Quick snapshot, so we start from the same place

• Tell me briefly about the sites you want covered in this program, number of tanks and the primary fuel grades at each site.
• On average, how many gallons per month do each of those sites consume? Options: Under 1,000 gal, 1,000–5,000 gal, 5,001–15,000 gal, 15,001–50,000 gal, Over 50,000 gal
• Please list the top three sites by volume with a rough monthly gallon number for each and the grade that matters most at that site.
• How are deliveries scheduled today for each site, scheduled route, on-demand call, or a hybrid? Options: Scheduled route, On-demand calls, Hybrid (both), Ad hoc spot buys only
• When was the last time any of these sites experienced a runout or emergency spot purchase? Tell the story and the downstream impact.
• Select which delivery telemetry or tank monitoring approaches you already have at site level, and note the vendor category if known. Options: No telemetry, Basic float gauges only, Cellular tank sensors, Integrated SCADA or BMS feed, Manual visual checks

Where deliveries break down and why it matters

• If a missed delivery puts you on the spot, what single operational failure most often caused it?
• Walk me through the last delivery failure you had, including who discovered it, the immediate fixes you used, and the net cost of that emergency buy.
• How often do runouts or emergency purchases occur across your sites in a typical 12 month period? Options: None, 1–3 times, 4–8 times, 9–15 times, More than 15 times
• Which links in the supply chain fail most often for you, terminal allocation, dispatch visibility, truck availability, invoicing errors, or site access problems? Options: Terminal allocation, Dispatch visibility, Truck availability, Invoicing errors, Site access/permits, Other
• What single issue, if unresolved, would make you stop a proof of concept or pilot immediately?

Who notices first, who acts, and what that means for you

• Who finds out first when a tank is low at a site, and what are the first three things that person does?
• Which roles on your team approve emergency spot buys and what spend threshold triggers escalation to procurement or finance? Options: Site manager only under $500, Operations manager under $2,000, Procurement approval required, Finance committee for any emergency buy, Other
• How many people in operations are authorized to speak with drivers or dispatch during a delivery issue? Options: 1, 2–3, 4–6, More than 6
• Describe the role of finance or procurement in approving new supplier terms and the typical review timeline from request to decision. Options: Same day, 3–7 business days, 7–21 business days, Longer than 21 days
• If responsibility for on-time delivery were unclear across your teams, would that alone block a pilot from starting? Options: Yes, it would block, No, we would clarify during onboarding, Unsure

The price and margin picture that makes a change worthwhile

• What delivered price gap versus your current supplier would make switching worth it for you right now, expressed in cents per gallon? Options: 1–2¢, 3–4¢, 5–7¢, 8¢ or more, Price not primary driver
• Choose how you currently benchmark delivered cost, rack-plus, invoice average, blended historical cost, or another method. Options: Rack-plus, Invoice averaged, Blended historical, Spot market comparisons, We do not benchmark regularly
• Provide your current average delivered price per gallon for the top two grades at a representative site.
• How often do unexpected or disputed charges appear on your fuel invoices and which categories do they tend to fall into? Options: Rarely, Quarterly, Monthly, Weekly
• If we can demonstrate a consistent 3 cents per gallon improvement net of fees, what internal approval would be required to finalize a contract and who holds that authority?

The other options on the table, and why they might keep you where you are

• Name the alternatives you are actively evaluating besides an outside wholesale distributor.
• Mark any of these that describe your incumbent setup today. Options: Single-source local distributor, Major branded supply program, In-house terminal and trucking, Multiple spot suppliers, Contract carrier arrangement, Other
• What would have to be true about your current supplier for you to stay with them rather than switching? Be specific about price, reliability, or contractual terms.
• Has anyone inside your organization proposed solving continuity internally, for example by leasing trucks or expanding terminal storage? If yes, who proposed it and what is the timeline? Options: Yes, in planning, Yes, budget approved, No internal proposal, Unsure
• If every alternative stayed in place, what single change would still make you switch to a new supplier?

