For certain technology manufacturers, the decision on a third party compliance testing lab to have their new or update product tested and certified to regulatory or market applicable requirements (FCC, CE, Industry Canada, CB Scheme) isn’t only about cost. It may include other criteria such as prior similar project completed, vendor profile (ownership, service portfolio, quality metrics, location, etc) and an important factor – a willingness to consider multiple competitive lab partners as bidders before making a selection.
The attending benefits of this approach include:
- Cycle times, and administrative costs cut by up to half or greater
- Project options for selection – by least cost, least time to completion, least lab switching, and lab rating
- Leverage an eCommerce network for a project experience of choice managed from one interface
A Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) product family with multiple operating modes and/or installation scenarios needing to be certified in accordance with regulatory requirements in North America and the European Union may have a price tag exceeding $25,000. And three or more testing lab partners in the US/Canada, European Union or in Asia may be capable of completing the project at different prices and schedules. Telcron’s eSourcing process helps to identify lab candidates, and moderate the selection process utilizing Ariba StartSourcing .
Telcron runs an event (Request for Information/Proposal, or Auction) on the manufacturer’s behalf in Ariba StartSourcing in order to select lab partner(s) for specific projects, and create a tentative project plan report. Labs participating may need to be registered in Ariba’s supplier network.
View a StartSourcing introductory video here . The project plan developed with the lab(s) are then transposed to Work Zone for shared visibility. Manufacturers should allow two weeks in advance of project start to run eSourcing and other coordination steps with labs involved. Only projects with potential spend over $5,000 are recommended for eSource at the present time.
Sample of Labs