It's one of the most common questions from lab leaders trying to simplify purchasing: why can't we just buy everything from one or two big suppliers?
You can, and plenty of labs start there. The tradeoff shows up later. When an order runs into trouble through a large distributor, you may not hear about it for weeks, usually only after you chase it down yourself. Direct accounts with the vendors and manufacturers you order from most give you a sales rep who knows your lab, a straight line to answers when something goes wrong, and a relationship that opens the door to discounts over time.
The right number of suppliers is the number that keeps your most important orders visible and your pricing working for you. In this episode of Ask a VLM, Valerie, one of Science Exchange's Virtual Lab Managers, walks through why direct vendor relationships save time and money in the long run.
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