Operational readiness, hard constraints, and integrations

• Name the site-level fact, if missing, that would block us from making scheduled deliveries to that location.
• Do your sites have tank monitoring sensors installed, and if so which category best describes those systems? Options: No sensors, Basic float/manual checks, Cellular tank sensors, Internet-connected flow meters, SCADA/BMS integration
• How many sites require special access, permits, or vendor insurance certificates before a driver can deliver? Options: None, 1–2 sites, 3–10 sites, More than 10 sites
• Who owns the API or data feed for any telemetry you have and can your team provide integration contacts? Options: Internal IT owns it, Operations owns it, Third-party vendor, No API available
• If we cannot integrate telemetry for a key site within 30 days, would you pause a pilot, accept manual reporting, or require integration before starting? Options: Pause pilot, Accept manual reporting temporarily, Require integration first, Unsure

Trial success: the numbers that will make this a win

• If the trial runs 90 days, what single KPI would make you sign a long-term agreement the week after it ends?
• Choose any of these KPIs you track today and can share for baseline measurement. Options: On-time delivery percentage, Runouts per site, Average delivered price per gallon, Emergency purchases count, Safety incidents, Fuel quality failures
• What target values would you expect for on-time percentage, runouts per month, and delivered price improvement during the pilot?
• Describe your acceptance process for trial deliveries, including who signs off, which tests are required, and the typical timeline for final acceptance.
• If the trial meets the agreed KPIs but procurement cannot sign within 30 days, would an interim operational agreement be acceptable to you? Options: Yes, acceptable, No, we need contract first, Maybe, with conditions

Decision path, timing, and deal breakers

• If the pilot proves the numbers, what stops you from signing that week?
• List the decision makers and final signers and identify the fastest path to get their approval.
• Choose the earliest realistic timeline to move from pilot completion to a signed agreement. Options: Immediately after pilot, Within 30 days, 30–60 days, 60–90 days, Longer than 90 days
• Are there any legal, compliance, or insurance approvals that must be completed before the first delivery and who holds those approvals? Options: Standard insurance only, Site-specific permits required, Third-party vendor approvals, Regulatory inspection needed, None
• What single contractual term or billing condition would kill the deal for you?
• Would you like us to prepare a site-by-site readiness checklist and a draft pilot statement of work for your review? Options: Yes, please prepare both, Maybe, send a template first, No, not needed

• Service & Pricing Plan Workshop

• Confirm the current state and cost
• Customer confirms the location-level delivered-price outputs match their expectations and benchmark comparisons.
• Provide validated site addresses, top fuel grades, and 90-day delivered-volume history for each location.
• Customer validates that the proposed redundancy and SLA scenarios materially reduce runout risk to an acceptable level for the trial.
• Apply your locations and volumes to rack-plus pricing
• Deliver a location-level delivered price summary and SLA comparison using the provided volumes and the selected SLA tier within three business days.
• Model delivery redundancy and SLA scenarios
• Provide any recent delivery exception reports or runout incident logs for the past 90 days.
• Agreement on trial KPIs and the evidence needed to decide on expansion after the trial.
• Sensitivity to market moves and scheduling options
• Confirm the list of trial KPI owners and the primary operational contact for each site.
• Define trial KPIs and acceptance criteria
• Validation checkpoint
• Confirm next steps and immediate commitments

• Service & Pricing Plan Workshop
• Service & Pricing Plan Deck
• Service & Pricing Plan Brief

• meeting
• slides
• document

• Terminal Rack Fuel Access Enrollment
• Scheduled Tanker Delivery Service
• On-Demand Emergency Fuel Delivery
• Emergency Spot Market Fuel Sourcing
• Renewable Fuel Blend Delivery
• Delivered Pricing and Rack-Plus Invoicing
• Credit Terms and Account Setup
• Remote Tank Gauging Installation
• Fuel Quality Sampling and Documentation
• Contaminated Fuel Recovery and Replacement
• Allocation and Volume Swap Management
• Priority Routing During Supply Disruptions
• Dedicated Local Account Dispatch Support

