What is an all-in freight rate?

An all-in rate is a price quoted to cover the base freight and a named set of surcharges for a defined period. It is only all-in for the charges it actually includes, so the list matters more than the label.

How should unquoted surcharges be treated in a bid comparison?

As gaps to close before award, not as zero. Ask the carrier to quote them, or, where an applicable published tariff exists, price them from that tariff for the same period and mark the result as an estimate.

How often should formula-based surcharges be repriced in a comparison?

Use one index level and one period for every bid, and state them. Carriers revise many fuel-linked surcharges on a fixed cycle, often quarterly, so the comparison should note which revision it used.

Carrier Bid Comparison: Normalising Bids to All-In Cost

A bid priced on base rate shows only part of what will be invoiced; comparing carriers fairly means pricing every surcharge on the same shipments, the same basis and the same index level.

How-to · 6 min · Alexandre de Perregaux, CEO, Intellyse · Published October 9, 2026 · Last updated October 9, 2026

By Intellyse, makers of freight invoice audit software · About us

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Aerial view of two rows of semi-trailers parked diagonally at a logistics hub, their tractor units in red, blue, green, orange and white — Photo: Marcin Jozwiak on Unsplash

Key takeaways

A carrier bid comparison is only fair when every bid is priced as an all-in cost for the same set of shipments: base rate plus each surcharge on its own basis, at one index level and one validity period.
Surcharges can be quoted as included, as a fixed amount, as a formula linked to an index, or not at all, and each treatment needs a different pricing step before bids can be compared.
An unquoted surcharge is a gap to close before award, not a zero: confirm whether it is included, separately chargeable, or governed by the carrier's tariff or another agreed rule.

Procurement teams typically lay the bids from a freight RFQ side by side and compare the base rate per container, kilogram or pallet. That is a reasonable first cut when every carrier quotes the same surcharges on the same basis. A carrier bid comparison built that way rarely reflects what will be invoiced, because carriers quote surcharges differently, and on some modes the surcharges are a large part of the bill.

How do you compare carrier bids fairly?

A fair comparison prices each bid as the all-in cost of the shipments you actually move: the base rate, every surcharge on the basis it is charged, any minimums, and the validity period, all applied to one shipment profile. Two bids are comparable only when both answer the same question: what would this set of shipments have cost?

The surcharges are not a rounding error. In the invoices audited on our platform in the third quarter of 2026, surcharges accounted for about half of invoiced ocean freight spend and about 30 per cent of air spend, excluding taxes and duties. A bid compared on base rate alone leaves that share out of the comparison.

A bid that leaves a surcharge unquoted has not necessarily quoted zero; the charge may be governed by the carrier's tariff or another agreed rule.

How do you normalise freight bids to all-in cost?

Normalising means converting every bid into the same unit: total cost per shipment and per lane for one shipment profile, with each surcharge priced on its own basis.

Build the shipment profile from your invoices. Take a representative period of shipments per lane, often the last twelve months: counts, weights, equipment, service level and the accessorial charges that actually occurred. The profile, not the RFQ template, decides what gets priced.
List every surcharge billed in that period. Map how each bid treats it, using the table below.
Price each surcharge on its basis. Per container, per kilogram, per shipment or as a percentage of freight, with any minimum charge, applied to the profile, not to an average shipment.
Fix one index level and one period for formula-based surcharges. Use the same fuel or currency reference for every bid and state which revision it is.
Compare totals per lane and per shipment. Then check validity periods, which can change the ranking when a rate expires before the volume moves.

How the bid treats a surcharge	How to price it	What to watch
Included in an all-in rate	Already in the rate	Which surcharges the all-in list names, and which it leaves out
Separate, fixed amount	Amount times occurrences in the profile	Validity date and any revision clause
Separate, linked to an index	The formula at one stated index level	Revision cycle and the averaging period behind it
Not quoted	A gap: ask the carrier, or estimate from its published tariff	Mark estimates, never treat as zero

These are typical treatments, not rules; the bid wording and the contract that follows decide what is billable.

Index-linked surcharges move on their own schedule. Maersk's BAF notice of 1 December 2025 set tariffs effective 1 January 2026 using the average Platts price for very low sulphur fuel oil over 26 August to 25 November 2025. Hapag-Lloyd's Marine Fuel Recovery update of September 2026 set new values from 1 October 2026, valid until further notice, and says further adjustments may follow. Two bids priced at different revisions are not comparable until both are normalised to the same index level and revision period.

Why do bid comparisons miss the surcharges?

Because the RFQ and the invoices live in different places. Some RFQ templates ask for a base rate per lane while leaving surcharge treatment to a free-text field or "as per tariff", so the comparison sheet has one clean column and several notes. A shipment profile built only from booking data may capture lane and weight but miss the accessorial charges that appear on the invoice later.

The gap also opens after award. A surcharge quoted as fixed may carry a revision clause, an index-linked charge moves with each revision, and a charge left unquoted may be governed by the carrier's tariff or another agreed rule. None of this shows in the award sheet; it shows on the invoices months later.

What should the next RFQ ask for?

What to ask for in the next RFQ

Tick a step to reveal the next

A surcharge schedule with every bid. Each surcharge named, its basis, its amount or formula, its validity, and whether it is included or separate, in one fixed format for all carriers.
A stated position on every charge in your profile. Included, separate or not applicable, so nothing is left to "as per tariff".
The index and revision rule for each formula-based surcharge. Which index, which averaging period, how often it is revised and from which date.
Pricing against your profile. Send the shipment profile with the RFQ and ask carriers to return totals per lane, so the arithmetic is checked on both sides.

Step 1 of 4

A comparison that starts from the invoices tenders the shipments that moved, with the charges that appeared. Our RFQ module compares bids on the real all-in cost per shipment, models surcharges alongside base freight and puts what carriers charged before next to what they are bidding now, so the award is based on a more realistic view of what will be invoiced. To see how your current carriers' surcharges change the picture, we offer a free analysis on 100 shipments.

Free freight audit, 100 shipments

We audit 100 of your shipments and show you the savings.

You send 100 recent invoices with the matching shipment data and rate agreements, as file exports.
We check every line against the contracted rates and the shipment data and return the lines that do not match, with the reason for each.
You see which surcharges each carrier actually billed, and on what basis, ready to compare against the next round of bids.