Symyx

Pierre Allemand

I don’t want to overly complicate Rubacha and Rattan’s process, which is a very simple way of quickly narrowing down a list of vendors. But I do think that before an organization lays out its ELN vision, it should first learn something about what ELNs on the market can do out of the box. One way to adjust the process would be to add a step between first and second steps that would provide organizations with a “preview” of some key ELNs. I’m thinking something like a webcast—a very short overview of how the vendor defines its offering. Another option would be to hire a consultant with experience in the ELN field to provide this overview. Or you could follow a process similar to the one I describe here: Not as simple, I know, but more likely to help you understand available solutions and how they mesh with your needs.

With so much convergence in the electronic lab, it seems everyone is offering an ELN—but not all ELNs are created equal. The intermediate research step I’m proposing would help organizations better define what they want. They will know all the possibilities, giving them a better idea of what their ultimate solution might look like. Armed with this knowledge, they can gear the questionnaire to their preferred early choices. Sure, this will bias the RFP, but in a way that ultimately benefits their organization. Vendors will still have the chance to show their stuff, but will have to do so more honestly in terms of laying out whether they can meet the vision out of the box or through potentially expensive and time consuming configuration.