HEOR Case Study: 88% Faster Supplier Onboarding | Science Exchange

Global Biopharma Digitally Transforms HEOR Operations

Science Exchange | 12 min read | Jan. 15, 2026

Executive Summary

A top 10 global pharmaceutical company faced mounting pressure to accelerate health economics and outcomes research (HEOR) while managing complex supplier relationships. Their HEOR team struggled with lengthy procurement timelines, fragmented vendor management, and administrative burdens that diverted resources from critical research activities.

By implementing Science Exchange's supplier management platform, the organization achieved:

This case study demonstrates how purpose-built technology can transform HEOR operations, enabling research teams to focus on evidence generation rather than administrative overhead.

The Challenge

Scaling HEOR in a Complex Environment

Growing Demand, Limited Resources

As the pharmaceutical company expanded its pipeline across multiple therapeutic areas, the HEOR team faced increasing demands for real-world evidence (RWE) to support value propositions, market access strategies, and payer negotiations. However, the team's existing processes couldn't scale to meet these growing needs.

The team operated with:

Procurement Bottlenecks Slowing Research

The most significant barrier to productivity was supplier procurement itself. For each new RWE data engagement, the team followed a time-consuming process:

  1. Supplier Identification (1-2 weeks): Manual research to find appropriate data sources, often through conference networking, peer recommendations, or web searches
  2. Legal Review (2-3 weeks): Custom contract negotiation and legal review for each supplier engagement
  3. Compliance Vetting (2-3 weeks): IT security assessments, data privacy reviews, and vendor risk evaluations
  4. Contracting & Onboarding (2-4 weeks): Purchase order creation, signature routing, and system access setup

Total Timeline: 6-11 weeks before data analysis could begin

This procurement timeline had cascading effects:

Administrative Burden and Opportunity Cost

The HEOR Director estimated that procurement and vendor management consumed 40% of the team's capacity—time that should have been spent on study design, data analysis, and evidence synthesis.

Specific pain points included:

The organization recognized that traditional procurement processes—designed for large capital purchases or long-term service contracts—were fundamentally misaligned with the agile, project-based nature of HEOR research.

The Solution

Science Exchange Supplier Orchestration Platform

A Purpose-Built Approach to RWE Supplier Management

After evaluating multiple solutions, the organization selected Science Exchange for its comprehensive approach to supplier management specifically designed for R&D workflows.

Key decision factors included:

  1. Pre-Qualified Supplier Network

    Access to 3,800+ vetted suppliers, including specialized RWE data providers across therapeutic areas and geographies. The team could search by data type, patient population, therapeutic area, and specific study requirements.

  2. Single Master Agreement

    One standardized legal framework covering all supplier engagements, eliminating the need for custom contracts. The master agreement addressed data security, IP rights, confidentiality, and regulatory compliance—pre-approved by legal, IT security, and compliance teams.

  3. Integrated Compliance & Risk Management

    Built-in vendor risk assessments, security reviews, and audit trails. Automated workflows ensured appropriate stakeholder review without manual coordination.

  4. Unified Platform for Project Management & Payment

    Centralized dashboard to manage supplier discovery, project tracking, deliverable review, and payment processing. The platform integrated with existing financial systems to streamline invoicing.

  5. Strategic Partnership Model

Implementation Approach

The implementation followed a phased rollout over 6 weeks:

Weeks 1-2: Foundation & Training

Weeks 3-4: Pilot Projects

Weeks 5-6: Full Rollout

The Results

Measurable Transformation in HEOR Operations

Dramatic Efficiency Gains

The most immediate impact was a fundamental transformation in supplier procurement timelines:

88% Reduction in Onboarding Time

This acceleration came from:

For the HEOR team managing 15-20 new supplier engagements annually, this efficiency gain freed up approximately 900 hours per year—equivalent to adding 0.5 FTE to the team without increasing headcount.

Significant Cost Savings

The organization realized $1.8 million in annual savings across multiple cost categories:

Direct Cost Reductions:

Indirect Value Creation:

Increased Research Throughput

With administrative burdens reduced, the HEOR team achieved a 3x increase in completed projects within the first year:

Key Success Factors & Lessons Learned

What Made This Transformation Successful

  1. Executive Sponsorship

  2. Cross-Functional Collaboration

  3. Phased Implementation

  4. Change Management

  5. Strategic Partnership Approach

Advice for Other Organizations

Conclusion

This case study demonstrates that HEOR supplier management is not merely an administrative function—it's a strategic capability that directly impacts research productivity, time-to-evidence, and ultimately market access success.