In today’s life sciences labs, procurement isn’t just about keeping the shelves stocked. It’s a strategic engine for research speed, cost control, and regulatory confidence. But as many research and biotech teams know, getting procurement right isn’t always easy.
A recent global survey helps explain why: Nearly 70% of procurement leaders in healthcare and pharma expect to digitize their processes by 2027, yet most are still wrestling with manual workflows, disconnected systems, and gaps that digital tools don’t quite solve. The result? Digitalization that looks good on the surface, but leaves a lot of old pain points lingering beneath.
So, what does it actually look like to bring your lab’s procurement process up to the new industry standard?
Why life sciences procurement is under pressure to evolve
Life sciences research moves at the speed of innovation, but traditional lab procurement processes are often stuck in the past.
Here’s why that’s a problem:
- Research can’t wait. Delayed or duplicate orders, lost approvals, and manual paperwork slow down critical experiments and can compromise grant deliverables.
- Budgets are tight. Most life sciences organizations list cost control as their top procurement priority, especially with supply chain disruptions and inflationary pressure on materials.
- Compliance matters. In regulated environments, every purchase, approval, and supplier relationship must stand up to audit.
The data says it all: 94% of organizations now use digital source-to-pay (S2P) or procure-to-pay (P2P) platforms, yet for many, digitalization remains “skin-deep.” Systems may not be fully integrated, leaving a significant amount of manual effort and an unrealized promise of automation.
“94% of organizations now use digital source-to-pay (S2P) or procure-to-pay (P2P) platforms, yet for many, digitalization remains “skin-deep.”
6 steps to streamline lab procurement for life sciences teams
Streamlining procurement is more than just adding new technology, it’s also about turning a close eye to how your lab works every day. Here’s how leading life sciences labs are making real, measurable progress:
- Map your actual workflow. Start with the basics: Who can request supplies? Where do requests go for approval? What’s the average time from request to delivery? Many labs are surprised to discover bottlenecks they never knew existed. The labs making the most progress are those who begin by clearly defining their workflows before adding to their tech stack.
Discover a real-life example of a scalable tech stack and how they did it.
- Standardize and automate what you can. According to recent findings, efficiency gains and better process transparency are the top reasons labs pursue digital procurement. By automating and standardizing operating procedures, digital forms, and approval chains, you can reduce delays and errors.
- Focus on supplier relationships. A healthy procurement process isn’t just about finding the lowest price. It’s about ensuring reliability, quality, and resilience, especially when global events threaten supply chains. More than half of life sciences companies are turning to collaborative digital platforms to manage supplier relationships. Establishing preferred supplier lists, negotiating contracts for key categories, and tracking supplier performance helps labs avoid delays and improve value.
- Invest in digital tools built for labs and fill in the gaps. Life sciences is a leader in digital adoption. However, many labs find that their core P2P/S2P system only solves part of the challenge. Disconnected supplier catalogs, manual quote requests, or off-platform purchases can still drain time and introduce risk. That’s where a solution like ZAGENO comes in, integrating with and acting as a bridge between your existing systems to deliver true end-to-end automation.
- Prioritize team adoption, training, and support. No platform can fix procurement pain if the team isn’t using it. Invest in training and ongoing support, and make sure workflows are intuitive for everyone involved.
- Use your data. Use analytics to track spend, spot trends, and benchmark supplier performance. Data-driven labs can continuously optimize and prove the value of every procurement decision.
The real pitfalls holding life sciences labs back
Digital transformation isn’t a magic switch. Labs face real hurdles, even if they’ve technically “gone digital.” Here’s what to watch for, and how to address it:
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Pitfall
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What Happens
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Fix
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Fragmented systems
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Even with a P2P platform, teams often toggle between supplier websites, internal emails, and manual spreadsheets. This leads to lost orders, inconsistent pricing, and plenty of headaches.
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Choose an all-in-one lab supply procurement platform that brings supplier catalogs, contract pricing, and approvals into one seamless flow.
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Manual paperwork
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If your digital system isn’t fully adopted or integrated, researchers may revert to old habits, resulting in missed approvals, lost documentation, and time-consuming reconciliation.
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Automate as much of your workflow as you can, from request to payment, and eliminate the need for offline workarounds.
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Lack of user adoption
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A great tool that nobody uses won’t deliver results. Many labs roll out new software without sufficient buy-in or ongoing support, leading to partial or failed adoption
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Invest in training, clear communication, and a support system to answer questions quickly. Champion user experience.
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Compliance blind spots
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If not every purchase flows through your main system, you risk failed audits or funding issues.
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Centralize procurement activity and use automated audit trails to ensure compliance is baked in and not bolted on.
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Want more details? See our guide to common lab supply purchasing mistakes.
Why streamlined procurement pays off for science
Modernizing procurement isn’t just a finance win. It enables faster research, supports regulatory compliance, improves collaboration, and frees up time for scientists to focus on discovery instead of chasing down invoices.
- Accelerate research: Orders get approved and delivered faster, reducing project downtime.
- Maximize every grant dollar: Consolidated, transparent spend means less waste and better negotiation power.
- Meet compliance and audit needs: Digital records and automated reporting simplify funding and GxP requirements.
- Make science the focus: Less admin, more discovery, and more satisfied researchers.
The ZAGENO advantage: The bridge to true lab procurement automation
If your lab is among the many that already have an S2P or P2P platform but still find procurement clunky or time-consuming, you’re not alone. Here’s where ZAGENO comes in:
- Marketplace power: Access millions of products from thousands of scientific suppliers, all searchable and comparable in one place, with transparent pricing.
- Guided buying: ZAGENO makes it easy to set up preferred suppliers, negotiated contracts, and category compliance rules, so scientists buy what they need while staying within policy and hitting rebate thresholds.
- Seamless integration: ZAGENO integrates with your existing procurement, finance, and inventory systems, filling in automation gaps that generic enterprise platforms miss.
- Automated approvals and tracking: Route requests for approval, manage budgets, and monitor order status, all without manual email chains.
- Audit-ready compliance: Every transaction is digitally documented, making it easy to pass audits, meet funding requirements, and produce reports with a click.
- Dedicated support and change management: From onboarding to ongoing optimization, ZAGENO’s customer support team helps labs drive adoption, answer questions, and keep workflows humming.