The Client ‍

Full Lifecycle Support for Life Sciences Companies 

This Boston-based consulting firm is only focused on one thing: enabling life sciences companies to enhance patient outcomes. It uses its deep industry expertise to help companies reach the next level of growth by identifying opportunities that maximize impact. And it does so by understanding the complicated aspects of every client’s life cycle stage to devise the best strategy possible.

The Situation

Navigating the Complex Supply Chains of Life Sciences Companies  ‍

Complex supply chains are part and parcel of the life sciences industry. After all, they manufacture and distribute products that include biological materials, medicines, vaccines, and more. It’s no wonder why the industry is so heavily regulated. And therein lies the problem. 

Life sciences companies need to define and consistently stay ahead of the curve with the appropriate processes, resources, and understanding of global trade compliance risks to mitigate the impact of  non-compliance — which can seriously impact the bottom line. That’s where this Boston-based boutique consulting firm comes in. 

It uses its knowledge and experience in understanding the risks throughout the lifecycle stages of the life sciences industry to develop innovative solutions that will work best for each client. But when the pandemic hit, it shook everything up. 

The consulting firm was grappling with an uptick in demand for its supply chain and logistic services as life sciences companies scrambled to develop new vaccines. It was also dealing with an acute talent shortage.

‍The Solution: 

Finding Where All The Life Sciences Experts Have Gone

‍With projects for its supply chain and logistics services piling up and finding qualified full-time talent becoming even harder than before, the firm decided to change its approach. It conducted market research to find another solution to meet its immediate needs. 

After reviewing several vendors, the firm’s managing partner engaged Graphite. They were impressed with the quality of life sciences experts on the platform and the white-glove and personalized service they would receive from their account executive (AE). 

However, there was one particular aspect of Graphite that really piqued their interest. And that was the ability to source, interview, and onboard an expert within 13.5 days. So after describing their needs, the managing partner moved forward with posting their first project on the platform. 

The Results:

Scaling the Supply and Logistics Practice with Independent Expertise  

To get the ball rolling on scaling its supply and logistics team, the company set out to define its scope of work, required skills, and budget with the AE. Together they developed the project description to onboard a consultant capable of taking on projects dealing with logistics and trade compliance. 

The projects would span six months at a time, and the expert would need to feel comfortable in a client-facing role. They would also need to have a minimum of 3-5 years of experience managing shipping and transportation in the life science industry in the US and abroad. 

As the managing director put the finishing touches on the scope of work, the AE used their knowledge of the platform to source the right expert for the role — identifying 815 profiles that matched the criteria. Looking deeper, the AE narrowed the list to curate a shortlist of five candidates. 

Within 24 hours, the managing director set up a meeting with each expert and his team until they settled on one particular expert. They decided to award the initial project — with the prospect of working on additional ones — to an accomplished global logistics, warehouse, and customs compliance manager with over 20 years of experience. 

After completing their initial global trade logistics program for one of the consulting firm’s life sciences/pharma clients, the expert has gone on to work on two additional projects. They’ve been able to successfully complete the assessment of logistics capabilities for the firm's clients and then transition into the day-to-day logistics execution and ongoing support for logistics and trade, such as: 

1. Serving as the primary day-to-day contact for customs brokers (CBs)
2. Collecting files and summary reports from CBs monthly 
3. Reviewing brokers' files and more 
4. Developing and maintaining trade compliance S&Ops
5. And more. 

Seeing their success with establishing this program, the managing director has gone on to post nine additional projects on Graphite — enjoying the ease of onboarding, managing, and paying experts on the platform.