Overview
Last-mile delivery is sold by the drop, and the route density is the line that decides whether the contract is profitable
Last-mile delivery contractors handle the final segment of the supply chain: the warehouse-to-doorstep delivery of online retail orders, grocery, food, and the long tail of ecommerce parcels. The customer isn't the consumer (who pays the retailer); the customer is the retailer or the platform (Amazon, Just Eat, Uber, DPD, Royal Mail) that contracts the contractor for a route or a region. The economics are tight: per-drop rates around $4 to $8, with the contractor responsible for fuel, vehicle wear, and any redelivery on failed first attempts. A flat 'last-mile delivery, $5/drop' quote without naming the route density, the failed-delivery handling, and the peak-period commitment misses the contractor's actual cost.
QuoteGenio gives last-mile contractors a quoting shape built for platform and retailer contracts. Per-drop base rate as the first line, route density (drops per kilometre) with the implied earnings per hour, failed-delivery rebooking premium, oversize-parcel surcharge, peak-period (Black Friday, December) commitment, vehicle and fuel responsibility named, and any specialist handling (signed-for, age-restricted, refrigerated). Send via email or WhatsApp to the platform contact or fleet manager, take weekly invoicing for the route, and the same record holds the drop history and the customer-rating data the platform feeds back.
Who it is for
Who uses QuoteGenio
Built for every type of last-mile and final-leg delivery business.
The problem
The quoting headaches every last-mile operator knows
Last-mile contracts are won on rate-card clarity. Retailers and 3PLs want per-stop and per-kilometre pricing they can model against their own volume forecast.
Rate cards take days to build
Every retailer wants pricing in a different format: per stop, per parcel, per route, per route-hour. Building each rate card by hand burns days.
Spreadsheet rate cards look cheap
An Excel sheet pasted into an email loses to a competitor who sends a branded PDF rate card with clear surcharges and SLAs.
Sparse routes destroy your margin
Without drop density adjustments, a 25-stop route across one suburb gets priced the same as 25 stops across three towns. The second one bleeds you dry.
The fix
QuoteGenio fixes the rate card workflow
A structured workflow that lets you quote per-stop, per-km, and per-route with drop density adjustments, then issue branded rate cards and recurring weekly invoices.
The payoff
What you get with QuoteGenio
The everyday wins that add up across a year of quoting and invoicing.
Built for last-mile
Line items for stops, kilometres, drop density, failed delivery re-attempts, after-hours, and SLA premiums. Everything a last-mile rate card needs.
Density-adjusted pricing
Quote a per-stop rate with a density tier so dense urban routes price competitively while sparse rural routes still cover their per-km cost.
Retailer-grade rate cards
Cover page, rate table, surcharges, SLAs, and terms. Looks like the rate card a national retailer expects, not a man-with-a-van quote.
Recurring weekly invoices
Convert the accepted contract into a weekly invoice schedule. Bill stops, kilometres, and surcharges every week without rebuilding the line items.
Built for your trade
Quoting calibrated to how last-mile delivery actually work
Pick your trade in Settings and the entire quote flow switches to fit. Line item presets, compliance fields, on-the-quote calculators, and per-m² / after-hours pricing all change to match your industry.
Trade-specific line items
Quick add picker pre-fills the common items your trade quotes. Skip the blank rows.
Brand-specific catalogues
Pylontech, Hikvision, Canadian Solar, Sunsynk and others pre-named. Pick the brand, the description writes itself.
Compliance fields built in
IOPSA, ECASA, PIRB, PSIRA, NHBRC, SAQCC. Set once. Every quote prints them under FROM.
Registration expiry alerts
Dashboard notification 60 days before your PSIRA, CoC or any dated registration lapses.
Per-m² / hour / day billing
Unit selector on every line item: m², hr, linear m, days. Stop doing the maths externally.
After-hours and emergency
1.5× and 2× multipliers as a one-tap toggle. Customer sees the breakdown on the quote.
Quote-flow calculators
Solar size, battery backup, cable run cost. Compute on the spot, drop straight onto the quote.
Staged payments
Deposit on acceptance + balance on completion as two separate amounts on the quote PDF.
