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This buyer's guide is based off the LIMS Buyer's Guide, a former publication of the Laboratory Informatics Institute (LII), an open trade association that was associated with LabLynx, Inc. In late 2013, the LII and LabLynx discontinued publishing a copyrighted version and chose to release future guides to the public domain via this wiki. Per the Creative Commons license and the copyright terms of this site, you are free to copy, adapt, distribute, and transmit this guide as long as you 1. give proper attribution and 2. distribute the work only under the same or a similar license.

About this guide

What exactly is a laboratory information management system (LIMS) or laboratory information system (LIS) anyway? Do I need one? What options are available and how do I compare them? Where does a user requirements specification (USR), request for information (RFI), request for proposal (RFP), or request for quotation (RFQ) come into play, and how does it fit into acquiring a laboratory informatics solution? These are questions laboratory professionals typically ponder upon finding themselves charged with the mission of finding software for their lab. It can be a daunting proposition, and there are few at least partially objective references to help with it all. This brief guide exists to, in part, meet that need.

At the core of this buyer's guide are several elements, including core information about evaluating, acquiring, and implementing laboratory software that fits your lab's needs. Also included here are laboratory informatics vendors who actually make their pricing partially or fully public, through one means or another. That pricing may be fully transparent and posted on the company website, or it may be a partial representation of the lowest possible price offered, as with those vendors who have a publicly viewable contract with the U.S. General Services Administration. While in the past vendors have refrained from providing public pricing, a more open information process may have its merits (particularly for potential buyers), though also not without its own set of caveats. The theory—at least on paper—has been that prices should decrease as LIMS become commodities that labs can compare and contrast in a more competitive fashion. However, it remains to be seen if that will ever be the case.

Laboratories are, by their very nature, in the business of producing analytical data and reports, essentially information. Everything else that occurs in the laboratory is largely just a means towards that central goal of producing timely, accurate, and unbiased information. As such, in a very real sense, information management is, by extension, also at the core of any lab. In a world where we use the latest technology for most of our daily tasks and pleasures, why do so many labs still rely on hand-written notes and spreadsheets? Why do they still spend thousands of dollars on a sophisticated analytical instrument yet hesitate when faced with purchasing an information management system? The primary reason has traditionally been the cost associated with acquiring an informatics solution, as well as not having the information technology resources to properly implement it.

Software solutions like LIMS are increasingly becoming commodities, and potential buyers don't need to find the acquisition process as daunting as it used to be. As technology has improved, smaller LIMS companies have emerged, along with affordable cloud-based SaaS options that are flexible and reliable. This means any lab can put their resources where they belong: into its analytical information and its management.

This brief buyer's guide is here to help you take the first steps towards acquiring a laboratory informatics solution. Use these vendor profiles and recommendations to get a feel for what's out there and what makes the most sense. This guide contains information on a little bit of everything, from discovering what a LIMS is to maintaining and supporting that system. While the LIMS is the stand-out solution among the crowd for laboratories, this guide may also reference other systems like a LIS or electronic laboratory notebook (ELN).

What software can help my lab, and how?

Laboratory, scientific, and healthcare informatics solutions can improve laboratory workflows and workloads while enhancing safety, quality, and compliance in a number of ways. Most importantly, paper-based labs are disadvantaged in their inability to be secure, searchable, and modifiable.

A fragmented mix of paper-based and electronic information sources can be a detriment to the traceability of or rapid accessibility to quality control samples, standard operating procedures (SOPs), calibration data, chain of custody data, and other vital aspects of analytical, sampling, and calibration testing in the lab. A well-implemented LIMS can reduce the silos of information and data, while at the same time make that information and data more secure and readily accessible. Given the standard's demands for providing rapid proof of traceable sample movement and relevant quality control data, the LIMS acts as the central integrator and audit trail for that information. Because the LIMS improves traceability—including through its automated interfaces with instruments and other data systems—real-time monitoring of supply chain issues, quality control data, instrument use, and more is further enabled, particularly when paired with configurable dashboards and alert mechanisms. By extension, labs can more rapidly act on insights gained from those real-time dashboards.

