What does your round really cost?

How it works

The delivery cost calculator adds up what a pharmacy delivery round actually costs — driver time, miles, and the pharmacy time spent managing it — and converts it to a cost per drop and a cost per year. It then shows what a percentage improvement in routing efficiency is worth, which is the honest way to decide whether delivery software pays for itself.

How the calculation works

Round hours × driver hourly cost, plus miles × a per-mile vehicle cost, plus admin hours, gives the daily cost; multiplied by delivery days gives the annual figure; divided by drops gives the cost per drop. The efficiency slider reduces miles and hours by the percentage you choose and shows the saving.

Assumptions to check

• Driver hourly cost should include employer’s National Insurance and pension for an employee, or the invoiced rate for a contractor.
• Per-mile cost defaults to a figure close to HMRC’s approved mileage rate, which is a reasonable all-in proxy for a private car; a pharmacy-owned van may be higher or lower.
• Failed deliveries are the cost most pharmacies forget. Each one is a second visit and a phone call.
• The calculator does not count the value of the nominations delivery keeps, which for most pharmacies is the reason to run it at all.

How to read the result

Set the cost per drop against the margin on what is in the bag, and set the efficiency saving against the price of the software or the change you are considering. What does prescription delivery really cost works through an example, and Routly is what we built to bring the number down.

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