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FOB origin vs FOB destination on a DLA solicitation
FOB destination: you pay the freight to the depot named in the solicitation and own the goods until they are accepted there, so your unit price includes shipping. FOB origin: the government takes title at your dock and pays its own carrier, so your price excludes freight. The three letters change what your number has to cover, and under FOB destination the seller nearest the receiving point lands the same price cheapest.
FOB destination
100%
of open solicitations that state terms (12,767)
FOB origin
0%
(1)
Inspection at origin
2,694
open solicitations · 9,828 at destination
Ship-to stated
72%
of 14,083 open · as of 2026-09-29
What each one does to your price
Under FOB destination quote the part plus the freight to the named depot, packaged to the standard in the solicitation (usually MIL-STD-2073 for DLA stock buys). A rejected shipment comes back at your cost. Two sellers with the same part price are separated by distance: RFQs near me lists open solicitations closest to you first for that reason.
Under FOB origin quote the part and the packaging only. Delivery is complete when the government's carrier picks up; from then on loss in transit is the government's. Most FOB origin buys also carry inspection at origin, so plan for the visit in your lead time.
Inspection is a separate term from FOB and the two combine four ways. The common pairs are FOB destination with inspection at destination (small stock buys) and FOB origin with inspection at origin (larger or critical items). Each solicitation page on PartsAndPlanes states both, read from the solicitation text, beside the gates a seller must clear.
Where open solicitations ship today
Receiving points named most often across open DLA solicitations. Under FOB destination these are the addresses your freight quote is to.
| Receiving point | City | Open solicitations |
|---|---|---|
| Dla Distribution Ddsp New Cumberland Facility | New Cumberland, PA | 3,388 |
| Dla Dist San Joaquin | Tracy, CA | 1,281 |
| Dla Distribution Depot Oklahoma | Tinker Afb, OK | 535 |
| Dla Distribution Warner Robins | Robins A F B, GA | 366 |
| Dla Distribution Depot Hill | Hill Afb, UT | 352 |
| Dla Distribution San Diego | San Diego, CA | 351 |
| Dla Distribution Cherry Point Phantom | Cherry Point, NC | 268 |
| Dla Distribution Jacksonville | Jacksonville, FL | 171 |
Questions
- What does FOB destination mean on a DLA solicitation?
- The seller delivers to the receiving point named in the solicitation, pays the freight, and keeps title and risk until the government accepts the goods there. Your unit price must include shipping to that depot.
- What does FOB origin mean?
- Title and risk pass to the government at your dock. The government arranges and pays the carrier; you package to the standard the solicitation calls for and hand the shipment to the government's carrier. Your price excludes freight.
- Why does the ship-to address matter under FOB destination?
- Because you pay the freight, the seller closest to the receiving point has the lowest landed cost for the same unit price. 10,088 of 14,083 open DLA solicitations state a ship-to address today; PartsAndPlanes shows the distance from your ZIP on each one.
- What is the difference between inspection at origin and at destination?
- Inspection at origin means a government representative inspects at your plant before shipment (and can reject there); at destination the receiving depot inspects on arrival. Origin inspection adds lead time and a visit; destination inspection puts the risk of a rejected shipment, and the freight back, on you.
Related: AMSC codes · a first quote · condition codes. Data, not advice.