Finding Resources

HOW DOES A PHYSICIAN CHOOSE THE RIGHT OUTSOURCING PARTNER?

Contract development companies and individuals come in a variety of shapes and sizes. As a medical device inventor, you will need to find a company or resource(s) that is responsive to your needs. Although not always the case, you may find smaller development shops or individual engineers to be more responsive and provide greater attention to an individual inventor, since the larger firms often support big budget projects for the top medical device companies.

The power of the Internet and advancement in prototyping tools have made it possible for small development firms to interact with inventors remotely, share drawings and documents, and providing prototypes in an efficient fashion. The key attributes of a product development company are good communication skills and proven technical resources.

During the process of searching/evaluating potential outsourced partners, the most common tool for gaining information is a “request for proposal” (RFP). The RFP is your opportunity to gain background information, confirm your assumptions, and to ask the company to provide a quotation (proposal) on executing tasks. The better you define the scope of work with detailed deliverables, the greater chance of avoiding design/cost creep.

Once you choose the development company, you will want to define the relationship with the vendor in an “independent contractor agreement”. Law firms have standard agreements that should not be costly and legal counsel is recommended. Often contract firms will provide a quotation form that acts as a legal contract, but these forms are notoriously minimal in legal language and will not protect your ownership as rigorously as necessary. You must ensure that any agreement with a outsourced vendor clearly states that you own all enhancements or development of your idea that are synthesized out of the effort, including all the drawings and support materials. Finally, you will need to define the terms of payment.