Qualifying Software Vendors: Why, When, and How

When you are selecting a new software vendor, your goal is really to identify a partner that you can trust with your business. During audits and new drug applications, it is important that you can rely on your vendor to represent your interests appropriately with good practices, validation activities, and documentation that demonstrates care for patient privacy and data integrity. Choosing the wrong vendor could set your project back or even derail it altogether.?

A well-defined vendor qualification process can be used across the organization to vet all vendors, reducing costly risks. A successful process should include:?

• Defining your business requirements: Clearly identify the type of software that is needed, the features that it should have, and the amount of support you will need. An understanding of your business requirements will make it easier to evaluate the vendors and see which ones align best with your current needs.??

• Evaluating vendor capabilities: What are the vendors' software development practices and quality control processes? What additional support services do they offer? Utilize demos to evaluate the usability, functionality, and compatibility with current software systems.??

• Evaluating vendor credentials: Ask for references to their reliability and trustworthiness, and ask about ongoing training of employees to make sure that everyone working on the project is up-to-date with the necessary tools and certifications.??

• Considering pricing and terms: Using your business requirements – from development to support – as a guide, you can ensure that the pricing and use terms for the software will fit your budget and meet your needs.?

Consistently evaluating and qualifying your software vendors reduces costs, risks, and delays. Taking the time to create and implement a good qualification process will ensure that you select the vendors that align with your business needs and can be true partners.??