Stop letting a cheap quote quietly drain your time and margin. Track completeness, condition, paperwork and the work it takes to fix each delivery—so you can see which supplier is truly costing you less.
When goods are ready to become customer orders, start on Send to see the delivery options and prices that apply to your parcel.
The goal: compare the cost of what you actually receive
A low unit price is only one part of the bill. Incomplete orders, damaged or off-spec goods, missing documents, staff time spent resolving errors, and returns or replacements can shrink—or erase—the saving. Compare similar items over comparable periods, using your own receiving records.
What receiving routine should you follow?
- Have the purchase order and agreed specifications ready before unloading.
- Compare the physical goods with the order and the supplier’s delivery note. Check the items, quantities, condition, labelling and packaging where relevant.
- Check for required paperwork, such as certificates, manuals or other agreed deliverables.
- Record what you accepted, held or rejected, plus any quantity, condition, specification or documentation differences.
- Keep the receiving record, inspection evidence, purchase order and invoice together so you can follow up and reconcile the receipt.
What should you track for every supplier delivery?
- Supplier, order reference, invoice reference and delivery date.
- Expected quantity, received quantity, and quantities accepted or rejected.
- Condition or specification issues, and any missing or incorrect paperwork.
- Time spent checking the delivery and resolving exceptions.
- Return or replacement outcome, including any credit or refund actually received.
For a practical comparison, add the purchase amount to recorded receiving and rework effort plus return or replacement costs. Subtract credits or refunds you actually received. Compare the result for similar items across suppliers; keep staff time visible rather than treating it as free.
Common mistakes that hide the real supplier cost
- Closing the receipt before checking quantities, condition and required documents.
- Recording only the supplier’s paperwork, not what your team actually received.
- Treating repeated paperwork errors or staff follow-up as a one-off instead of tracking the pattern.
- Comparing suppliers using unit price alone, without counting rework, returns or replacement effort.
Review your log for repeat problems. Share specific discrepancies with the supplier and check later receipts to see whether the same errors continue. A small, consistent routine makes it easier to spot where the saving is real—and where it disappears at receiving.
The next step: keep customer orders moving
Once an order is ready, a repeatable delivery handoff can help you avoid arranging every parcel from scratch and keep customers informed. Moveka is Kenya’s largest courier and one of Kenya’s most deeply connected courier networks. Start on Send to view the options and prices that apply to your parcel.
