Sameer Tandon

Looking back over the last decade, what do you see as the most significant shift in how R&D procurement has evolved within pharma and biotech?

From my experience, I think the greatest shift in the R&D Procurement mindset has been how we have become much closer to our key business partners to truly understand the priorities in the portfolio to ensure we can deliver the maximum impact for the organization. Historically, procurement is seen as a transactional organization and over the last few years, our ability to deliver value, quality, and oversight, with our external partners has led to more meaningful partnerships both internally with our stakeholders and our most critical suppliers.

 

Despite advancements in procurement technology and data visibility, what challenges still persist in R&D sourcing and supplier management, and why do you think they remain difficult to solve?

Procurement and finance systems still rely on legacy products that have not evolved too much over time so unfortunately even when we introduce new tools and automation, it can create challenges in how we integrate old and new solutions. Ultimately, these systems will need refreshing or complete replacement in order for procurement to truly advance into the next generation of tools and automation.

 

Can you share an example where procurement played a pivotal role in influencing a critical R&D decision?

Absolutely, I would be happy to share. I was involved a bit late in a partnership with a CRO that was running a pivotal Phase IIIb study for us in our medical affairs organization that would was the key registrational study for the asset. The pressure was intense as this was a new class of drugs in this therapeutic area and would have significant impact for our patients. The selected partner was underperforming from the start, and despite our efforts to facilitate programs to ensure a rapid start-up, this particular CRO was not getting the message. We ultimately decided to terminate the contract with the existing CRO within 2 months, shifted our CRO strategy to another preferred supplier and ensured we started the program within a few short months of transition. This asset was ultimately approved and continues to deliver a lifesaving, treatment option for patients!

 

What developments in the procurement space are you most excited about right now?

The greatest areas of innovation in procurement continue to be our ability to shorten the timeframe from our source-to-contract processes. We have tools now that enable us to quickly launch RFPs within minutes, analyze data in seconds, and allow for data-driven decisions to be made quickly that may have taken weeks to just a few days. This is the future state of procurement, and I am so excited to be a part of it.

 

What are you most looking forward to discussing or learning from your peers at the 10th R&D Procurement & Sourcing in Pharma Summit?

I am always interested in hearing about case studies that highlight the value of procurement engagement and how we play a small part in helping to accelerate our drug development timelines to bring life-savings medicines for patients!