PCI Pharma Services – Vendor Onboarding
- Healthcare & Life Sciences
Overview
PCI Pharma Services is a global, integrated Contract Development & Manufacturing Organisation (CDMO) delivering a comprehensive range of pharmaceutical services from the earliest stages of development through to commercial launch and beyond.
Situation
PCI’s Strategic Global Procurement Director Ann Cartwright explained: ‘Ours is highly regulated industry, so we needed a database to store information about our approved GMP suppliers. Vendor names and addresses, category, contracts, terms and supplier score-cards. In addition a process that would allow us to include other functions such as Quality and Finance when new vendors were onboarded.
Solution
To help achieve this goal, the Mint team developed a ‘New Supplier Request Form’ accessible to all employees across the business. As well as full contact details, the form prompts information about why the new Supplier is being put forward. All such forms are then sent to Global Sourcing for vetting, including checks on whether existing suppliers can provide the services concerned or if the prospective ‘new’ supplier is already working with another site / division in the business etc.
After this initial ‘triage’, automated messages are sent letting the requestor know whether the application will go forward to the next stage, which brings in the site Procurement and Quality teams. Time stamps and ‘e-signing’ ensure there is a full audit trail to follow as the new supplier goes through the system, which includes credit checks and signed adherence to NDAs and PCI’s Code of Conduct.
Results
Adoption of the new processes across the business has been well received. It allows procurement teams globally to easily identify suppliers already set up on other sites, and helps determine if a new vendor is needed. It has aligned all the global procurement teams and has been pivotal for PCI reviewing which Vendors they do and do not need to onboard.
This functionality continues to evolve, allowing additional fields to be added and information stored. Overall, a great success!
“Mint are extremely collaborative and have not only given us an effective system, but also a way of demonstrating how we in the Procurement function add value to the business.”.”
Ann Cartwright
Director, Global Strategic Sourcing