Building Win-Win Partnerships In Clinical Trial Supply

A conversation with Erica Olson, former senior vice president of global supply chain, Gilead Sciences

Clinical trial supply is a cornerstone of successful drug development, yet it is also one of the most complex and mission-critical functions within the pharmaceutical industry. Delays or disruptions in supply chains can ripple across clinical trials, affecting timelines, regulatory compliance, and, most importantly, patient access to investigational therapies. For clinical supply leaders, understanding how to foster productive, long-term relationships with suppliers is more than a logistical concern; it is a strategic imperative.

While many organizations emphasize timelines, cost, and quality as key performance metrics, the most effective collaborations go beyond these basics. True supplier partnership relies on trust, transparency, and a shared vision for success. It requires investing the time to understand what drives suppliers’ success, defining shared goals and responsibilities, and integrating technology to facilitate communication and data visibility.

In this Q&A, Elizabeth Urbanek, executive editor of Clinical Supply Leader, sits down with Erica Olson, a seasoned clinical supply expert, to explore the key elements of successful supplier collaboration, real-world examples of win-win partnerships, common challenges and missteps, and strategies for balancing timelines, quality, and cost across complex networks, including guidance for working with international vendors and multiple sites.

From your experience, what are the key elements of a successful supplier collaboration in clinical trial supply?

Erica Olson: Fundamentally, it all starts with building trust and communication. You have to invest the time in understanding what makes your supplier successful and how you build that win-win relationship with them. You need to focus on key roles, responsibilities, shared goals, alignment, and a relationship built on success. Together, look at risk management, contingency planning, and leveraging today's technology to integrate data. Drive transparency through data sharing and integration, accessing data through portals in real time rather than relying on emails and phone calls, for example.

Strong partnerships are built on people, process, and technology. Together, we use the technology to reduce some of the manual work. Use the time freed up to look at what the data is telling you and spend time on what problem you want to solve and how.  How do we win together? And I think that's the exciting space we're in today — technology allows us to integrate, be transparent, and then really focus on how we get speed to market. With technology,  we can make sure we have an uninterrupted supply and use our time more efficiently to solve problems.

In any supply chain, things change, and supply chains that are robust are flexible and adaptable to those changes. Creating a relationship with your supplier that allows for flexibility and adaptability is really important. Doing so may be different for each of us, so it’s important to spend time to really understand how creating a flexible, adaptable supply chain will build your relationship and make it sustainable going forward.

Ensure alignment on the basics such as performance management, feedback loops, visibility of demand and supply, and no surprises for both parties. That's critically important. Not everything is a must-have, so focus on what is a must-have versus nice-to-have and know that there may be trade-offs and be okay with that. Ultimately, a great supplier relationship is a win-win. Both go away feeling like they've won. You do that by focusing on what outcome we want, how we ensure our clinical trial and our patients get the medicines we all want, and by creating that common goal and vision.

Practical Takeaway: Establish shared goals, roles, and real-time data visibility at the start of every clinical trial supply engagement to reduce surprises and enable faster decision-making. Build flexibility into processes early so both parties can adapt to protocol changes and enrollment variability without disrupting supply.

Can you share an example of a win-win partnership with a supplier and what made it work?

Olson: When you look at clinical trials, the steps are: plan, source, make, package, and deliver. Build that win-win relationship with the supplier based on where they are in that value chain for you. Where I've seen a win-win, it has been based on spending time on the setup of the clinical trial, really understanding what success looks like at the end of that, and planning accordingly; in all aspects, you start at sourcing, through manufacture, packaging, and, ultimately, delivery to the patient

When you talk about negotiation, a common challenge is thinking it's transactional rather than a partnership. Instead, you need to be talking about what's in it for both parties, not just what's in it for me. Changing that mindset around successful negotiation isn't about “I win,” it's about “we win together,” and ultimately that drives the success for the patient.

Practical Takeaway: Align with suppliers early on what success looks like across the full clinical trial supply chain, from sourcing through delivery to sites and patients. Approach negotiations with a shared outcome mindset so incentives and expectations support reliable trial execution.