There is a growing variety of software to help the lab adapt and remain competitive. The LIMS and LIS are similar, in that they focus on the entire laboratory process and improving the various aspects of it. Traditionally, the LIMS has been used in more non-clinical environments and the LIS in more clinical environments, but that distinction has been fading for well over a decade. These distinctions have blurred even more with the age of modular and platformed software solutions that are able to adapt to most any industry. For now, just know that these systems are a bit more holistic, placing the focus on improving your lab's workflows. Outside of that, there are other more specialized solutions, including:

• the ELN, which is used in many research and development environments (among others) as a means to securely and collaboratively document experiments and their results;
• the laboratory execution system (LES), which is used in production-based environments to ensure the rigidity of a method and and the process' end result;
• the chromatography data system (CDS), which is used to accurately collect, process, and visualize chromatography data; and
• the scientific data management system (SDMS), which is used to collect disparate silos of data and information across the laboratory enterprise and make it more actionable.

How do I find the right LIMS, and how much will it cost?

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OK, LIMS are getting more affordable, but where do you start? You may know the needs of your lab and how it runs, but perhaps you don't know LIMS and are intimidated by all the options. Take heart! This guide features a compiled list of major and minor players to help you make initial comparisons. However, you'll first need to gauge your lab's informatics needs in order to determine which products are worth investigating further. Of course your lab's analysis requirements, reporting and data sharing constraints, instrument interfacing, barcoding needs, quality assurance processes, etc. are very important factors. But LIMS vary in numerous ways, and other important factors exist. Price should certainly be considered, although value is ultimately more important than a low price. Other important considerations:

• Should we purchase licenses or "rent" them via subscription?
• Does the software need to be on-site, or is a SaaS hosted option more practical?
• Is a modular or complete system better for us?
• What is the best licensing/rental scheme for us? Show we consider site, named user, concurrent user, or workstation licenses?
• Is the company qualified and trustworthy?

Purchase vs. subscribe

In the past this was not an option. But much like the recent trend toward leasing cars rather than finding a large amount of money for up-front purchasing, labs can choose to pay only the cost of services (setup, training, report configuration, instrument interfaces, data migration, custom functions, etc.) and get started on a monthly subscription rather than buy licenses outright. When does this make sense? Subscriptions make sense primarily:

• ...if a large lump sum is hard to get budgeted. If your business cash flow will support the regular subscription fee but finding license fees is more problematic, then a subscription may be right for you. But do the math. Calculate project costs over a reasonable period (e.g. five years) to make sure it is a value proposition. Be sure to include maintenance and support in your figures; this is often included in a subscription but not in a license.
• ...if you may need to reduce the number of users. Once you buy licenses, they are yours. You can't "un-buy" them. But with a subscription you can raise and lower the number of users, workstations, etc. as you need to.
• ...if you may need to bail. Business decisions often need to be dynamic. Your lab may decide to go into another area of analysis, and if your LIMS isn't versatile enough to support the change, you have potentially wasted a lot of money.

On the other hand, it may be important to you to have the LIMS source code. Some subscriptions allow you just as much access to it as if you had purchased licenses, while others may not give you the access you seek. Confirm this with the vendor. Alos, ask whether you get to keep an image of the database should you decide to end your subscription.

