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Life-Science Events

    Risks and Rewards of Outsourcing Clinical Trial Services
    Business InsightsLife-Science Events

    Outsourcing Clinical Trial Services: Reduce Risk & Maximize Reward

    by Mike Lakey June 10, 2025
    written by Mike Lakey

    Is outsourcing clinical trial services a smart strategy or a risky gamble? The answer depends on how you approach it. This topic was particularly highlighted for me during the Outsourcing in Clinical Trials East Coast conference, which took place at the Valley Forge Casino Resort in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. The event featured insightful presentations and engaging discussions on various topics, including the role of AI in clinical research, diversity, and key factors to consider when selecting CRO and vendor partnerships.

    Interestingly, it was the casino setting that inspired a unique perspective on the risks and rewards associated with outsourcing. There are notable parallels between gambling and clinical trials. Although I no longer play, I do have plenty of experience in both areas.

    Follow me here…

    The definition of gambling includes the words “risk” and “chance.” You take a risk for a chance at something of higher value or importance. For a seasoned gambler, it’s about finding games with the best odds (or chances) of winning. It’s also about finding games where a person’s skill helps reduce the risks. For example, there is no skill involved when using slot machines. You pull a lever or press a button, and the machine decides whether you win or lose. On the other hand, when playing the card game Texas Hold’em, someone with a strong and skillful understanding of the game has a distinct advantage over someone new to it.

    How does this relate to outsourcing clinical research services? Let’s say the game is roulette, and instead of a bunch of numbers, each slot represents a specific task or vendor.

    The risks and rewards of outsourcing clinical research services

    To ensure all clinical research startup activities are covered in this exercise, a bet must be placed on each slot (which can be expensive). Each spin results in one service slot accomplished while the other slots wait for the next spin. Finally, after so many spins, all service slots are finally covered. But how long did it take, and at what cost? What could have been done to reduce the number of spins and cost?

    When at a casino playing roulette, you’re not allowed to combine slots into a single bet. However, when playing Clinical Research Roulette, combining service slots helps reduce the risks of timeline delays and costs.

    Managing different suppliers for each clinical trial service results in numerous meetings, contracts, and timelines, which makes study management highly complex. The failure to identify, plan for, and synchronize these separate services can lead to unexpected delays and headaches.

    Interconnectedness of each clinical research roulette slot

    The interconnected nature of the individual components of clinical trials means that each element impacts the others. The way authors write materials affects how easily and precisely they can be translated. Writing clinical trial content with translation in mind proactively ensures the source text is clear and easy to read, making the translation process more efficient. Next comes formatting, layout, and printing. All of these require seamless communication and the transfer of files back and forth with multiple independent vendors. This takes a lot of management time and vigilant version control.

    Medical kitting, ancillary supplies, and equipment are on the clinical research roulette wheel as well. Complex supply and resupply schedules must be managed across multiple manufacturing and distributor partners and time zones. Having an ancillary supplies partner that differs from an equipment partner and may also differ from a kitting partner means that you must have a central platform to manage, view, and report on all these disparate pieces.

    Outsourcing consolidation

    Managing different suppliers for each clinical trial service adds complexity and increases the risk of miscommunication and delays. A single-vendor solution reduces those risks by streamlining workflows and centralizing control.

    When multiple services are managed together—from content creation to supply management—study teams gain visibility, efficiency, and the ability to respond quickly to changing needs. This foundation supports a more integrated, proactive approach to clinical trial execution.

    Make outsourcing clinical research services a strategic advantage

    Vendor consolidation goes beyond simplification; it provides control. When clinical trial services operate within a single workstream, study teams enjoy clearer communication, fewer delays, and a more predictable path to execution.

    Imperial Clinical Research Services employs this approach and acts as an extension of your study team by integrating key services commonly handled by separate vendors. Imperial combines content creation, design and layout, optimized translation, and printing into a single workflow designed for global deployment. The same unified coordination applies to ancillary supplies, medical equipment, and kitting. This approach ensures that inventory levels, packaging, and resupply plans align from the start.

    Managing these services under one roof with a single project lead tightens timelines, smooths handoffs, and simplifies quality maintenance. With warehousing, international shipping, and logistics support integrated into the process, we eliminate surprises and provide study managers with end-to-end visibility into supply chain readiness.

    By managing these interdependent services together, Imperial provides sponsors with the control, speed, and clarity needed to navigate complexity and keep clinical trials on track. This integrated approach helps ensure that the real winner is the study itself. Visit our website or contact us for more information.

