Contractual blind spots: how one manufacturer got back millions in export freight errors

• Industry: Fortune 100 Global Manufacturer

• Annual Audited Freight Spend: Approximately $250 million

• Shipping Profile: Global, multimodal (air, ocean, and ground transportation)

• Payment System: Third-party provider with limited access to invoice-level data

Managing freight activity across multiple continents and transportation modes was a constant balancing act. Their reliance on a third-party payment provider—without full access to underlying documentation—meant they had minimal visibility into whether invoice charges truly aligned with contract terms.

This manufacturer sought to:

• Ensure international freight charges matched negotiated rates.

• Uncover any discrepancies in forwarder billing for import vs. export shipments.

• Protect against contractual misinterpretations that might lead to repeated overcharges.

ConData’s audit team immediately recognized the complexity of the shipping structure and the need to go beyond surface-level invoice checks. We conducted a deep dive into the forwarder billing records, mapping contract terms against specific invoice charges and shipment routes.

By identifying this discrepancy, ConData was able to:

• Detect a pattern where the freight forwarder billed import rates on export shipments, significantly inflating costs.

• Uncover that invoices were billed at more than four times the contracted rate, despite clear terms for both import and export pricing.

• Confirm that the forwarder’s justification—based on shipping schedule and volume changes—did not align with the actual contract, disqualifying their claims.

• $1.7 million in overpayments were recovered and validated by the client’s internal teams.

• Auditing controls were updated to flag routespecific invoice anomalies going forward.

• ConData’s findings enabled stronger oversight of the forwarder relationship and served as the basis for improved internal controls in global freight billing.

This case highlights the real cost of limited freight visibility and how even trusted partners can apply billing logic that drifts from contract terms.

ConData’s expertise in international freight contracts, coupled with our forensic audit approach, allowed us to uncover billing misapplications that might have continued indefinitely. The client not only recouped $1.7 million in overcharges but gained renewed confidence in their audit strategy and vendor accountability.

When it comes to contract compliance and global freight oversight, ConData doesn’t just review invoices—we reveal what’s really happening beneath them.