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Local delivery Capacity with a Contingency Buffer: worked example

Reserve delivery capacity for variability before promising work.

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Local delivery / delivery economics
Answer

With the illustrative inputs below, the result is 136 units.

Try this with your own numbers

Formula and worked example

Deliverable units = floor(hours × (1 − buffer) / hours per unit)

Example figures
InputExample
Available delivery hours640
Hours reserved for disruption15 %
Hours per delivery4
Calculated result136 units

Choose reliable inputs

Compare route time, vehicle cost, delivery density and collection timing. For this local delivery calculation, use completed route logs, fuel receipts and delivery records and a consistent definition of one delivery.

  • Driver hours: include the portion belonging to this delivery or reporting period, and record where the value came from.
  • Vehicle cost: include the portion belonging to this delivery or reporting period, and record where the value came from.
  • Route density: include the portion belonging to this delivery or reporting period, and record where the value came from.

Use the same currency for every money input. Do not mix weekly costs with monthly revenue, or count the same expense in both an itemised cost and allocated overhead.

Should every available hour be sold?

The reserve is your scenario assumption; it is not a universal staffing recommendation.

Compare a different assumption

What if this input changes?

If available delivery hours rises by 10%, this example changes by 13 units. This shows the effect of one change; it does not predict what will happen.

Open the calculator, save your baseline, then change the input supported by the least reliable estimate in your records. Compare both scenarios before committing to a price or capacity promise.

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