
Opportunity-Cost and the FSP Solution
By Cory Rowe, Orbis VP of Sales
The life sciences industry is ever-evolving toward efficiency in all aspects, but recently many organizations – particularly those conducting clinical trials – have looked to a Functional Service Provider (FSP) staffing model to supplement their workforce instead of traditional recruitment. The FSP model allows for more flexibility given the custom nature of each engagement, is designed to reduce the number of contracted vendor relationships that need to be managed, and scales to match an organization’s service needs.
At its core, an FSP engagement helps life sciences organizations accomplish their high-level goals by alleviating pain points through:
- Increased productivity levels right away
- More flexibility – if the workload increases, being able to scale up quickly as needed easily
- Cost savings
- Both monetary and time
- Less turnover through the acquisition of quality candidates, which means less time recruiting and interviewing, which saves them time and money
- Restored focus internally
What is a Functional Service Provider (FSP) in clinical trials?
A Functional Service Provider (FSP) is a personnel sourcing model that offers biopharmaceutical companies the flexibility to contract full or partial support for specific functions in clinical trial services on an “a-la-carte” basis – as opposed to a full suite of services. FSP models have evolved over the years to become accepted as industry best practices and have been proven to work within multiple biopharmaceutical organizations.
Following an FSP model allows for separating core/non-core capabilities within a company to choose providers specializing in a discipline. Orbis Clinical’s models increase efficiency and flexibility while exceeding expectations in quality for our partners’ clinical trial projects or programs in scopes such as Clinical Operations, Regulatory and Medical Affairs, Drug Safety, Statistical Programming, Data Management, and more.
Maintaining Internal Processes with an External Partner
Functional outsourcing exists to gain the benefits of outsourcing without the drawbacks of losing control or exorbitant cost. It allows Sponsor companies to classify and off-load supporting tasks and the burden associated with employment, thus allowing them to focus better on core business functions. The FSP team works under Sponsor SOPs, guidelines, and operational oversight, so in many ways, it’s also a workforce management solution with engagement/project management built in. When you look at it this way, it becomes increasingly important to consider the resourcing arm of the selected vendor. Your FSP partner should have a wealth of experience in staffing – most of the time, it is what their company was built from and transformed into an FSP partner.
The most essential part of any FSP is ensuring you have the right people. Our people are the bread and butter of our business processes. Orbis Clinical promotes a customer-focused approach that begins by exploring and dissecting the Sponsor’s goals and objectives to ensure our solution addresses every aspect. We then work closely with the sponsor stakeholders to design and customize a program that exceeds expectations. We know how important it is not just to find candidates but to ensure we find the right people for the job. Not just anyone that is on the market.
Excellence in FSP Operations
Orbis Clinical has a robust and real-time ATS (applicant tracking system), which is proprietary and gives our clients an edge in the hiring market. We use a proactive recruiting model that allows us to continually communicate with the marketplace and build pipelines of candidates that are available or coming soon. We have a team of seasoned subject matter experts that help us develop screening templates to ensure that we find available candidates and are screening strictly to meet our client’s requirements.
Orbis Clinical’s recruiting process has been honed to perfection over the last two decades, and we are laser-focused on Biometrics and Clinical. No business plan is the same, so we create tailored staffing plans for each Sponsor because we know there is no “one size fits all” operation.
So, why Orbis Clinical?
Simply put, our roots are in staffing, with a deep emphasis only on life sciences. The best way to look at it is from an opportunity-cost perspective, meaning the cost of not having the right resources in place when needed. This destroys continuity and results in elongated timelines, missed deadlines, and increased costs.
Orbis Clinical’s tailored FSP approach ensures your organization will get the best candidates for the role and reap the benefits of speed, quality, and cost savings. We aim to demonstrate this holistic and flexible approach by combining the best tools and practices with the best people. As a trusted advisor and partner, we strive to give your team stability, project visibility, innovation, creativity, and total commitment across the organization. Get started with us today!
About the Author:
Cory Rowe is the VP of Sales for Orbis Clinical and oversees the FSP and Contracting Resource Business Development teams. Cory has over eight years of experience within Life Sciences (with another 8+ years of sales/leadership outside of Life Sciences), specializing in Biometrics and Clinical. He started his staffing career as a Recruiter, then moved into Business Development, and has been in a Leadership role for the last three and half years. He has helped build a brand about building long-lasting relationships with clients and candidates while working to help support their unique challenges. When he is not working, Cory can be found spending time with his family (his wife and two kids), out on the golf course, or watching sports.