Onsite vs. SaaS

A small but growing number of LIMS vendors will actually host your system on their servers for you or cloud-host it elsewhere. We refer to software accessed via the Internet rather than your workstation or server as software as a service or SaaS. Most of us already make copious use of SaaS whenever we "Google" something. Cloudhosted SaaS is characterized by multiple load-balanced servers that allow resources to be strategically used, and virtualized servers that allow for the creation of custom environments.To decide if SaaS is for you or if you should go the traditional route, here are some points to consider:

• If you have a small or overworked IT department, or none at all, then it may make sense to let the LIMS provider take care of those functions rather than invest in additional hardware, personnel, and other resources just to support your LIMS. If you are a large company with an extensive and capable IT department, then you may prefer the LIMS and its database to reside on premises.
• IT techs cite security as a major reason to keep a LIMS on lab premises. The truth is, if the vendor uses a SAS-70 or SAS 70 Type II data center to host, with GxP SOPs, your system and data are probably a lot safer than on a typical business infrastructure. Ask the vendor.
• If you decide to have your system hosted, ensure it's not by Bob and his buddy in their basement. The vendor needs to have been around awhile, have solid references, and feature good customer service.
• A reputable SaaS host will guarantee you high availability, approaching 100% up time, with quick and responsive catastrophe response. Redundant components and infrastructure (power, cooling, etc.) allow them to do that.

Modular vs. complete

Some LIMS are offered as a collection of modules for you to select from to constitute your completed system, while others come complete with all the functionality available. Those whose LIMS are modular espouse the benefit of only paying for the functionality you need. Those whose LIMS come as a complete package say labs won't need to pay extra for any add-ons. Who's right? Well, it depends. If buying modules means you need one module for sample tracking and another for data entry, and still another to generate reports, then it may not be long before you run up a sizable bill just to get basic standard functionality, especially if the modules require hourly services to implement. If the modules tend to be industry-specific and complete, then they may make sense. Make sure you compare your needs with the product functionality and identify all costs associated with getting everything you need out of the software.

Named users vs. concurrent users

When comparing license fees, understand the difference between named users and concurrent users. If a vendor charges by named users, and your lab will have 30 people who will use the LIMS at any time, you will need 30 licenses. If the vendor charges by concurrent users, then you only need enough licenses to cover the number of users who are likely to be on the system at the same time. Typically in a lab with 30 staff, you might need a maximum of 20 concurrent user licenses. This is reduced even further if you have sites in other parts of the world whose work days differ.

The company

As important as the LIMS and its functions are to you, the company is at least as important. Make no mistake: this is a relationship you are entering into. This is not like selecting a piece of furniture. A LIMS is like a living, dynamic entity, and you'll need to interact with the vendor from time to time even with the most trouble-free system. Of course that interaction will be particularly intense in the beginning as they provide installation, provisioning, training, and other set-up services. Take your cue from your initial dealings with them. Just like in any relationship, they will be presenting their best side to you then. If the vendor return calls or emails late or fails to follow through with what they say they'll do, then you can bet it will be much worse once you are their customer. So yes, do the usual: research their years in business, size, staff qualifications, references, etc., but also ask yourself if you would be comfortable doing business with the vendor in the long term.

The functionality

And now we come to what probably has weighed most on your mind since you had the first idea you might need a LIMS: functions and features. The functionality of the LIMS is paramount, so it is important you first have an idea of what a LIMS can do, and then you can begin to decide which functions and features you need or want.

Core functions and features

You should expect the following functions to be demonstrated in a full-function LIMS:

• audit trail
• barcoding
• batching
• chain of custody
• configurable setup
• data entry
• data warehousing and mining
• document management
• electronic data exchange
• data warehousing and mining
• event-driven actions
• fax and email integration
• formulas
• instrument interfacing, calibration, and maintenance
• inventory
• login and accessioning
• multiple location/department support
• regulatory compliance
• reporting
• review and approval
• sample management and tracking
• scheduling
• training tracking
• trending and control charting
• version control
• workload management
• workflow management

Additional useful features

The following functions aren't necessary for all but useful for many:

• case management
• complaints and corrective actions
• customer relationship management
• electronic laboratory notebook
• ERP and accounting interfaces
• invoicing
• product specification management
• project management
• RFID
• quoting
• safety tracking and compliance
• supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) interfacing
• stability management
• web client or portal

How much will it cost?

