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SECTION 4

Six questions to ask
every vendor on your shortlist.

You have your combination. Now you're going to talk to vendors within each category. They'll all have polished demos. They'll all claim compliance. These six questions surface the things that actually differentiate them - the things you won't see in a demo unless you ask.

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THE EVALUATION

Questions that surface
what demos don't.

Q1
Can I see a reference site that matches my size and document scope?
A vendor showing you a case study from a 5,000-person multi-site manufacturer is irrelevant if you're a 50-person single-site operation - and vice versa. Ask for a reference that looks like you: similar headcount, similar document types, similar regulatory environment. If they can't provide one, you're their proof of concept, not their customer.
Q2
What does your typical implementation look like - from PO to the day the last person stops printing?
Not installation. Not go-live of the pilot. The full journey. How many months? How many of your people, full-time? How many of their consultants? What does the parallel-run period look like? Vendors will happily quote you "time to first value." What you need is time to full value - and those are very different numbers.
Q3
What does your validation package look like?
Every GxP system must be validated. But the effort varies enormously. A platform that rebuilds your documents inside it means validating the platform and every rebuilt document. A platform that works with your existing documents means validating only the platform. Ask: how many pages is your typical validation package? How many test cases? How long from purchase to validated state?
Q4
Show me exactly what an inspector would see during an audit.
Don't accept a description. Ask them to switch to the inspector view - right there in the demo. Can an inspector who has never seen this platform follow what they're looking at? Can you limit access to exactly the documents requested without exposing the rest of the system? Your inspection readiness is only as strong as what the inspector actually experiences.

Click any question to see why it matters.

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03 / 04
THE EVALUATION (CONTINUED)

The questions vendors
hope you skip.

Q5
A new contractor starts on Monday. Walk me through their first day.
This question tests three things at once: licensing cost (do you need a new licence?), training burden (how long before they're productive?), and real-world usability (can someone figure this out without a course?). The answer tells you more about total cost of ownership than any pricing spreadsheet.
Q6
What happens to my documents if I leave?
Nobody asks this during procurement. Everyone wishes they had. Can you export your completed documents in a standard format? Who owns the data - you or the vendor? What does the exit process look like? Is there an exit fee? A vendor who makes it easy to leave is confident you won't. A vendor who makes it difficult is telling you something.

These three questions reveal more about a vendor's honesty
than any feature comparison matrix ever will.

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04 / 04
THE BOTTOM LINE

Six questions.
One shortlist.

Any vendor who can't answer them clearly - or won't - is telling you everything you need to know.

Back to Section 3 Wrap Up →