Business Process Overview

Nomenclature

Term	Definition
CRM	Customer Relationship Management system (Dynamics) — where opportunities are logged for tracking and reporting.
PEP	Project Execution Plan — the plan covering scope, schedule, HSEQ and resource plans for an awarded project.
PM	Project Manager — the delegated owner of a logistics / project cargo opportunity and the resulting project.
RFQ	Request for Quotation.
WMS	Westlink Management System.

Purpose

This document maps Westlink’s core business process from end to end. It covers tender receipt, opportunity risk assessment, proposal and quotation, award and contract, project establishment and execution, and project closeout. It gives every staff member one controlled description of how work enters the business. It then shows how Westlink assesses and wins that work, and how teams deliver and close it out under the Westlink Management System.

Scope

This overview applies to all Westlink business opportunities — both freight forwarding engagements and logistics / project cargo engagements. It runs from first receipt of a tender, RFQ or market opportunity through to project closeout. Their own WMS documents govern the detailed sub-processes this overview links to: supplier prequalification, payables approval, document control and risk assessment. Related Documents lists them.

Canonical Interactive Version

The canonical, interactive version of this process is the flowchart published on the Westlink intranet at /wms/process-overview (Rev 2). This document is the controlled text representation of that flowchart. If this document and the interactive flowchart ever differ, the flowchart prevails and this document must be updated.

Definitions

Terms and acronyms used in this document are defined in the Nomenclature table at the front of this document.

Roles and Responsibilities

The process map assigns steps to three delivery lanes. The Freight team runs freight forwarding execution. The Projects team owns each logistics / project cargo opportunity through a delegated Project Manager. Finance establishes the awarded project in the financial systems. Senior management exercises the cross-lane decision gates, and the client determines the award outcome. The table below maps each phase to the accountable role.

Role	Responsibility	When / Phase
Senior management	Decide the engagement-type triage and the Go / No-Go outcome. Review and sign off critical or high-value bids before submission. Approve proceeding at the project closeout gate.	Triage, Go / No-Go, pre-submission review, closeout gate.
Project Manager (Projects team)	Own the logistics / project cargo opportunity. Run the risk assessment, proposal development, clarifications and supplier selection. Develop the Project Execution Plan and drive execution through to closeout.	From the Go decision through closeout.
Freight team	Execute freight forwarding engagements under the operational freight procedures.	Freight forwarding engagements.
Finance	Establish the awarded project under a unique Westlink Project Number in Xero / Dynamics. Pay supplier invoices under the payables approval process (GOV-PRO-004).	Award and establishment; ongoing through delivery.
Suppliers and sub-contractors	Complete prequalification (GOV-PRO-003), quote against issued work packs, and deliver the contracted scope.	Proposal and execution phases.
Client	Issue the tender or RFQ, resolve clarifications and determine the award outcome.	Tender, clarification and award.

Process Steps

Opportunity Receipt and Triage

• Receive Tender Invitation — an incoming tender or RFQ is received from a client, or a market opportunity is identified.

• Decision: Freight Forwarding or Logistics? — determine whether the opportunity is a freight forwarding job or a logistics / project cargo engagement.

• Freight Forwarding — pass to the Freight team, which executes the standard freight forwarding process. The process ends for this overview; freight execution is governed by the operational freight procedures.

• Logistics — pass to the PM team and delegate an owner / Project Manager; continue with the steps below.

Opportunity Assessment (Go / No-Go)

• Create Opportunity in CRM — log the opportunity in Dynamics CRM for tracking and reporting.

• Opportunity Risk Assessment — assess the commercial, technical and HSEQ risks associated with the opportunity (see QHSE-PRO-001).

• Decision: Go / No-Go? — senior management decides whether to pursue the opportunity based on the risk assessment and strategic fit.

• No-Go — notify the client of the decline. The process ends.

• Go — proceed to proposal development.

Proposal Development

• Collate Customer Documents — gather all tender documents, specifications and requirements.

• Initiate Clarifications — submit technical and commercial queries to the client.

• Assign Roles and Responsibilities.

• Identify Suppliers — select potential suppliers and subcontractors for the work scope. Suppliers are prequalified under the supplier prequalification process (GOV-PRO-003).

• Issue Work Packs to Suppliers.

• Communicate Interfaces — coordinate between project stakeholders and supplier interfaces.

• Determine Submission Format.

• Collate Supplier Quotes.

• Develop Cost Matrix — build the detailed cost model from supplier quotes and internal costs.

• Finalise Clarifications.

• Draft Proposal / Quotation — prepare the formal proposal or quotation for client submission.

Submission and Award

• Decision: Senior Management Review Required? — critical or high-value bids need senior management sign-off before submission. Submit the proposal directly when it needs no review, or after senior management completes the review.

• Submit Proposal.

• Decision: Awarded? — the client decides on the submitted proposal.

• Not Ready — requote / revise the proposal and return to the Draft Proposal / Quotation step.

• Unsuccessful — request client feedback on the unsuccessful bid for continuous improvement. The process ends.

• Awarded — proceed to contract and project establishment.

Contract and Project Establishment

• Receive Draft Contract / Purchase Order.

• Review and Negotiate Terms — legal and commercial review of the contract terms.

• Establish Project in Xero / Dynamics — Finance establishes the project under a unique Westlink Project Number, with project codes, budgets and financial tracking. The Project Number identifies the project’s outputs throughout delivery.

• Develop Project Execution Plan — prepare the comprehensive PEP covering scope, schedule, HSEQ and resource plans, as a controlled document (see GOV-PRO-002).

• Issue Final Supplier Work Packs.

• Collate Final Quotes.

• Issue Supplier Contracts / Purchase Orders — formally engage suppliers and issue purchase orders. Finance pays supplier invoices from these orders under the payables approval process (GOV-PRO-004).

Execution and Closeout

• Execute Project — full project execution per the Project Execution Plan (see GOV-PRO-002).

• Obtain Customer Feedback — collect client satisfaction and performance feedback.

• Conduct Lessons Learned — post-project review to capture improvements for future projects (see QHSE-PRO-001).

• Project Closeout (HSEQ, Technical, Commercial) — close out all HSEQ, technical and commercial aspects of the project. Closeout verifies that the team has completed the planned arrangements before it closes the project. The process ends.