Stop selling delivery and start proving innovation in life sciences services

Our survey of 100 enterprise clients over the course of the year revealed that life sciences enterprises are confident in service providers’ delivery capabilities, industry expertise, and geographical coverage. At the same time, they’re waiting for more IP invention and bolder investments. Providers that scored 9.0 for breadth/depth of offerings and talent invest too little in proprietary innovation. Here are our top key findings:

Quality of service delivery isn’t a very strong differentiator

A score of 8.9 for service delivery quality indicates that effective execution is now a standard expectation. Life sciences enterprises no longer view service quality as a differentiator; it’s simply a baseline requirement. If providers continue to emphasize “great delivery,” they risk being seen as commodities in the market.

Innovation scores high, but investment lags

Scores of 8.7 for co-innovation with enterprises and partners, 8.5 for identifiable investments in business and capabilities, and 8.4 for IP development and R&D show that enterprises value collaboration. However, they don’t see providers putting enough of their own capital or IP behind their promises.

Creative pricing and global reach are table stakes

Enterprises rated 9.0 for both creative commercial models and geographical coverage, indicating that these are critical requirements. In today’s post-pandemic, rapidly changing market, pricing flexibility and broad regional presence are non-negotiable.

Life sciences buyers expect domain knowledge

A top score of 9.1 each for industry expertise and breadth/depth of offerings highlights a crucial shift that many have overlooked: life science enterprises now expect service providers to demonstrate deep scientific expertise, regulatory capabilities, and therapeutic-specific accelerators.

The Bottom Line: Life sciences enterprises can no longer reward delivery alone. They must demand co-investment, co-owned IP, and regulatory-grade innovation from every provider.