specification: FinOps Framework
specificationVersion: '1.0'
schema: https://www.finops.org/framework/
provider: Cargoson
providerId: cargoson
created: '2026-06-21'
modified: '2026-06-21'
reconciled: false
tags:
- Transport Management
- TMS
- Freight
- Shipping
- Logistics
- Carriers
- FinOps
- Cost Management
- FOCUS
description: >-
  FinOps view of Cargoson spend. Cargoson bills a flat monthly SaaS subscription
  per the selected plan (Retail, Industry, Corporation, or Custom), with no
  per-shipment fees or commissions on the Cargoson side; API access is included
  in the subscription rather than metered. Actual freight/carrier charges are
  contracted and paid directly between the customer and their carriers, outside
  Cargoson's billing. Exact tier prices are sales-led and not fully published, so
  this artifact is not reconciled.
notes: >-
  Subscription tier prices are indicative (third-party listings) and may change;
  confirm against an official Cargoson quote during reconciliation. Underlying
  carrier freight costs are not billed by Cargoson and are tracked separately.
sources:
- https://www.cargoson.com/
- https://www.cargoson.com/en/integrations
- https://focus.finops.org/focus-specification/v1-3/
alignedWith:
  framework: FinOps Foundation Framework
  frameworkUrl: https://www.finops.org/framework/
  dataSpec: FOCUS
  dataSpecVersion: '1.3'
  dataSpecUrl: https://focus.finops.org/focus-specification/v1-3/
publisherName: Cargoson
serviceCategory: Logistics and Transport Management
billingModel:
  pricingCategory: Subscription-Based
  billingFrequency: Monthly
  billingCurrency: EUR
  chargeCategories:
  - Purchase
  - Usage
  - Adjustment
focusColumns:
  ServiceName: Cargoson TMS
  ServiceCategory: Logistics and Transport Management
  ProviderName: Cargoson
  PublisherName: Cargoson
  InvoiceIssuerName: Cargoson
  BillingCurrency: EUR
  ChargeCategory: Purchase
  PricingCategory: Subscription-Based
meters:
- name: subscription_fee
  description: Flat monthly subscription fee for the selected Cargoson plan.
  unit: months
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - account
  - plan
- name: shipments_booked
  description: >-
    Count of shipments booked through Cargoson. Not billed per-shipment by
    Cargoson; tracked for allocation and unit-economics analysis.
  unit: shipments
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - account
  - carrier
- name: carrier_freight_cost
  description: >-
    Freight charges contracted directly between the customer and carriers.
    Tracked outside Cargoson's invoice; included for total cost-of-shipping
    visibility.
  unit: currency
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - account
  - carrier
principles:
- name: Visibility
  description: >-
    Track the flat Cargoson subscription alongside per-carrier freight spend to
    see total cost of shipping in one place.
- name: Allocation
  description: >-
    Tag bookings by carrier, business unit, or cost center to allocate both the
    subscription and the underlying freight costs.
- name: Optimization
  description: >-
    Use freight rate comparison (POST /freightPrices/list) to select the
    best-value carrier service per shipment, and right-size the subscription tier
    to actual volume.
- name: Accountability
  description: >-
    Assign owners per account/plan; review subscription tier fit and carrier
    spend periodically against budget.
maintainers:
- FN: Kin Lane
  email: kin@apievangelist.com