Cellomatics is supporting the expansion of its services to meet the needs of its clients by introducing a Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) contract service.
To date, Cellomatics has been offering a Fee for Service (FFS) standalone model. This is based on a defined set of project deliverables and therefore works for many clients interested in short-term or proof of concept projects where the project scope is well defined, and a specific question needs to be answered.
This model provides Cellomatics with flexibility in terms of resource allocation for different projects as the team can work on multiple projects in parallel over a short period of time and can be moved around as required. However, this is not best suited for clients with long-term projects which require flexibility to adapt workplans as results and data are generated.
Cellomatics has therefore made a conscious strategic decision to adapt its approach and introduce an FTE fee model to complement our well-established FFS-based service offerings.
Commenting on the move, CEO and Founder, Shailendra Singh, said: “This is a tactical decision to support the expansion of our services and meet the needs of our clients. This way of working provides the basis for more strategic partnerships with our clients where we can work as an extension of their team.”
“The FTE arrangement will also provide us with longer-term revenue visibility thus helping us with the planning of resources and financial projections. Over the course of the FTE project, the project team members develop a close working relationship with the client counterparts and therefore take accountability and responsibility for their aspect of the work leading to high-quality deliverables and customer satisfaction.”
Benefits for our clients
FTE contract arrangements provide Cellomatics’ clients with a dedicated scientific project team at a fixed cost for a defined period. This type of arrangement is beneficial for long-term projects where the scope is not well defined, and the client would prefer the CRO to be flexible to meet the changing demands and needs of the project.
Other benefits to the client include consistency in the work, a dedicated pool of scientists to work on their project, short lead-time to initiate any new piece of work, better response, and quicker turnaround times with a high quality of work. Clients can also benefit from better visibility of their project costs, financial projections, budget, and profitability.
“We had a soft launch of this service in January 2021 and over the past year we have secured eight FTE contracts, with some of those clients seeking an extension to their initial contracts,” comments Shailendra. “Feedback from our clients has been very positive and the Cellomatics scientific team is also enjoying the close working relationship with client teams. This has been very encouraging and has provided the catalyst for us to expand this service.”
Looking ahead
BioCity-based Cellomatics has experienced an increasing demand for this service, with many clients expressing an interest in the FTE model. It is anticipated that there will be a growth in FTE contracts in the months ahead.
Shailendra concludes, “With the kind of specialised preclinical services that Cellomatics offers, and as biotech and pharma companies increasingly look to run parallel development programmes for multiple compounds, FTE contracts will continue to rise.”
To find out more about FTE contracts at Cellomatics, and how we can support your development programme, speak to a member of the team today.
