What Is the Meaning of Tendered to Delivery Service Provider?
by Jaidyn Farar
As a business owner, it’s important to understand common delivery terms so you can easily keep track of your packages and address customer questions and concerns.
One term that often trips people up? “Tendered to delivery service provider.”
In this article, we’ll explain what the phrase means and how it fits into your shipping strategy.
What does “tendered to delivery service provider” mean?
“Tendered to delivery service provider” is a shipping status that indicates that a package has been handed off to a carrier for last-mile delivery.
Let’s take a more in-depth look at how that works.
Carriers often partner with subcontractors to complete last-mile delivery. First, the original carrier transports the package part of the way to its destination using air or ground transportation. Then they hand the package off to a subcontractor, who delivers it to the customer’s doorstep.
Note: You might encounter variations such as “tendered to authorized agent for final delivery” or “tendered for delivery.” Despite slight differences in phrasing, these terms mean the same thing as “tendered to delivery service provider.”
The role of the delivery service provider
It’s common for carriers to use USPS as their final-mile subcontractor—or delivery service provider—because USPS has a large residential delivery fleet. With the resources to efficiently deliver packages to every home in the U.S., the Postal Service can quickly and affordably handle last-mile shipping, saving time and money for you and your customers.
What to expect after a package is marked “tendered for delivery”
Once a package’s status has been updated to “tendered to delivery service provider,” it usually arrives in two to seven business days.
How different carriers handle last-mile deliveries
Recently, carriers like UPS and FedEx have started moving away from last-mile partnerships with USPS, so you may see fewer “tendered for delivery” messages.*
While this change could lead to faster deliveries, it’s also likely to result in higher prices. To offset the effect of higher rates, consider using a shipping API like EasyPost to access rate discounts and automatically compare carrier pricing.
Below, we’ll take a look at the last-mile shipping strategies of FedEx, UPS, DHL eCommerce, and USPS.
*The world of logistics is always shifting, so be sure to check with your carrier for the most up-to-date news about shipping services.
FedEx
FedEx SmartPost, a contractual service known for its affordability, used to rely on partners like USPS for last-mile delivery. Now that the service has been replaced by FedEx Ground Economy, FedEx relies more on their own fleet to complete deliveries.
UPS
Like FedEx, UPS used to offer a low-cost, contract-only service that used USPS for last-mile delivery: UPS SurePost. However, as of January 2025, all SurePost deliveries are completed in-house by UPS. This means that if you ship with SurePost, you won’t be getting any “tendered for delivery” status updates.
DHL eCommerce
On their website, DHL eCommerce notes, “Through our expedited shipping process and Workshare partnership with the United States Postal Service (USPS), your business benefits from network reliability, postal expertise and multiple service levels.”
USPS
USPS has a large fleet that can deliver to nearly 167 million addresses in the U.S., so they usually handle last-mile delivery themselves.
Is the “tendered for delivery” status a bad thing?
Not necessarily. As mentioned above, “tendered for delivery” simply means that a package has been transferred from one carrier to another for the final stage of its shipping journey. At this point, your customer is just a few days away from receiving their order!
Often, packages are passed from the original carrier to a subcontractor to save money. That’s a win for everyone involved: carriers, businesses, and consumers. However, despite its money-saving benefits, this process can also have negative consequences:
- Visibility issues. Once a carrier hands packages off to a subcontractor, you might have issues with tracking. Updates could be delayed, and delivery time estimates might change. In either case, you’ll likely be contacted by confused customers.
- Communication challenges. When issues arise—such as lost packages or delivery disputes—it can be hard to determine whether the carrier or subcontractor is responsible. As a result, it might take longer to resolve claims or complaints.
The delivery process from start to finish
To better grasp what “tendered for delivery means,” it’s helpful to understand the shipping process from start to finish. We’ll run through everything it takes to move a package from your warehouse to a customer’s front door.
1. Picking and packing
When a customer places an order, warehouse workers pick each item, often assisted by technology like barcode scanners. Products are sent to packing stations, where they’re placed in appropriately-sized boxes or poly mailers.
Warehouse automation tools, including software systems and robotics, are often used to speed up picking and packing, increase accuracy, and reduce labor costs.
2. Shipping carrier and service selection
Next, your business chooses a carrier and shipping service for each package and prints the appropriate labels.
Multi-carrier shipping APIs can automate this process so you don’t have to manually compare rates and transit times. They also let you integrate with many carriers so you have lots of shipping services to choose from.
Once every package has a carrier-compliant shipping label, you drop shipments off with your chosen carrier(s) or schedule a pickup.
3. The first leg of the journey
Once the carrier has your packages, they transport them closer to their end destination via ground or air transportation. Packages will likely pass through various sortation centers, where they’re organized and routed to regions near the customer’s location.
4. Last-mile delivery transfer
If the original carrier isn’t going to complete last-mile delivery, they’ll hand the package off to a subcontractor like USPS. At this point, the package’s status is updated to “tendered for delivery.”
Since this usually happens close to a shipment’s end destination, you can expect a package marked “tendered for delivery” to arrive at the customer’s location within just a few days.
If the original carrier plans to complete last-mile delivery on their own, this step won’t happen.
5. Package delivery
The carrier (or subcontractor) delivers the package to the customer!
Find the fastest, most affordable shipping with EasyPost
When it comes to shipping carriers, you have lots of options to choose from, including national, regional, and local partners (each with their own pros and cons). But many businesses struggle to find the right carriers and services for their packages—and as a result, they leave cost-saving opportunities on the table.
EasyPost’s suite of shipping APIs helps companies save on shipping without sacrificing speed or reliability. You can connect with over 100 carriers, access discounted rates, and automatically find the best deals—without the need for time-consuming, complex integrations.