🗓️ What Your Facility Should Be Doing Every Quarter: A Procurement & Vendor Management Calendar

In long-term care and healthcare operations, staying ahead isn’t just about pricing: it’s about preparation. Every quarter presents an opportunity to take a step back, assess, and proactively improve how your facility is managing vendors, procurement processes, and compliance measures.

Here’s a quarterly checklist to keep your purchasing program running smoothly, reduce risk, and ensure you’re getting the most value from your vendor relationships.

🔁 Contract Reviews

At the start of each quarter, review all active vendor contracts. Focus on:

- Identifying any contracts set to expire within the next 90–120 days.

- Reviewing contract terms and assessing whether renegotiation is possible, especially around pricing, delivery expectations, or service standards.

- Ensuring that all current contracts are active, signed, and accessible.

💡 Tip: Use this opportunity to evaluate whether you’re still satisfied with the vendor’s performance and support. If not, it may be time to explore alternatives or renew with updated terms.

💲 Price Comparisons & High-Volume Item Review

Not all savings come from switching vendors. Sometimes, it’s about optimizing what you buy and from whom.

Each quarter, run purchasing reports on high-volume, high-spend categories like:

- Incontinence supplies (briefs, pull-ups, underpads)

- Wound care products

- Dietary or nutritional supplements

- Any other large-ticket or frequent-use categories

Then, compare vendors across:

- Unit pricing

- Delivery consistency

- Bulk order incentives

Use this data to consolidate purchases with the vendor offering the most favorable pricing for specific product categories.

💡 Tip: This doesn’t mean dropping all other vendors, but it does mean maximizing your spend with the ones giving you the most value.

✅ Compliance & Equipment Checks

While “compliance” may feel broad, it’s a critical component that shouldn’t be overlooked.

Quarterly, your facility should:

- Review all equipment and supply items for expiration dates or wear and tear.

- Ensure durable medical equipment is functioning correctly and documented appropriately.

- Confirm that required licenses, certifications, or FDA documentation for certain products are up to date.

- Inspect stockrooms and storage to verify proper conditions and labeling.

🔍 Note: Even small issues, like a cracked casing on a piece of equipment or a lapsed product registration, can become a state survey citation. Don’t let overlooked details become costly mistakes.

🚨 Survey & Regulatory Readiness

One of the most underrated (and critical) reasons to stay on top of this calendar? State inspections.

While certain compliance tasks may seem unnecessary day-to-day, they become essential when surveyors arrive. Small flags – like expired wound care supplies or incomplete purchase records – can result in citations and added scrutiny.

📌 Other Quarterly Best Practices:

We recommend also including the following tasks on your quarterly checklist:

- ☐ Review open/unpaid invoices for vendor accuracy

- ☐ Evaluate backorder patterns and switch vendors if needed

- ☐ Track vendor response times and support quality

- ☐ Conduct an internal audit of purchasing protocols and user permissions

- Review GPO performance and contract utilization – see if you’re taking full advantage of negotiated pricing

- Assess product substitutions or trial programs – identify which ones are working, which aren’t, and where consistency matters

At Platform Solutions, we work closely with facilities just like yours to simplify procurement, strengthen vendor relationships, and stay ahead of compliance demands. Whether you need a second set of eyes on contract management, better pricing insights, or help navigating purchasing tools, our team brings deep long-term care expertise to every conversation. If you’re not sure where to start or want to fine-tune your process, we’re here – and we’re happy to help. Feel free to reach out at info@platformsolutions.com or 732.519.0400.

Final Thoughts

Quarterly reviews may sound tedious, but they’re one of the most powerful ways to stay ahead of compliance issues, reduce wasteful spending, and keep operations running smoothly. Build the habit, and you’ll turn fire drills into predictable, manageable tasks.

Stay organized. Stay audit-ready. And keep your vendor partnerships working for you – not the other way around.