Write down the purchasing work you need done before comparing prices. A salary, software subscription and service fee may pay for very different things. For each option, ask what your staff would still have to do.
BLS describes purchasing work as including supplier evaluation, price analysis, delivery agreements, problems with received goods and recordkeeping. Use that list to check for tasks a job description or proposal may have missed. BLS purchasing occupations.
When each approach may fit
Hire when you need someone with local knowledge, someone on site or someone who can handle work beyond purchasing. Budget for recruitment, training and management, and decide who covers absences.
Buy software when staff already handle the work but need better records or tools. Be clear about who will maintain item and supplier information, use the software and deal with problems it flags.
Use an outside service when you can hand off specific, recurring tasks through authorized supplier channels. Agree what the service completes, what it brings back to you, when it’s available and how you’ll check the work.
None of these is always cheaper. You may need a combination. Check for gaps and for work you’d be paying two people to do.
Give each option the same two weeks of work
For example, a three-site operator could record two weeks of purchasing tasks: clarifying requests, checking quotes, chasing suppliers, receiving goods and investigating invoices. For each task, note how often it happens, the time it takes, the access and approval it needs, and whether someone must be on site.
Use that same sample when reviewing a hire, software or service. If a service excludes invoice disputes, its price doesn’t cover the same work as a person who handles them. If software flags a mismatch, find out who follows it up. Backorder follow-up makes a useful sample task.
Who usually does each task
| Task | Hire | Software | Outside service |
|---|---|---|---|
| Approve purchases | Your buyer | Your buyer | Your buyer |
| Chase suppliers | New hire | Your staff | Service, if included |
| Check deliveries | Site staff | Site staff | Site staff |
| Investigate invoices | New hire | Your staff | Service, if included |
| Fees | Employer cost | ______ | ______ |
Buying medical supplies is different work from facilities, IT and other purchased services, and some outside services cover only those categories. ModMed describes ModMed Procure as purchasing software for practices to compare suppliers and place orders. Compare named options in our Hybrent and Nitra comparisons.
Decision worksheet
Complete a column for hiring, software and an outside service:
- Work included and explicitly excluded: ______
- First-year fees, implementation, recruitment and training: ______
- Ongoing fees or employer cost: ______
- Staff time still needed for approvals, supervision and problems: ______
- Required supplier access and supported channels: ______
- Coverage when the usual owner is unavailable: ______
- Who follows up on unresolved issues: ______
- Evidence that the work is complete: ______
- Exit terms and record handoff: ______
Use your own employment costs, including benefits as well as wages. BLS’s compensation framework covers both. Time saved only reduces payroll if your spending changes. BLS compensation concepts.
Where Manoa fits
Manoa is a purchasing service: our AI agents and purchasing specialists prepare purchases, place approved orders, follow up with suppliers and reconcile invoices. Your team would still approve purchases and changes, make clinical decisions, check deliveries and handle accounting and payments. If you already have purchasing staff, we work alongside them and take the work they hand us.
Whichever provider you consider, ask them to show how they handle your work. To see how Manoa handles it, try the purchasing example and tell us about a few tasks you want to hand off.
