Contract Research Organization Market Procurement Intelligence Report

The market for Clinical and Medical Support Services and its sub-segments such as Contract Research Organization are at an interesting intersection. New locations and vendors are emerging as cost effective suppliers of Contract Research Organization, offering an opportunity to widen the supplier base and gain further negotiation leverage with incumbent suppliers.

Companies that serve multiple markets are increasingly facing the dynamism in regulatory frameworks across countries. Coupled with increased costs across the value chain, suppliers are hard pressed to alter their business models and pricing structures to remain relevant in the market.

Buyers that have multiple locations under management are increasingly opting for a single supplier who can deliver the preferred solutions in a consistent manner across locations. Often suppliers with a physical presence across key geographies are preferred in such cases.

Trends like these and many others discussed in this report are necessitating a relook at the way Contract Research Organization is procured and the procurement cost saving opportunities that exist.

As market conditions become more dynamic and procurement practices get more sophisticated, category managers need to be cognizant of the best practices that work for their Contract Research Organization category procurement. The report offers a succinct analysis of Contract Research Organization procurement best practices.

For example, Investing in benchmarking studies help category managers enhance their knowledge about market pricing or billing rates based on job roles and functions. This allows them to not only save costs but also negotiate with suppliers. For example, while negotiating on rates of bundled services, buyers can save significantly on a single service by cross verifying the rates quoted by suppliers against industry benchmarks.

Category managers must ensure that they have clearly identified and listed down potential negotiation levers to maximize the value of their category spend before entering into contract-related discussions with service providers. Common negotiation levers to maximize value include deadlines, terms related to payments, (including fees, expenses, and payment timelines) and assistance required from the buyer's organization.

It is important for category managers to track and measure the performance of suppliers against a set of defined KPIs that are agreed upon during the contract negotiation phase. The performance of suppliers can also be linked to a portion of their fee that can be paid upon rendering of services in a satisfactory manner.

Contract Research Organization procurement managers also need to proactively identify and mitigate potential risks that can arise in the supply chain or contracts for Contract Research Organization procurement. Some examples include: