No matter the requirement, the laboratory, in consultation with institutional policies and procedures, should create and use a vendor checklist. The vendor checklist will help guide the laboratory through the acquisition process. The following list provides a few of the items the laboratory may choose to include:
- Determine the scope of the requirement (or work to be done).
- Write a statement of work (SOW).
- Determine the volume of whatever is required.
- Ask if interfacing with a laboratory information system (LIS) or hospital mainframe is required.
- Determine when the requirement is needed - fulfillment target date - and if repetition of services is required.
- Ask about vendor user groups, education provided, and ongoing support.
- Ask about other support the vendor may provide.
Vendors should have your laboratory's best interests at heart. According to O. Knack13, the best vendors are indeed concerned with the following:
- Accountability (for quality issues)
- Expertise
- Production capability
- Good fit with an organization's culture
- Good communication
- Ethics
- Regulatory compliance
- Quality control - cooperate with third-party QC vendors
