attached. If they can also break it down by state, the record exists.
“We cover all 50 states.” That is a map, not a delivery history.
For a site in a county you have not served, what is your process and how long to a firm price?
Why it matters. Every distributed program eventually lands somewhere new. The answer reveals whether they price from records or start making phone calls when you ask.
A named process and a stated turnaround. Ideally they describe pricing from nearby transaction history and provider rate cards already held.
“We’ll get back to you.” Or a turnaround measured in weeks.
How many distinct providers did your largest single site require?
Why it matters. Peak demand on a large site usually exceeds any one regional provider’s capacity. A vendor claiming one provider covered everything is either very small or not telling you what happened at peak.
An honest number above one, plus an explanation of how service frequency was held across them.
“Just us.” Ask what happened during the busiest month.
Every vendor performs well when nothing goes wrong. These three questions are about what happens when something does.
When a scheduled service is missed, how do you find out?
Why it matters. This single question separates a dispatcher from an operating system. If the vendor learns about misses from you, there is no exception detection and you are the monitoring layer.
A system that flags the miss against a schedule before anyone calls, with a stated escalation path.
“Our customers let us know.” That is you doing their quality control.
Who owns an open exception through to resolution, and is that person named to us?
Why it matters. Distributed programs fail in handoffs. A named owner is the difference between an issue being worked and an issue being in a queue.
A named individual with direct contact details and posted hours, not a shared inbox or a ticket number.
A general support line, or a different person each time you call.
What happens to a provider’s record after a service failure?
Why it matters. Without a consequence, nothing improves. This tests whether provider performance is tracked or whether the same provider gets the same work next month regardless.
A performance record attached to the provider that affects future placement in that market.
“We talk to them.” Ask where that conversation is written down.
Unit price is easy to compare. Cost control over the life of a program is what actually determines what you pay.
When a provider raises a surcharge mid-program, does it appear on our invoice automatically or as a decision presented to us?
Why it matters. Fuel surcharges, rate increases, and tonnage adjustments are normal. Discovering them on an invoice is not. This tests whether cost changes are governed or just passed along.
Variances above an expected rate stop for approval before payment, and you see the decision.
“We pass through provider costs.” That is a policy of no control.
How is each provider charge tied to a specific delivery, service, or removal before it reaches our invoice?
Why it matters. On a long or high-volume program, reconciliation is where the money leaks. This tests whether billing is matched to events or estimated in aggregate.
Charge-level reconciliation to a specific unit, delivery, swap, or service event, described concretely.
“We invoice what the provider bills us.” You are then auditing on their behalf.
If a provider has a receivables dispute with you, what protects our site from a service hold?
Why it matters. This one is rarely asked and it is the question most likely to surface a real risk. A provider in a payment dispute with your vendor can stop servicing your site, and may call you about it.
A vendor relations function that resolves provider-side disputes without interrupting service, and a clear statement that you will not be asked to intervene.
Confusion, or an answer about their own payment terms rather than your continuity.
Across all nine, the useful signal is the same: does the answer describe a record or a relationship? Relationships are real and they matter, but they do not scale to a distributed footprint, and they leave with the person. A record survives turnover, covers markets nobody has visited, and can be audited. Ask which one you are buying.
It would be strange to publish this without answering it. Short versions, with the detail linked.
| Question | Our answer |
|---|---|
| Cities delivered last year | 5,910 in 2025. 89% of volume falls outside our top 25 markets. The data |
| Process in an unserved county | Priced against paid transaction history in nearby markets and rate cards already held for providers whose radius reaches the site. Same day in most markets. How it works |
| Providers on our largest site | Eleven, on one site. Forty-five across one customer’s national program. Profile B |
| How we learn about a miss | Every unit carries a service schedule, so a miss surfaces as an open exception before your superintendent calls. |
| Who owns an exception | One named account manager with a direct line and posted hours, visible in your portal from the first order. |
| Consequence for a provider | Service failures attach to the provider record and affect future placement in that market. |
| Mid-program surcharges | Variances above the expected rate stop for approval before payment. Profile D |
| Charge-level reconciliation | Each provider charge is tied to a specific unit, delivery, swap, or service event before invoicing. 41 reconciliation actions on one 22-month program. Profile C |
| Provider dispute protection | Resolved by our vendor relations function provider-side. On one program a provider took its receivables directly to a client site and raised a service hold; service was not interrupted and the client was not asked to intervene. Profile A |