OK, now you understand what to look for in a company and its products. What you likely don't yet know: the price tag. Heck, most of us don't even know how LIMS vendors price their products or what is involved, much less how much they actually cost. In truth, there are three vital pricing components for any LIMS:

1. licenses
2. subscriptions
3. services

The software itself never comprises the entire cost. LIMS are complex creatures, and your lab, even if it's small, is fairly complex, too. Let's go over what's involved and how much it's roughly going to cost.

Licenses

If the software has a purchased license type (as opposed to rented/subscription), then you will of course have to pay for those. Keep in mind what we said earlier about named vs. concurrent user pricing. Other methods include by site, by CPU or server, by workstation, or by unlimited user corporate level licensing. Arguably the lack of standardization in this area has contributed as much as anything to the vagueness that has surrounded LIMS pricing for so long. The linked vendor profiles in the next section feature pricing information for licenses for the included vendors. (Remember: the primary criterion for inclusion is publicly available pricing.) Review and compare, but make sure you factor in pricing method.

Subscriptions

These include two possible items:

1. rented or SaaS LIMS
2. annual maintenance, support, and warranty (MSW)

The cost of LIMS rental is equivalent to the licensed type, but a lump sum up front is not required. These can run anywhere from a couple of hundred dollars a month for a single user up to maybe $2000 or so for 20+ users. Just like purchased licenses, however, these can be priced by site, concurrent or named users, etc., so make sure you compare like with like or at least factor these considerations in as you shop. And your rental may be annual instead of monthly. In most cases it does include all IT services and maintenance, support, and warranty, including updates, at a specified level.

The second type of subscription cost is annual MSW, and you need to factor that into your budgeting if you are buying LIMS licenses. Typically it is priced at around 15 percent of the license fee and is available at graduated levels. A certain level may be standard for a certain number of licenses (for example, 10 hours of support and additional services available at $200 per hour for a 10-concurrent user LIMS), but you can buy a higher level of support and cheaper rate for additional services if you want to pay extra. One thing to keep in mind: with an MSW you will certainly need coverage as you go through your first year. If you think you can then drop it, think again. A modern LIMS should be built on technology that can give it a much longer life span than those in years past. That is dependent on staying updated. If you lose that update path, your LIMS will expire prematurely. If you decide later to renew MSW, you may find yourself liable for the missed years before the vendor will bring you current.

Services

Your LIMS is a function of the cost of the LIMS itself plus the services involved in its implementation plus, in the case of a licensed LIMS, annual MSW. Many first-time LIMS buyers neglect to factor in the cost of services when budgeting. As mentioned earlier, any LIMS will require services to get going, and you may want more if there are extras you need or want. Services break down more or less like this:

Basic implementation services

• kickoff meeting (planning, coordination, communication procedures, etc.)
• ƒtraining
• setup (enter users, configure profiles, departments, tests, screens, etc.)
• create main report(s)
• go live support

Additional or optional services

• instrument interfaces
• additional reports
• data migration from a previous system
• interfaces to other systems or databases
• special customizations
• web portal configuration
• validation
• standards certification support

You may need other services. Rates for services vary from vendor to vendor, but a good rule of thumb for initial budgeting purposes is to figure service costs to be roughly equal to the licensing cost or to a year's worth of LIMS subscription.

 

Commercial vendors with public pricing

Finally, a primary criterion for inclusion in this guide is publicly available pricing information that can thusly be cited. If citeable public pricing is not available, the vendor will not be listed in this guide. Any vendors who remove pricing or no longer make it public will be removed from the vendor list.

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Website and submitted pricing

These vendors either post most of their pricing information for their solutions on their website or have submitted their pricing to the wiki admin directly. In all cases, be sure to contact the vendor to verify pricing, as it may change with little notice. Vendors are sorted by number of public videos demonstrating how their products work.

