As CJ Logistics expands its nationwide warehousing and transportation network, the company’s procurement team is tasked with supporting dozens of sites, each with its own set of indirect service needs. Many of these categories are complex, unfamiliar or highly specialized, making fast, reliable category intelligence essential.
ProcurementIQ has become a key driver of the team’s growth, efficiency and strategic capability. By giving CJ Logistics immediate access to trusted cost data, supplier insights and ready-to-use sourcing tools, the platform helps a small team deliver far greater impact across the organization.
Gaining clarity in unfamiliar categories
With new service categories appearing often, ProcurementIQ helps the team build instant understanding—even in areas far outside typical manufacturing procurement experience. Category reports give the team clear, structured information on scope, service considerations, pricing dynamics and industry norms.
This has been particularly valuable as CJ Logistics supports a wide range of facilities and equipment needs across its national footprint. Rather than starting from scratch, the team can quickly get grounded and make informed decisions from day one.
Seeing the full cost picture
ProcurementIQ’s cost breakdowns and labor data allow the team to understand exactly what drives pricing in each category. This is especially important for CJ Logistics, where labor rates can vary significantly from state to state.
By understanding the elements behind supplier quotes, the team enters negotiations with confidence, backed by independent and consistent data. ProcurementIQ helps the team evaluate proposals based not just on the price presented, but on the underlying cost structures that shape that price.
Finding the right suppliers faster
For categories that are new to the team, identifying credible suppliers can take as long as evaluating the work itself. ProcurementIQ shortens this process by surfacing key players and market leaders directly within each category.
This has allowed CJ Logistics to move from exploration to action far more quickly:
“We went to the category and went to that tab and was able to find some of those key players, and we were able to actually get one of them under contract.” – Chad Phipps, Director of Procurement
With supplier discovery streamlined, the procurement team can shift its time toward evaluation and execution rather than manual research.
Accelerating RFP development across the business
ProcurementIQ has also become an essential tool for scaling the procurement function itself. With team members newer to formal procurement, having ready-to-use RFP and RFQ templates has dramatically improved efficiency and consistency.
Before using ProcurementIQ, developing a single RFP could take weeks. Now, the team can produce high-quality sourcing documents in a fraction of the time:
“The biggest benefit that I’ve seen so far is the time savings that we’re going to have in putting RFPs together, RFQs together, to really get out and do more.” – Chad Phipps, Director of Procurement
This frees capacity for more events, more categories and more strategic support across CJ Logistics’ network of sites.
Strengthening supplier conversations
ProcurementIQ doesn’t just support the team behind the scenes—it also improves the quality of supplier discussions. With structured insights into category expectations and cost drivers, the team can ask smarter questions and uncover details that matter to both sides.
“It’s prompted me with some questions and things that I may not have known about to ask… things that maybe aren’t important to me but are important to them.” – Chad Phipps, Director of Procurement
This leads to clearer alignment, stronger relationships and better outcomes for CJ Logistics and its vendors.
