Your company probably has an internal process for a large purchase like an eQMS. In midsize-to-large medtech companies, you’ll likely find this process in the finance department, or perhaps in a dedicated purchasing department operating under finance’s umbrella.

1. Start by learning about your internal purchasing process

At this stage, you’re laying the groundwork for your business case, answering questions like:
• What is your policy on vendor evaluation? How many quotes are you required to get?
• What is the current budget for your QMS? Will that need to increase for this purchase?
• Where in the current budget cycle are you? Has a budget already been approved for the coming year? Timing can play a large role in getting approval for a new QMS.
• What documents will you need to create as you begin building this business case?
• Whose final approval will you need for this purchase? Is it a department head? Finance? Will there be several people who need to sign off on this?

Write out the answers and anything else you learn about your company’s purchasing process. Then, keep that document handy as you work through this process.

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