Terminal Rack Fuel Access Enrollment

• Which terminal(s) do you expect deliveries to be sourced from (name or nearest terminal and city)?
• How many site locations will be enrolled to rack access under this agreement? Options: 1, 2-5, 6-20, 21+
• List the fuel grades at each enrolled site (e.g., Gasoline 87, Gasoline 89, Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel (ULSD), Heating Oil No.2, B20) and indicate gallons per grade per month.
• Provide any existing terminal account or access restrictions we should be aware of (e.g., pre-paid terminal account, allocation limits, terminal cut-off times).
• Specify whether you require allocated product (reservation) versus open rack access at the terminal and any preference for specific rack desks. Options: Allocated reservation required, Open rack access acceptable, Either, prefer allocated when available

Scheduled Tanker Delivery Service

• Which sites should be placed on scheduled tanker routes and which should remain ad-hoc? Options: All enrolled sites on schedule, Subset of sites on schedule, No sites on schedule (all ad-hoc)
• How many deliveries per site per month do you expect based on current consumption and tank sizes (estimate gallons per delivery)? Options: 1, 2-4, 5-10, 10+
• Specify preferred delivery windows for each site (weekday daytime, weekday overnight, weekend) and any no-delivery periods (e.g., peak retail hours). Options: Weekday daytime, Weekday overnight, Weekend, Strict no-delivery windows
• Confirm the minimum fill thresholds you require for scheduled runs at each site (e.g., minimum percentage of tank or minimum gallons). Options: Fill to X% threshold (specify), Minimum gallons per stop (specify), No minimum, driver discretion
• What acceptance criteria will validate scheduled delivery performance during the trial (define measurable thresholds such as on-time percentage and maximum runouts per 90-day trial)?

On-Demand Emergency Fuel Delivery

• Who is the authorized contact at each site to request on-demand emergency deliveries and what are their preferred contact methods (phone, SMS, email)?
• Are on-demand emergency deliveries expected to be dispatched within a target window (e.g., within 4 hours, within 24 hours)? Options: Within 2 hours, Within 4 hours, Within 8 hours, Within 24 hours
• Identify any site access constraints for emergency deliveries (restricted hours, gate codes, security escorts, loading dock restrictions).
• Describe acceptable delivery quantities for emergency calls (minimum gallons per truck and any maximum single-delivery limits per site).
• Specify required documentation on emergency delivery arrival (e.g., driver ID, delivery ticket, copy of chain-of-custody fuel sample). Options: Driver ID and ticket, Ticket plus sample documentation, Electronic proof of delivery (E-POD) required

Emergency Spot Market Fuel Sourcing

• Which fuel grades should be eligible for emergency spot market sourcing when contracted supply is unavailable? Options: Gasoline 87, Gasoline 89, Gasoline 93, ULSD Diesel, Heating Oil No.2, Biodiesel blends
• How do you want spot market pricing treated on invoices (pass-through at cost, pass-through plus fixed margin, capped markup)? Options: Pass-through at cost, Pass-through plus fixed margin, Capped markup (specify cap)
• Provide any regulatory or contract constraints on sourcing from third-party terminals (e.g., biofuel content limits, documentation requirements).
• Specify whether you require pre-approval thresholds for spot purchases above a per-gallon or per-order dollar amount. Options: Pre-approval above $0.05/gal over contracted price, Pre-approval above $0.10/gal, No pre-approval required
• Identify reporting frequency and format you expect for spot market buys (daily exception report, weekly summary, monthly reconciliation). Options: Daily exception report, Weekly summary, Monthly reconciliation, On-demand export

Renewable Fuel Blend Delivery

• Which renewable blends do you require at which sites (e.g., B5, B20 biodiesel blends, renewable diesel (R99) blends)? Options: B5, B20, Renewable diesel (R99), Other
• How should renewable fuel percentages be documented on delivery tickets and invoices for compliance audits? Options: Percentage by volume on ticket, Batch certificate attached, Both ticket and certificate
• Specify any supplier sustainability or certification requirements (e.g., Renewable Identification Number (RIN) handling, sustainability certificates).
• Identify tolerance limits for blend variability on delivery (e.g., +/- 1% absolute blend), or accept lab-confirmed variance. Options: +/- 0.5%, +/- 1%, Lab-confirmed variance acceptable
• State whether you require separate tanking and labeling procedures at site to segregate renewable blends from conventional fuel. Options: Separate tanks required, Same tanks acceptable with labeling, Depends on site constraints

