Choosing the Right Biotech Procurement Solution: 7 Questions to Ask

1. Does it support both scientific and operational buyers?

Procurement touches many stakeholders. Scientists need an intuitive interface to find the right products quickly. Procurement teams need budget control, traceability, and reporting. Your software should be able to handle it all.

Look for platforms that combine consumer-like search experiences with enterprise-grade procurement tools. This dual focus ensures that day-to-day users aren’t bypassing systems (hello, long tail spend) and that finance teams get the oversight they need.

Learn more about how life sciences procurement differs from traditional procurement.

2. Can it handle both marketplace and non-marketplace purchases?

A system that only works for certain vendors or SKUs leaves teams juggling side spreadsheets and rogue orders. Choose a solution that lets you manage all purchasing workflows from marketplace to punchout to direct vendor orders in one place.

This level of procurement centralization gives leaders a full picture of spend and dramatically reduces errors and bottlenecks.

3. How does it integrate with your ERP or P2P system?

According to McKinsey’s research on biopharma R&D performance, “legacy systems and disconnected data flows are key barriers holding back R&D performance.” Your systems and data flows shouldn't force you to sacrifice compliance or duplicate data entry. Ensure the software offers robust, configurable integrations with systems like SAP, Oracle, Coupa, or NetSuite.

Ask vendors whether their integrations are plug-and-play or require custom API work. 

4. What visibility do you get into pricing, stock, and delivery?

Supply chain uncertainty is the norm in biotech. Your platform should provide real-time insights into pricing, inventory availability, lead times, and shipping status across multiple suppliers.

Greater visibility means smarter purchasing decisions and fewer delays that can disrupt research timelines.

See how labs are adapting to market instability with our free eBook.

5. Can you route orders to preferred vendors but also stay flexible?

Many procurement teams want to balance cost savings with compliance to preferred vendors. Your solution should offer smart routing: automatically prioritizing preferred vendors but allowing flexibility when timelines, stock, or price require it.

This approach protects negotiated terms while preventing order delays that frustrate lab teams.

Learn why lab procurement flexibility matters.

6. How easy is it to onboard users and suppliers?

If implementation takes months or your team struggles to adopt the platform, ROI drops fast. Look for solutions that offer white-glove onboarding, simple user setup, and supplier management without the red tape.

Strong platforms also offer training resources, sandbox environments, and easy self-service setup for things like PO approvals and budget thresholds.

7. What kind of support comes with it?

Lab supply procurement isn’t always predictable. Backorders, partial shipments, and last-minute changes are inevitable. Choose a partner who provides hands-on, responsive support with deep procurement experience.

Ask how quickly the vendor responds to issues and whether support is included or gated behind premium pricing.

See what excellent service looks like in A Day in the Life of Devan Chandler-Blood, Director of Customer Service at ZAGENO, where she shares how her team partners with customers to solve problems, fast.