Outsourcing When You’re a PhD Student

The trend for outsourcing science and research is good news for contract research organizations and open innovation partnerships, but what does it mean for you, Ph.D. student, in your lab?

You might soon be in need of equipment, expertise or even services of some sort. At that time, will you know what to do? Who to ask? Where to look?

This article is a small summary of what you might face if you are new to the science world.

A simple analysis of the situation

The outsourcing process in a lab can be summarized as a stack of tasks, performed by several protagonists.

An explanation of the roles

The User

This is you, the “new guy in town”, the Ph.D. student that doesn’t know how things work yet.

First of all, you should be introduced to the whole squad (researchers, engineers, technicians and other students) by your supervisor, at your arrival in the lab.

At that very moment, try and remember who’s in charge of purchase requests for each type of supplies.

The buyer

It can be anyone who is designated responsible for a type of purchase: a colleague, the secretary, the lab manager, the technician… They may be designated during the lab council for example. They archive product catalogs of current providers and are the contact for sales representatives.

The Manager

The manager is not the one you think.

Your supervisor is your manager, of course, but here, the manager is the one making the purchase happen. The manager is the one that has the power to release the budget for your purchase. In short, he is the one that is allowed to use the credit card.

The Joker

The joker is your head of department, for example, often your supervisor. Why the joker? Because he can stop you from purchasing or support you, depending on the financial situation of the lab. He is kind of the joker card.

In reality, when you need something, you go to the joker first to “take the temperature” of the financial state of the team. To win his/her support, you have better to convince the Joker that your efficiency will increase with the purchase.

An example

There are two different types of purchases. For each, we are going to list the “instructions” you should follow to end up purchasing what you need.

One-time purchase

A one time purchase refers to a one time need. For example, it would be like a sequencing service.

There are several paths to obtain it. Every one of them requires the “joker’s” agreement - of course.

If there is a catalog containing products at negotiated prices:

• If the product is in the catalog, you send the request directly to his supervisor who sends it to the person in charge of the order.
• If not, the student makes a quotation and then sends the estimate to his direct supervisor who must have it validated by the head of department/finance manager (the “joker”)

If there is no catalog of negotiated prices:

• If the amount is not too high (let’s say €2000) the “user” and the “buyer” contact several suppliers to make quote requests. For that, you can check out providers on Scientist.
• Then they compare the estimates.
• Finally, the most interesting choice is made on the basis of certain criteria: shipping time, price, geographical distance (postage), the reputation of the supplier.

After those steps, the “buyer” can choose the line of credit that will be used to purchase. And then the “manager”, who has control of purchases, places the order.

Another case is if you are part of a public structure and the amount is higher. Then there must be a competitive bidding process because of public procurement codes. You will have to refer to the rules of your affiliation.

Periodic purchases

A periodic purchase is the purchase of consumable lab supplies. You will need refills of these supplies on a regular basis: reactants, solvent, lenses, gloves, pens, etc.

Usually, these supplies are managed in an inventory. If so, someone should be in charge of purchasing missing supplies. This someone is a “buyer”. Directly contact him/her when needed.

If the supply you need is specific to your experiment, then you can ask the current “buyer” to add the item to his/her inventory. You can also turn yourself as a “buyer”. You will need to get the approval from the “joker” and the “manager”. If they agree you will need to find a provider, establish quotes and manage the stock by yourself. To find a potential provider, you can check out providers on Scientist.

A summary of the process

The message to take home with you is that if you are in need of equipment, expertise or services of some sort, don’t forget the “joker’s” approval before anything else.

And then, to compare prices and find out what you you can use Scientist..