1
Evidence not PO-specific
The most common rejection. A generic BOL or company-wide document does not prove what happened on a specific order. Every piece of evidence must reference the PO number, shipment date, and relevant quantities.
Reference guide · Evidence & disputes
Deduction evidence & dispute playbook
What evidence each retailer and distributor expects, organized by deduction type. Filing deadlines, common rejection reasons, and how to build a packet that wins.
Direct answer
The evidence depends on the cause, not the dollar amount.
A $500 shortage dispute and a $50,000 shortage dispute need the same documents: a signed BOL, proof of delivery, and packing list specific to the PO. A pricing dispute needs the PO, the invoice, and the governing agreement. Filing with incomplete evidence wastes the dispute and often cannot be resubmitted.
This playbook organizes the evidence requirements by deduction type and distributor, so your team knows exactly what to gather before filing.
KeHE · Deepest coverage
KeHE evidence requirements by deduction type
KeHE requires all disputes to be filed through K-Solve within 180 days. Email submissions are no longer accepted. Evidence must be PO-specific — generic company documents are rejected.
1
Shortage disputes (IA, KC)
Qty received < qty invoiced. The most common disputable deduction type. Watch for the double-deduction pattern: if KeHE takes an IA at receiving and then a KC from a post-receipt audit on the same PO, that is a double charge with a historically high win rate.
Required evidence
Signed BOL (bill of lading)
Proves qty loaded at origin. Must match the PO and shipment, not a generic document.
Proof of delivery (POD)
DC-signed receipt confirming delivered qty. Decisive for shortages caused by DC miscounts.
Packing list / pick confirmation
Warehouse record of what was picked, packed, and staged for the carrier.
ASN (EDI 856)
Advance ship notice transmitted before delivery. Timestamps and lot detail corroborate the BOL.
UDR response (within 48 hours)
KeHE's Unit Discrepancy Report must be acknowledged within 48 hours of receiving. A missed UDR weakens any subsequent dispute.
2
Compliance & routing (FF, IBR)
Late delivery, missed appointment, no-show, or routing non-compliance. Distinguish appointment-class fees (both delivery methods) from lumping-class fees (Supplier Delivered only).
Required evidence
C3 Reservations appointment history
Shows scheduled vs actual delivery times. Proves whether a no-show or reschedule was supplier- or DC-initiated.
Carrier tracking events
Pickup scan, in-transit milestones, and delivery confirmation. Proves the shipment was on time from the supplier's side.
EDI transmission timestamps
Acknowledgement records for 855, 753, and 856. The 855 must be sent within 24 hours of the PO — the deadline suppliers most often discover after missing it.
Communication trail
Emails or portal messages showing who moved the appointment or changed delivery requirements.
3
Pricing & allowances (IA, MCB)
Invoice price vs agreed price, promotional allowance discrepancies, and MCB processing fee disputes. AAP-enrolled suppliers are exempt from the MCB 8% fee.
Required evidence
Purchase order (EDI 850)
The original PO terms — price, qty, item detail. The anchor for any pricing dispute.
Invoice (EDI 810)
What was billed. Must match the PO and delivery.
Signed deal sheet or promotion agreement
The governing agreement for promotional allowances, slotting fees, or pricing adjustments.
AAP enrollment confirmation
For MCB disputes — AAP-enrolled suppliers are exempt from the MCB 8% processing fee. Verify enrollment status before disputing.
Prior deductions under the same term
If the same allowance was already taken on a prior PO, document it to flag potential double charges.
4
Damage & spoilage (G, CS, Q)
Product damaged in transit, spoilage allowances, and date-code failures. Distinguish G (verifiable damage) from CS (fixed-rate allowance) and Q (date-code — usually valid, fix upstream).
Required evidence
Photos at handoff
Condition of product when transferred to the carrier. Timestamps and context matter.
POD notations
Any receiving notes about visible damage, temperature deviation, or short-coded product.
Temperature logs
For refrigerated and frozen: continuous temperature records from pickup through delivery.
Carrier condition report
The carrier's own record of product condition at pickup. Distinguishes supplier-side vs transit damage.
5
Late delivery (OTD penalties)
On-time delivery fell below the quarterly threshold (commonly 85%). Often disputable when the appointment was rescheduled by the distributor or the delivery was signed within the original window.
Required evidence
Appointment records (C3 Reservations)
Original booking, any reschedules, and who initiated changes.
Carrier tracking events
Proves the shipment departed on time from the supplier. Differentiates supplier delay from carrier delay.
Communication trail
Emails or calls showing DC-initiated changes, weather events, or other force-majeure circumstances.
BOL with timestamps
Pickup and delivery times that prove the shipment was within the agreed window.
For the full KeHE fee schedule and compliance rules, see the KeHE compliance guide. For all 111 KeHE deduction codes, see the prefix code reference.
UNFI
UNFI evidence requirements
UNFI disputes are filed through UNFI Direct — a separate portal with its own interface, field requirements, and submission process. The underlying evidence is the same, but the packaging differs. UNFI dispute timelines vary by deduction category and may be shorter than KeHE's 180-day window.
