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How to Evaluate a New Vendor Without Wasting Time

How to Evaluate a New Vendor Without Wasting Time

Neil Stern |

You’re 30 seconds into a sales pitch you didn’t ask for.
You’re polite — but already thinking about how to end the call.

Sound familiar?

Every facility leader has been there.
You’re juggling a hundred fires, and now someone wants you to test-drive a new vendor?
No thanks.

But here’s the truth:
The right vendor can save you time, money, and operational pain.
The key is knowing how to evaluate quickly — without the meetings, the fluff, or the drain on your team.


Here’s how to size up a vendor in 10 minutes or less:

1. Ask for an apples-to-apples quote.

If they can’t quote what you’re already buying — without forcing a catalog dump or product switch — that’s a red flag.

Good vendors adapt to you. Not the other way around.


2. Test response time.

Send a simple quote request or pricing inquiry.
Clock how long it takes them to respond.
You just learned how they’ll handle your orders, backorders, and issues.


3. Watch for hidden friction.

Are they asking for logins, contracts, account setups, or long calls before giving you pricing?

That’s not a vendor. That’s a project.

Keep moving.


4. Check if they play nice with your system.

DSSI? OnCare? EHR-integrated?
If they’re not already working with platforms like yours, it’s going to be an uphill climb.


5. Ask how they handle problems.

What happens when an order is wrong?
Do they fix it fast — or make you prove it first?

You’re not just buying product. You’re buying how they react when things go sideways.


Fast filter: Try one item.

Don’t roll out the red carpet.
Just ask them to quote one product you already buy.
Let their price, speed, and attitude do the talking.


👉 Want to try it with us?

Send us just one line item.
No contract. No system change. No pressure.
We’ll quote it — fast — and let you decide from there.

Request a Quote →


You don’t need another vendor.
You need a partner who shows up fast, makes things easy, and fixes problems when they happen.

That’s how SupplyLine has grown to serve 3,000+ facilities nationwide — one quote at a time.

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