Choosing Laboratory Partners: Beyond Capability Lists
A capability list tells you what a laboratory can do. It rarely tells you whether the partnership will work.
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Whether a biotech company is outsourcing an assay, a manufacturer is qualifying a contract laboratory, or two laboratories are considering a referral relationship, the search usually starts with capabilities. That is necessary, but it is not sufficient.
Questions worth asking
- How does the laboratory communicate when results are unexpected or delayed?
- What does their quality system look like in practice, not only on paper?
- Is the work strategically important to them, or peripheral?
- How do incentives align over the life of the relationship?
Partnerships as strategy
For laboratories themselves, partnerships can extend reach without the cost of building every capability internally. Thoughtful referral and co-marketing relationships between complementary laboratories can serve clients better and strengthen both businesses.
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