Coverage boundary: UNFI dispute procedures are documented here at a general level based on publicly available supplier documentation and EasyOps operational research. KeHE evidence coverage is deeper and validated against production data.
| Deduction type | Evidence needed | UNFI-specific notes |
|---|---|---|
| Shortage | BOL, POD, packing list, ASN | UNFI Direct portal submission with attachments. Format requirements and size limits differ from KeHE. |
| Compliance / routing | Appointment records, carrier tracking, EDI timestamps | Own scheduling system — different booking process, lead times, and confirmation requirements from C3 Reservations. |
| Pricing / allowances | PO, invoice, deal sheet | UNFI Direct. Different field names and submission workflow from K-Solve. |
| Damage / spoilage | Photos, POD notations, temperature logs | Same underlying evidence, packaged differently for UNFI's portal requirements. |
| Freight | Carrier records, routing compliance | Own freight and logistics fee structure. Different rate structures and billing cadence from KeHE. |
For a detailed comparison of KeHE and UNFI deduction processes, see KeHE vs. UNFI: how deduction management differs.
Why disputes fail
Common rejection reasons
Most rejected disputes fail for one of five reasons. Knowing them before filing prevents wasted effort and preserves credibility with the distributor.
2
Filed outside the dispute window
KeHE enforces a strict 180-day window through K-Solve. No exceptions. UNFI timelines vary by category but are generally shorter for some deduction types. A valid claim filed one day late is unrecoverable.
3
Missing required document
A shortage dispute without a BOL. A compliance dispute without the appointment record. A pricing dispute without the deal sheet. The packet must be complete for the deduction type, not just fast.
4
Disputing a contractual charge
In one audit, 88% of deduction dollars were contractual passthrough — charges that follow agreed terms. Disputing these wastes credibility and capacity. Classify first, then dispute.
5
Insufficient detail in the submission
A dispute that says "we disagree" without specifics. Strong disputes cite the rule, the PO, and the evidence that contradicts the charge. Weak disputes get rejected and cannot be resubmitted.
Timeline
Dispute timeline quick reference
From the day a deduction posts through the 180-day KeHE window close. Faster filing with complete evidence correlates with higher win rates.
Day 0
Deduction posts
The charge appears on your remittance or in K-Solve / UNFI Direct. Preserve the original line, amount, date, code, and reference fields.
Day 1
Classify and match to PO
Determine whether the charge is contractual passthrough or potentially disputable. Match it to the purchase order, shipment, and receiving event.
Day 2–5
Assemble evidence packet
Gather the specific documents for this deduction type and this PO. Every document must be PO-specific and date-relevant.
Day 5–10
File the dispute
Submit through K-Solve (KeHE) or UNFI Direct (UNFI) with the complete evidence packet. Confirm submission and save the reference number.
Day 10–30
Track to resolution
Standard response SLA is approximately 3 weeks for KeHE. Monitor status and follow up on unresolved disputes. An unanswered dispute is an unfinished dispute.
Day 180
KeHE window closes
After 180 days, the dispute cannot be filed. UNFI windows vary by category. Calendar deadlines for both distributors and prioritize by window proximity.
How EasyOps helps
Evidence assembled during fulfillment, not after the deduction lands.
Most teams scramble to find evidence weeks after the deduction posts. EasyOps collects BOLs, ASNs, PODs, appointment records, and communications as they happen during fulfillment — so the evidence packet already exists when the charge appears.
During fulfillment
Evidence is captured and attached to the PO in real time — carrier events, warehouse documents, EDI timestamps, and communications.
When the deduction posts
The charge is matched to its PO, classified (contractual or disputable), and the evidence packet is already built and ready.
At dispute filing
The dispute is drafted with the correct evidence for the deduction type and filed through K-Solve or UNFI Direct. No manual document hunting.
Frequently asked
What evidence does KeHE require for a shortage dispute?+
A signed BOL, proof of delivery (POD), packing list or pick confirmation, and the ASN (EDI 856). If KeHE issued a UDR (Unit Discrepancy Report), your response within 48 hours is also required. The evidence must be specific to the PO and shipment date — generic company documents are rejected. For double-deductions (IA followed by KC on the same PO), the prior IA record is the strongest evidence and carries a historically high win rate.
Can I use the same evidence for KeHE and UNFI?+
The underlying documents — BOLs, PODs, photos, carrier records — are the same regardless of distributor, because they come from your warehouse and carrier. However, each distributor has different portal requirements for how that evidence is submitted, what fields are required, and what formats are accepted. The documents are the same; the packaging differs.
What happens if I miss the dispute window?+
The deduction becomes unrecoverable. KeHE enforces a strict 180-day cutoff through K-Solve with no exceptions. UNFI timelines vary by deduction category and may be shorter. This is why dispute deadline calendaring — tracking windows across both distributors — is one of the highest-value operational improvements a CPG team can make.
Does EasyOps generate dispute letters?+
Yes. EasyOps drafts dispute submissions matched to the specific deduction type, with the evidence packet the distributor expects already attached. For KeHE, disputes file through K-Solve. For UNFI, the system prepares the dispute text and evidence for portal submission. The evidence is assembled during fulfillment — not after the deduction lands — so the packet is already built when the charge appears.
Evidence boundary: KeHE evidence requirements are verified against source documentation and production data. UNFI requirements are documented at a general level; always verify current UNFI portal instructions directly. This playbook does not constitute legal advice for any specific dispute.
Related resources