Situation

A manufacturer of generic and branded pharmaceutical drugs was transitioning from paper record-keeping and a legacy laboratory information management system (LIMS) they used only for sample tracking. The client also provides analyses and long-term stability testing for other pharmaceutical companies on a contract basis. The new LIMS is needed to accommodate the rapid growth that the client has experienced, support their quality operations, and position the client for long-term growth.

The client chose to work with CSols based on our known expertise in helping companies select the best LIMS product for their business. The client needed to follow a rigorous, well-defined process to ensure the selection of the most appropriate LIMS for their labs and workflows.

The client knew that CSols could facilitate the unbiased selection of the right LIMS and provide a strategic roadmap for how and when to deploy the selected LabVantage LIMS in a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-regulated industry.

Objectives and Challenges

The client’s goals were to create efficiencies and improve productivity in the contract testing and stability areas of their business. The client’s paper records had been inefficient and prevented growth. Companies without a clearly defined selection process for LIMS selection can be swayed by sales presentations, which may not give them the best fit for their business.

To achieve these objectives, there were a few hurdles to overcome as follows:

  • All presentations had to be done remotely, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and were recorded for internal review and for their out-of-scope Australia site.
  • The client had little experience with a LIMS and needed to be educated by CSols about the increased functionality of modern LIMS products.
  • The client has a large backlog so it was difficult to get the main stakeholders scheduled for certain tasks.

CSols’s Role in the Selection

The goal of this project was to lead the strategic selection process and help the client select a LIMS based on an impartial data collection method. CSols developed a request for proposal (RFP) that was sent to seven vendors. CSols reviewed each of the vendor responses to the RFP, giving each answer weighted scores so the selection could be narrowed down to four. Each of the four selected vendors was invited to present by following a scripted demonstration based on the client’s business model, and the results were scored by both CSols and the client’s SMEs.

The selection of LabVantage LIMS 6 was based on the results of the vendor demonstrations. Starting from the initial kickoff meeting, CSols consultants helped the client by setting up the project framework and developing deliverables as follows:

  • Kickoff meeting oversight
  • Staff interviews
  • RFP development and scoring
  • Demonstration script
  • Oversight and scoring of vendor demonstrations
  • Conclusion presentation describing which LIMS scored the best based upon the client’s requirements
  • Strategic roadmap development

Benefits

The rigorous and well-defined selection process proprietary to CSols allowed the client to select the most appropriate LIMS for their labs and workflows. CSols provided guidance and expertise as partners with the client throughout the process. The benefits the client received by following the proven CSols framework are as follows:

  • The client can move away from legacy and paper systems to create efficiencies and growth with the choice of their LIMS.
  • Well-defined deliverables (scripts, data presentations) were provided on time and within budget so that the client could make an educated LIMS choice.
  • The client was able to make their informed decision based on real-world expert experience feedback from the CSols consultants

Click here to download the PDF of the Strategic LIMS Vendor Selection Case Study.

Click here to check out more project case studies that CSols has worked on.

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