Scope-of-work checklist
Structured Included / Not included lists. Client acceptance = signing the scope.
Site-survey mode
Log a location per line item: camera positions, fixtures by room, sensors by zone.
Regional rate hints
Pricing ranges per item per currency shown as you quote.
Free on every plan
All of the above included on the free plan. Premium is for capacity, not the trade tooling.
Why QuoteGenio
Why Last-Mile Delivery choose QuoteGenio
The tools that matter most when you are quoting on-site, under pressure, and between jobs.
Quote from your phone
Most Last-Mile Delivery build and send quotes directly from the job site. No laptop, no office, no delays.
Win more jobs, faster
The first professional quote a client receives usually wins. Respond in minutes, not hours.
Quote to invoice in one click
When the job is accepted, convert to an invoice instantly. No retyping, no double entry.
Pricing guide
Typical Last-Mile Delivery job pricing
A rough guide to what last-mile operators charge retailers and 3PLs. Pricing varies by city, route density, parcel size, and SLA tightness. Use these ranges as a benchmark when building your own rate card, not as fixed prices.
| Job | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Daily route minimum (any density) | R1,240 - R2,479 |
| Per stop (dense urban, 8+ stops/km²) | R36 - R74 |
| Per stop (mid density, 3-7 stops/km²) | R69 - R140 |
| Per stop (sparse rural, under 3 stops/km²) | R140 - R297 |
| Per km between stops (sparse routes) | R30 - R58 |
| Failed delivery re-attempt | R99 - R297 |
| Daily route (mid-density, 60 stops) | R4,628 - R7,933 |
Pricing converted from USD to ZAR at indicative rates. Rates vary significantly by country, region, currency, and market.
Call-out fees
A minimum daily route fee covers driver and van time even when the route runs short. Most last-mile operators set a minimum of R1,240 to R2,479 per route per day so a 12-stop route on a quiet Tuesday still pays its way. Show the minimum on the rate card so the retailer understands the floor price and does not push for impossibly low per-stop rates on light days.
Hourly vs fixed pricing
Use per-stop pricing on dense urban routes where the stop count drives revenue. Use per-stop plus per-km on sparse rural routes where distance between stops dominates cost. Use a fixed daily route rate for retailers who want predictable weekly billing regardless of stop count. Most operators run all three across a portfolio of contracts.
See it in action
Example quote breakdown
Here is what a clean, itemised last-mile rate card looks like for a typical 5-day urban route contract. Notice how every cost is visible: daily base, per-stop rate, re-attempts, weekend premium, fuel, POD reporting. Retailers accept this format because they can model it against their own volume forecast and pay you accurately every week.
Try it yourself
Job size
Region
Sample quote
Last-mile contract, 5-day weekly route, mid-density urban
Daily route base (driver, van, fuel)
Stops (mid-density, 60 per day average)
Failed delivery re-attempts (estimated)
After-hours / weekend premium (Saturday)
Fuel surcharge (indexed weekly)
Proof of delivery scanning and reporting
| Description | Qty | Rate | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily route base (driver, van, fuel) | 5 | R2,396 / day | R11,982 |
| Stops (mid-density, 60 per day average) | 300 | R96 / stop | R28,757 |
| Failed delivery re-attempts (estimated) | 18 | R198 / attempt | R3,570 |
| After-hours / weekend premium (Saturday) | 1 | R1,570 | R1,570 |
| Fuel surcharge (indexed weekly) | 1 | R1,454 | R1,454 |
| Proof of delivery scanning and reporting | 5 | R297 / day | R1,487 |
| Subtotal | R48,821 | ||
| Tax (10%) | R4,882 | ||
| Total incl. tax | R53,703 | ||
Totals recalculate as you change the controls above. Tax rate inferred from the sample quote.
Items often forgotten
Failed delivery re-attempts, after-hours and weekend premiums, fuel surcharge mechanism, POD scanning and reporting, returns handling, customer-care call handling, and the SLA penalty mechanism for missed delivery windows. Add these as standing lines on your last-mile rate card template so you stop absorbing them.
Peer snapshot
How Last-Mile Delivery actually use QuoteGenio
Indicative activity for Last-Mile Delivery on the platform. Use it as a benchmark for how often to quote and how fast to respond.
23
Quotes sent per month
63%
Average quote acceptance
3 min
Median time to send quote
R53,703
Typical quote value
Figures are indicative platform averages for this trade segment.
Start quoting Last-Mile Delivery jobs like this, free
Build your first quote in under 2 minutes. No credit card, no setup fee, no contract.
Avoid these
Common quoting mistakes
We talk to a lot of last-mile operators. The same rate card mistakes come up again and again. Fix these and you protect your per-route margin, win contracts on clarity rather than the lowest blind number, and stop running sparse routes at a loss.
Mistake: Per-stop rate with no density adjustment
Better: Set tiered per-stop rates by drop density (stops per km²). Dense routes carry low per-stop rates; sparse routes carry higher per-stop plus per-km. One flat per-stop rate bleeds you dry on rural runs.
Mistake: No minimum daily route fee
Better: Set a minimum daily fee so a light day still pays driver and van. Without it the retailer will push for impossibly low per-stop rates and you eat the cost when volumes drop.
Mistake: Failed delivery re-attempts absorbed
Better: Quote a per-attempt re-delivery surcharge, billed to the retailer or end customer. Re-attempts are 10 to 20 percent of stops and absorbing them costs you a working day a week.
Mistake: Fixed fuel built into per-stop rate
Better: Quote fuel surcharge as a separate line tied to a published weekly index. Fuel built into the stop rate locks you in when diesel jumps; a published surcharge passes the increase through automatically.
Mistake: No SLA penalty cap
Better: If the retailer wants late-delivery penalties, cap them at a percentage of weekly invoice value. Uncapped SLA penalties on a single bad week can wipe out a quarter's profit.
Mistake: No after-hours and weekend premium
Better: Saturday and evening routes are 1.3x to 1.8x weekday cost. Quote the premium on every rate card so the retailer pays for the operational difficulty, not your goodwill.
Mistake: No annual rate review clause
Better: Build an annual CPI-linked review into the contract so per-stop rates rise with cost inflation. A 3-year flat rate card looks attractive at signing and ruinous by year three.
Mistake: No follow-up after sending the quote
Better: Most quotes that don't close, don't close because nobody followed up. Send a polite check-in 48 hours after the quote lands, and a second nudge at day 7. Two of every three accepted quotes get there because someone followed up.
Step by step
How to quote last-mile contracts
Before you quote a rate card, model the routes the retailer or 3PL actually runs against their volume forecast. Ask for a representative sample of seven days of drop data covering stop postcodes, parcel dimensions, and time-window requirements. Drive (or at minimum map out) a full route yourself to measure drop density in stops per km², average time-per-stop including door-to-door walk time, failed delivery rate, and the parking and access reality at residential blocks. Check whether the retailer wants signed POD, photo POD, or age verification on restricted items, because each adds genuine dispatcher overhead. Confirm the SLA window, the failure cost the retailer carries, and what proportion of the route is weekend or evening, because those inputs decide whether the contract can carry a 3-year flat rate or needs phased pricing.
Structure the rate card per stop and per km, not as a single blended rate, so sparse routes still cover their cost. Set tiered per-stop rates by drop density: dense urban at 8+ stops per km², mid suburban at 3 to 7, sparse rural below 3 with an additional per-km line between stops. Add a daily route minimum of $ 75 to $ 150 so a light day still pays driver and van. Quote failed delivery re-attempts at $ 6 to $ 18 per attempt billed to the retailer or passed through to the end customer, because re-attempts run 10 to 20 percent of residential stops and absorbing them costs a working day a week. Add an after-hours or weekend premium (1.3x to 1.8x weekday) and a fuel surcharge tied to a published weekly diesel index so price increases pass through without re-tendering.
Cap any SLA penalty mechanism at 5 to 10 percent of weekly invoice value, because uncapped penalties on a single bad weather week can wipe out a quarter's profit. State the cap on the rate card so the retailer agrees it in writing at contract signing. Build an annual CPI-linked rate review into the contract so per-stop rates rise with cost inflation; a 3-year flat rate looks attractive at signing and ruinous by year three. Agree payment terms of 14 days net against weekly invoices, because last-mile cash flow depends on short payment cycles matched to weekly fuel and payroll runs. Include explicit returns handling, customer-care call handling, and POD scanning lines so every operational task the retailer expects is priced openly on the card, not absorbed into the per-stop number.