    Join the conversation

    What strategies have you used when working with clinical trial vendors? Share your thoughts, questions, or experiences with a comment below. We’d love to hear from you.

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  • Ancillary Trial Supplies and EquipmentLife-Science EventsSite Materials & Logistics

    Keeping Clinical Trials on Track: Navigating Supply Chains, Tariffs, and Regulatory Shifts.

    by Dan McDonald April 10, 2025
    by Dan McDonald April 10, 2025

    Changes taking place in the United States and internationally may affect the clinical trials landscape in the months and even years to come. Here are a few observations: FDA The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is reducing its workforce and streamlining its functions.…

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  • Life-Science EventsPatient Recruitment and Retention

    Clinical Research Industry Insights: SCOPE Summit 2025

    by Imogen Cheese February 18, 2025
    by Imogen Cheese February 18, 2025

    Get insights on current trends within the clinical research industry from the Imperial team, who recently returned from SCOPE Summit 2025 held in Orlando, Florida. Political, economic, and environmental changes and concerns appeared to preoccupy the minds and energy of many people we encountered daily.…

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  • Ancillary Trial Supplies and EquipmentBusiness InsightsLife-Science Events

    Don’t Let Clinical Study Delays Derail Timelines

    by Imogen Cheese November 8, 2024
    by Imogen Cheese November 8, 2024

    Delays can be small or big, from minor misfortunes that make us late for dinner to major study setbacks that mangle study timelines and jeopardize study goals. While delays in life are expected and inevitable, clinical study delays don’t have to send a trial off…

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  • Business InsightsLife-Science Events

    Sustainability in Business: Transparency and Keeping Score

    by Dan McDonald February 6, 2024
    by Dan McDonald February 6, 2024

    Today, companies and industries grapple with the impact of three key types of sustainability in business. These factors are called ESG, another acronym for the clinical trial industry, already loaded with acronyms. This one, though, carries across industries and impacts everyone. ESG stands for environmental,…

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  • Business InsightsLife-Science EventsPatient EngagementPatient Recruitment and Retention

    Pending FDA Clinical Trial Diversity Requirements

    by Vaughn X. Anthony January 9, 2024
    by Vaughn X. Anthony January 9, 2024

    Diversity in clinical trials is becoming mandatory, which can make drugs and devices more widely beneficial. New FDA regulations are coming; read on for our understanding of what to expect. Right now, almost a half million studies are registered on ClinicalTrials.gov, and about 65,000 are…

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  • Life-Science EventsPatient Recruitment and Retention

    Clinical Trials Summit Brings Stakeholders to the Table

    by Alejandro Serricchio October 18, 2023
    by Alejandro Serricchio October 18, 2023

    The 2023 Global Site Solutions Summit successfully brought clinical trial sites, sponsors, CROs, and vendors together to express concerns and develop comprehensive solutions. Like most of you, I’ve attended many conferences related to the clinical trial industry. Some would say too many! But anyone expecting…

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  • Life-Science EventsPatient Recruitment and Retention

    SCOPE Summit: Clinical Trials Industry is Rejuvenated and Ready

    by William McEwen February 20, 2023
    by William McEwen February 20, 2023

    Imperial’s team attended the annual SCOPE Summit in Orlando, where they spoke with hundreds of clinical trials industry colleagues and attended talks and workshops. In this post, Imperial team members Dan McDonald, Imogen Cheese, and Ted Corrigan tell us what they found noteworthy at SCOPE.…

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  • Business InsightsLife-Science EventsPatient EngagementPatient Recruitment and Retention

    Summit Reveals Clinical Trial Challenges and Solutions

    by Imogen Cheese December 1, 2022
    by Imogen Cheese December 1, 2022

    My colleague Frances Bentley and I had the privilege of attending the 8th Annual Clinical Monitoring and Patient Recruitment Retention (CMPRR) Summit in Barcelona. Several clinical trial challenges and solutions were discussed. I was there to present a talk titled “Exploring the Hidden Challenges to…

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  • Business InsightsLife-Science EventsPatient Engagement

    Opening Day at DIA Meeting: Two Clinical Trial Approaches Join Forces

    by Dan McDonald June 21, 2022
    by Dan McDonald June 21, 2022

    Hello from the 2022 DIA Global Annual Meeting. Not surprisingly, decentralized clinical trial approaches has the spotlight here. This includes: Wearables and sensors for remote data collection Mobile screening units Home trial visits Also in the spotlight at the DIA meeting is the rise of…

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Imperial Clinical Research Services Blog

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