Delivered Pricing and Rack-Plus Invoicing

• Which pricing model do you prefer to evaluate: fixed rack-plus margin, variable rack-plus margin, or blended delivered price comparison? Options: Fixed rack-plus margin, Variable rack-plus margin, Blended delivered price comparison
• How do you want terminal fees, access fees, and transport premiums displayed on invoices (line-item detail, bundled, or summary)? Options: Line-item detail, Bundled, Summary with drilldown
• Provide your current benchmark for acceptable delivered price variance versus your incumbent or rack (e.g., must be at least $0.03/gal savings or within $0.02/gal of rack).
• What acceptance criteria will confirm pricing meets your requirements during the trial (define threshold such as average delivered price per top grade must be X cents below incumbent over 90 days)?
• Select preferred invoice delivery and reconciliation method (PDF emailed, electronic invoice data feed, portal access). Options: PDF emailed, Electronic invoice data feed (CSV/XML), Portal access only

Credit Terms and Account Setup

• Who is the primary accounts payable contact for billing setup and weekly reconciliation (name, email, phone)?
• Which credit terms do you seek (net 30, net 45, prepay, letter of credit), and do you have existing trade references? Options: Net 30, Net 45, Prepay, Letter of credit
• Provide required billing details for invoicing (billing address, tax ID, purchase order requirements).
• Specify whether automated billing integration is required with your accounting system and name that system (e.g., ERP or accounting package).
• Indicate whether you require credit limit escalation procedures for high-volume weeks or emergency purchases. Options: Yes, escalation required, No, standard credit limit only, Prefer temporary pre-approval process

Remote Tank Gauging Installation

• Which sites currently have remote tank gauging (RTG) sensors installed and which sites will need new installations? Options: All sites have RTG, Some sites need RTG installation, No sites have RTG
• How many tanks per site require RTG installation and what are the tank types (aboveground storage tank (AST), underground storage tank (UST), capacity in gallons)?
• Specify preferred telemetry integration method for RTG (cellular modem, Wi-Fi, wired ethernet) and any corporate firewall constraints. Options: Cellular, Wi-Fi, Wired ethernet, Other
• Identify any site safety or permitting constraints for sensor installation (confined space entry, hot work permit, required local contractor).
• Select the level of monitoring alerts you require from RTG (low fuel alert thresholds, runout alarm, weekly summary). Options: Low fuel alert, Runout alarm, Weekly summary, Custom thresholds

Fuel Quality Sampling and Documentation

• Identify which fuel grades require routine sampling on delivery and the required frequency (per delivery, daily batch, weekly composite). Options: Per delivery, Daily batch, Weekly composite, On exception only
• Specify accepted fuel quality standards for each grade (e.g., ASTM D975 for diesel, custom limits for water and sediment) and acceptable tolerances.
• Describe your chain-of-custody documentation requirements for fuel samples, including labeling, custody log, and lab certification expectations.
• What acceptance criteria will validate fuel quality during the trial (for example: lab results within spec for density, sulfur, and water content; zero contamination events per 90 days)?
• Select how you prefer sample results communicated and stored (PDF lab certificates, portal upload, integrated data feed). Options: PDF lab certificate, Portal upload, Integrated data feed

Contaminated Fuel Recovery and Replacement

• Describe the process you expect for contaminated fuel incidents (containment, tank isolation, on-site assessment).
• How quickly must contaminated fuel be removed and replaced at a site after confirmation (e.g., within 24 hours, 72 hours)? Options: Within 24 hours, Within 48 hours, Within 72 hours
• Identify any environmental or local reporting requirements we must follow for contaminated fuel recovery at your sites.
• Specify whether you require third-party lab validation for contamination before initiating recovery and replacement. Options: Third-party lab required, In-house lab acceptable, Either, case-by-case
• State who will be responsible for on-site safety oversight during recovery (your site lead, our technician, third-party contractor). Options: Your site lead, Our technician, Third-party contractor