Send the rate card as a retailer-grade branded PDF with a cover page, rate table, surcharges, SLAs, and commercial terms, not as a spreadsheet pasted into an email. Email the PDF to the procurement contact and the operations lead together and offer a 30-minute walkthrough, because last-mile contracts are usually decided in a final round where two or three operators present their numbers side by side. Once the contract is live, convert the accepted rate card into a weekly invoice schedule that bills stops, kilometres, re-attempts, weekend premium, fuel, and POD reporting every Friday for the prior week. When route density or volume shifts mid-contract, issue a variation on the same rate card format and get written acceptance before the change takes effect.
FAQ
Common questions from last-mile operators
Everything you need to know before getting started.
Yes. Each line item has its own quantity and rate. Quote 300 stops at R96 / stop on one line, and per-km between stops on the next. The total calculates automatically.
Yes. Every quote becomes a clean branded PDF with your logo, terms, and section headings. Download the PDF and attach it to your tender response, or send the public link directly to the retailer's procurement contact.
Add separate line items for each density tier (dense urban, mid suburban, sparse rural) with their own per-stop rates. Add notes explaining the density threshold so the retailer understands which rate applies to which route.
Yes. Every quote has a unique public link. The procurement contact opens it and accepts online. No signup required.
Yes. Convert the accepted rate card into a weekly invoice schedule. Bill stops, kilometres, and surcharges every week without re-entering the line items. Adjust quantities each week to reflect actual volume.
Yes. The free plan gives you 5 quotes and 2 invoices per month with no credit card required. Upgrade to Premium for unlimited quotes, invoices, statements, and reports.
Set tiered per-stop rates by stops per km². Dense urban routes (8+ stops/km²) price low per stop because the route absorbs the drive time. Sparse rural routes (under 3 stops/km²) price higher per stop plus a per-km charge between stops. State the density tiers and thresholds on the rate card so the retailer understands which routes attract which rates.
Bill by stop for dense urban contracts where the stop count drives operational cost. Bill by parcel for retailers running variable parcel sizes per stop. Bill by fixed daily route for retailers who want predictable weekly invoices regardless of volume. Most last-mile operators run a mix across their portfolio depending on the retailer's preference.
Quote a per-attempt re-delivery surcharge of R99 to R297 billed either to the retailer or passed through to the end customer. Re-attempts run 10 to 20 percent of stops in residential delivery. Without an explicit re-attempt surcharge you absorb a working day per route per week, which kills the contract margin entirely.
Accept SLA penalties for missed delivery windows but cap them at a percentage of weekly invoice value (typically 5 to 10 percent maximum). Uncapped SLA penalties on a single bad weather week can wipe out a quarter's profit. State the cap clearly on the rate card so the retailer agrees the cap in writing when they sign.
Still have questions? We would rather answer them now than after you have signed up.
Explore more
Related trades in Removals, Logistics & Storage
QuoteGenio is built for a whole family of trades. Explore other pages that might fit how you work.
Reviews
Trusted by tradespeople
Real feedback from people who quote for a living.
"Quoting per square metre used to take me forever. I have templates set up now that cover lawn, pavers, and planting separately. Cuts my admin in half."
Nathan Walsh
Landscaper · Melbourne
"I used to forget to follow up on quotes. Now I can see what has been viewed, approved, or still pending. Makes my workflow much easier."
Brandon Daniels
Installer · Paris
"Insurance companies want clear itemised quotes. Mine used to be handwritten and got rejected. Now they look proper and get approved first time."
Rashid Omar
Panel Beater · Durban
Guides
Guides for Last-Mile Delivery
Practical advice to help you quote better, get paid faster, and grow your business.
Free forever plan
Start quoting faster. Win more jobs.
Create professional quotes in minutes, send instantly, and stay on top of your work without the admin slowing you down.
Free to start. No credit card required.