The Elements of Pricing

Product vs Solution

In any industry where you are looking for software/technology to address issues, you can find a range of choices. These choices fall into two main categories: products and solutions.

In the context of laboratory software, a product refers to a standardized, out-of-the-box software application designed for general use. Examples include Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS), Electronic Lab Notebooks (ELNs), or Chromatography Data Systems (CDS) that come with predefined features and functionalities.

A solution, on the other hand, encompasses not just the core software product but also customization, configuration, and ongoing support services tailored to the specific needs of the laboratory. Solutions often involve consulting, integration with existing systems, user training, and continuous updates to ensure optimal performance.

Pros and Cons of Products vs. Solutions

Why Solutions Are Generally the Better Choice

While products may be sufficient for smaller labs with standard processes, solutions provide a more sustainable and effective approach for laboratories with specific workflows, compliance needs, and integration requirements.

• Customization: Solutions can be configured to meet unique laboratory processes, ensuring efficiency and regulatory compliance.

• Integration: Many labs rely on multiple software systems (e.g., LIMS, ELN, ERP), and a solution ensures seamless data exchange between them.

• Scalability: As laboratory needs evolve, a solution can be adapted, whereas a product may become obsolete or require costly upgrades.

• Support & Training: Ongoing vendor support ensures help with troubleshooting, updates, and compliance with industry regulations.

For laboratories aiming for long-term efficiency, compliance, and adaptability, solutions are typically the better choice, despite the higher upfront investment. They deliver greater ROI by reducing inefficiencies, improving data integrity, and supporting the lab's growth over time.

LabLynx Provides Solutions

Because of our unwavering commitment to complete customer satisfaction, LabLynx is firmly dedicated to providing solutions: custom combinations of product(s) and services that are tailored precisely to your unique set of needs and preferences. We will never sell you a product and leave you on your own. Our job is not done until you are fully satisfied that you have the answer to the issues that you were looking to solve. 

Our commitment is to ongoing, unmatched, personalized service and support that keeps your lab’s operations optimized no matter how the lab’s needs change, adapt, and grow over time.

 

Licensing Options

LabLynx solutions are available either on a subscription basis or through purchase of perpetual licenses, depending on the solution and application.

Recurring Subscription Costs

Subscriptions are typically billed annually, but are also available on a monthly basis, forfeiting the discount applied to annual subscriptions. Many solutions are a combination of up-front costs and ongoing subscription costs.

For the ELabLIMS, perpetual licenses can be purchased for cost based on the number of concurrent users that is paid up front. Then there is also an ongoing annual maintenance, support and warranty (MSW) fee that is a percentage of the license cost. In almost all cases, there is a one-time setup cost plus an ongoing subscription or MSW fee.

Recurring costs can include licensing for the LIMS/ELN, hosting, maintenance and warranty, Portal, LabDrive, and upgraded server storage.

Non-Recurring / One-time Costs

One-time costs are indicated as such on your budgetary proposal and final agreement, as are any subscription or MSW fees. One-time costs can include various LIMS modules or functional elements, such as:

• LIMS Core Module
• Agriculture Module
• Environmental Module
• Clinical Diagnostics Module
• Materials Testing Module
• CannaQA Module
• Toxicology Module
• Veterinary Module
• Medical Examiner Office Module
• Forensic Module
• Clinical Research Module
• Used Oil Analysis Module
• Manufacturing Module
• QA/QC Module
• Product Management Module
• Agriculture Module
• myLabCare Client Portal
• Advanced Inventory Module
• Advanced Control Charts Module
• Invoicing Module
  
• Sample Scheduling Module
• Flow Plate Batching
  

Where applicable, setup/configuration costs may also apply.

 

Comparing Hourly vs Fixed-Price Services 

Choosing between hourly payment and fixed price with a fixed scope when building software or providing software services comes with distinct advantages and disadvantages for both clients and providers. Here's a breakdown of each approach:

Hourly Approach
With an hourly payment model, flexibility is a key advantage. It allows for easy adaptation to changing requirements and priorities, making it ideal for projects with uncertain or evolving scopes. Transparency is another benefit, as clients pay only for the actual work done, which can potentially lead to cost savings if the project is efficient. This model fosters a collaborative relationship, reducing the pressure to define all details upfront and encouraging ongoing adjustments. Additionally, it requires a lower initial financial commitment, allowing clients to start small and scale as needed. However, the main disadvantage of hourly payments is cost uncertainty, as the final price can be unpredictable if the project takes longer than expected. Clients must also invest time in monitoring progress to ensure costs remain within budget.

Fixed Price, Fixed Scope Approach
A fixed price with a fixed scope provides cost predictability, giving clients a clear understanding of the total expense upfront and making budgeting easier. This approach offers structured execution with well-defined deliverables and milestones, making it easier to compare proposals from different providers. It requires less ongoing oversight from the client, reducing the need for constant involvement in the project's progress. On the downside, fixed pricing can be inflexible, with changes to the scope leading to renegotiation and additional costs. The planning phase can be lengthy, as it requires detailed documentation and upfront clarity, which may delay the project start. Additionally, misunderstandings in requirements could lead to misalignment and dissatisfaction with the final outcome.

When to Choose Which Approach

Criteria	Hourly Basis	Fixed Price with Fixed Scope
Project Scope	Uncertain or evolving and both the client and provider collaborate to define the scope.	Well-defined and stable but the client must provide detailed specifications
Budget Control	Variable and requires tracking	Fixed and predictable, dependent on written detailed scope and requirements
Flexibility Need	High	Low
Risk Tolerance	Shared (client and provider)	Shared (client & provider)
Project Complexity	Complex, long-term, or variable in nature	Simple, well-understood
Client Involvement	High (ongoing collaboration)	Low (set and forget)

Final Thoughts:
Go hourly when flexibility and adaptability are crucial, especially for iterative development like Agile projects.
Go fixed price when you have a clear vision and written scope of the deliverables and little room for changes.
In the end, the price is roughly the same given the exact same scope, but hourly is more flexible.