Allocation and Volume Swap Management

• Which of your contracted volumes are subject to terminal allocation risk and at which terminals?
• How should volume shortfalls be handled: pro-rata allocation across sites, priority to certain sites, or substitute sourcing from alternate terminals? Options: Pro-rata, Priority sites first, Substitute from alternates
• Identify sites that should be eligible for volume swaps and any lead time required to execute a swap.
• Specify required notification cadence and format when allocations are expected (immediate alert, same-day summary, formal allocation notice). Options: Immediate alert, Same-day summary, Formal allocation notice
• Indicate whether you require a documented swap log showing source terminal, volumes swapped, and price adjustments for audit purposes. Options: Yes, documented swap log, No, ad-hoc communication acceptable

Priority Routing During Supply Disruptions

• Which sites should receive priority routing during terminal outages or high-demand events (list priority order and rationale)?
• How should priority be enforced operationally (reserved truck windows, guaranteed tanker allocation, emergency dispatch priority)? Options: Reserved truck windows, Guaranteed tanker allocation, Emergency dispatch priority
• Specify any hard constraints that prevent routing flexibility (weight limits, bridge restrictions, narrow site access).
• Identify acceptable substitute solutions if priority routing is insufficient (temporary on-site storage, mobile fueling, third-party carrier). Options: Temporary storage, Mobile fueling, Third-party carrier, Other
• Indicate required advance notice for activating priority routing protocols (immediate, 2 hours, 24 hours). Options: Immediate, 2 hours, 24 hours

• Master Supply Agreement
• Trial Order Confirmation
• Service Level Agreement (SLA)
• Credit & Billing Terms
• Supply Order Confirmation (per-delivery)
• Operational Responsibilities & Delivery Protocols
• Fuel Quality & Regulatory Compliance Addendum
• Insurance & Indemnity Schedule
• Change Order & Volume Adjustment Procedure
• Acceptance & Trial Exit Criteria

• Go-live Health Check
• First Measurement Review
• Acceptance Gate, Trial Outcome Review
• Quarterly Operations Review

• Confirm and refresh emergency contacts and site access notes for each location before the next quarter.
• Confirm and publish the authoritative data feeds that will be used for the acceptance gate review.
• Restate acceptance criteria and numeric targets
• Produce a documented pass or fail for each acceptance criterion recorded in Solution Scope.
• Record the formal acceptance decision, including the named signatory for managed deals or the buyer owner decision for self-serve deals.
• Confirm incumbent wind-down status and list any outstanding decommission tasks with deadlines.
• Publish the acceptance record with pass/fail outcomes and the documented buyer decision or named signatory.
• Execute the incumbent decommission checklist, including archival of legacy delivery records and disabling legacy ordering endpoints if applicable.
• Track and close any remediation items required for conditional acceptance by the agreed resolution dates.
• Roll-up of quarterly metrics
• Validate that delivered price per gallon versus benchmark and runout incidents per location remain within acceptable ranges.
• Close or reassign any outstanding operational action items and confirm resolution dates.
• Update delivery schedules or routing to address any locations with repeated runouts and document expected effect on on-time percentage.
• Publish the quarterly operations dashboard with the four core metrics and distribute to named operational owners.
• Re-confirm trial scope and owners
• All parties confirm the deployment baseline is complete and the named owners for each site are recorded.
• Top 3 operational blockers identified with remediation tasks and target resolution dates.
• Publish deployment incident log and list of named owners for each site.
• Resolve highest-priority blocker and verify resolution within the agreed short timeline.
• Confirm tank-monitoring integration health and report sensor uptime percentage for each pilot site.
• Present first 30- to 60-day performance data
• Determine whether delivered price per gallon and on-time delivery percentage are trending toward the Solution Scope targets.
• Assign corrective actions for each identified gap with completion dates before the acceptance gate.
• Produce a reconciled delivered-price report by location and delivery grade to validate benchmarking inputs.
• Update routing or scheduling parameters to address sources of late deliveries and confirm expected improvement timeline.
• Deployment and delivery validation
• Persistent issue review and action-item burn-down
• Present outcome data against each acceptance criterion
• Root-cause diagnosis for any KPI gaps
• Operational risk and supply continuity check
• Early adoption and usage signals
• Document pass/fail decision and acceptance record
• Agree corrective actions and owners
• Incumbent decommission and fallback closure
• Administrative housekeeping and next-quarter monitoring plan
• Confirm data sources and reporting cadence
• Open issues and blockers
• Agree next immediate remediation actions
• Agree remediation items and resolution timeline