What are some common challenges or missteps that teams face when sourcing materials or working with vendors? And how can they avoid them?

Olson: First, you need to understand the cultural and regional factors of your suppliers. Even within a country, there are differences. Across borders, there are even more. You need to do the research, understand those differences first, and then spend time building those relationships before launching into getting it done. In some cultures, decision-making is hierarchical. You've got to understand that. If that's not how it is in your company, but it is in your supplier, how do you build that in and really understand those differences? Embrace them.

Differences, diversity, inclusion — supplier management allows you to put all of that into practice because you must influence rather than control. The best supplier relationships understand that dynamic and have fun in understanding and building it.

Communication is critical. Miscommunication and assumptions are common missteps. Always clarify assumptions because your assumptions may not align with your supplier’s. Recording and understanding assumptions enables more success.

Practical Takeaway: Assess cultural and decision-making dynamics of each supplier before trial startup to prevent delays and misalignment. Clearly document and confirm assumptions related to timelines, supply plans, and responsibilities to avoid execution issues during the study.

How do you balance timelines, quality, and cost when building strong supplier relationships?

Olson: You have to have a both/and mindset.  Look at the total cost of ownership — plan, source, make, deliver, returns — all of that is part of timeline, quality, and cost. Understand that perspective from both sides. It comes down to planning and execution, which is built on relationships, assumptions, and time investment on both sides.

Be clear on timelines. Quality is fundamental and nonnegotiable. Cost factors in all elements aren’t about trading off but integrating as one system. Expedited timelines affect cost. More time may lower cost. Timeline, quality, and cost must integrate to deliver what’s needed.

Practical Takeaway: Evaluate decisions using total cost of ownership across the clinical trial lifecycle rather than focusing on cost, timeline, or quality in isolation. Align with suppliers on how changes in enrollment or timelines impact cost while maintaining nonnegotiable quality and compliance standards.

Are there specific strategies you use to communicate expectations and maintain alignment with suppliers over time?

Olson: Invest your time in strategic suppliers. Have conversations about vision — share yours, hear theirs. Share common goals. Review these regularly because things change. Use operational and strategic reviews, look at performance, predict performance, and don’t wait for something to go wrong.

Cadence will be specific to each relationship and must take culture and regional factors into account. Hear what they want and adapt. Use technology, such as supplier portals, to access data and ensure transparency and integration. Agree on KPIs, track in real time, and problem-solve early indicators of issues. The exciting part of great supplier relationships is focusing on strategy rather than tactical tracking.

Practical Takeaway: Establish a consistent cadence of operational and strategic reviews tied to clinical supply KPIs such as site readiness, inventory levels, and on-time delivery. Use real-time data visibility to identify risks early and prevent disruptions to trial supply.

Any advice for teams working with international vendors or across multiple sites?

Olson: Listen for understanding. Check assumptions. Spend time listening, understanding, and playing back what you heard. Diversity and cultural differences enrich solutions and build a resilient, adaptable supply chain for patients.

Communication styles matter. Discuss communication styles before launching work — it speeds up progress. Enjoy the interaction with the supplier. Understand how they like to work and adapt to it. Build relationships, understand their system as much as yours, and bridge gaps. That will create partnerships that can last 10+ years with the right strategy and investment.

Practical Takeaway: Align on communication styles and expectations at the outset, especially when coordinating across global trial sites and vendors. Invest in understanding how each partner operates to support consistent supply to sites and patients across regions.

About The Expert:

Erica Olson is a global supply chain executive with 25+ years of experience leading clinical and commercial operations in the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors. She has driven enterprise transformation through ERP modernization, advanced analytics, and AI‑enabled solutions that enhance resilience, visibility, and decision-making. Her expertise spans clinical and commercial planning, strategic sourcing, supplier and CDMO management, logistics, inventory, trade compliance, and M&A for multibillion‑dollar portfolios. Known for building high-performing teams and operational rigor, Erica delivers scalable, future-ready supply chain solutions that support innovation and reliable patient access. She has held leadership roles at Gilead Sciences, Clinigen, and GSK, bringing deep, hands-on experience across diverse global supply chains.