Vendor Pricing Has cloud or SaaS offering? # of demo videos LIMS? LIS? ELN? CDS and/or SDMS? Additional notes Research Innovations Limited Link Yes 90+ No No Yes No LabKey Corporation Link Yes 86 Yes No Yes Yes Biomatters Ltd. Link No 68 Yes No No No Creliant Software Pvt. Ltd. Link Yes 60 No Yes No No Vendor:LabArchives, LLC Link Yes 56 No No Yes No All but Enterprise pricing listed. Labii, Inc. Link Yes 56 Yes No Yes No Product is combination LIMS and ELN SLCLAB Informática SL Link Yes 38 Yes Yes No No Labstep Ltd. Link Yes 28 No No Yes No Terra Systems OÜ Link No 17 No Yes No No Pricing only available for MiniLIS, not other products. MEDEORA GmbH Link Yes 16 Yes No No No HealthScion Technologies Pvt. Ltd. Link Yes 15 Yes No No No LIMS is part of a larger overall platform. LabLynx, Inc. Link Yes 15 Yes Yes Yes Yes Pricing supplied directly by company. Labforward GmbH Link Yes 14 No No Yes No Mestrelab Research S.L. Link Yes 14 No No Yes No Autoscribe Informatics, Inc. Link Yes 13 Yes No No No Pricing supplied directly by company. CloudLIMS.com, LLC Link Yes 11 Yes No No No AgileBio Link No 9 Yes No Yes No INTEGRIS LIMS GmbH Link No 9 Yes No No No Pricing available for "Small lab solution"; videos in German Aiderbotics Corporation Link No 7 No No Yes No WebPathLab, Inc. Link Yes 6 No Yes No No Pay-per-report pricing made public Forney, LP Link Yes 4 Yes No No No Vendor:LabSmart Healthcare Technologies Link Yes 4 No Yes No No Simploud Limited Link No 4 Yes No No No Mci IT Pty. Ltd. Link Yes 3 Yes No No No The Edge Software Consultancy Ltd. Link Yes 3 Yes No Yes No Third Wave Analytics, Inc. Link Yes 3 Yes No No No BioInfoRx, Inc. Link Yes 2 Yes No No No Biomed Systems Ltd. Link Yes 2 Yes No No No LIMS available with ELN as add-on. Broughton Software Ltd. Link Yes 2 Yes No No No Pricing supplied directly by company. ML Consulting Technologies, LLC Link Yes 2 Yes No No No Free quality control LIMS for small laboratories Revol Software Solutions, LLC Link Yes 2 Yes No No No AINZ Corp. Link Yes 1 Yes No No No Former product was PharmWare. Blaze Systems Corporation Link No 1 Yes No No No Pricing supplied directly by company. Bureau Conseils et Services SCRL Link Yes 1 Yes No No No Starting prices listed Bytewize AB Link Yes 1 Yes No No No Pricing only available for O3 LimsXpress. TeselaGen Biotechnology, Inc. Link Yes 1 Yes No No No Pricing only available for Community and Starter editions. Vendor:Apex HealthWare, LLC Link Yes 0 No Yes No No Pricing only available for cloud-based POL version. BiochemLab Solutions Link No 0 No No Yes No Free ad-based and paid ad-free versions of ELN exist. ChemBytes Link No 0 No No Yes No Its successor to its free basic Espresso ELN will be Phoenix ELN, yet to be released as free, open-source software. Dorays Technologies Pvt. Ltd. Link Yes 0 No Yes No No General LIMS, Inc. Link No 0 Yes No No No Genetic Technologies, Inc. Link No 0 Yes No No No J Street Technology, Inc. Link No 0 Yes No No No LabLite, LLC Link No 0 Yes No No No Pricing supplied directly by company. Labstudio (Pty) Ltd. Link Yes 0 Yes No No No Microcline Projects Link Yes 0 Yes No No No Minerva Data Link Yes 0 No Yes No No Progeny Genetics, LLC Link Yes 0 Yes No No No Wolfe Information Systems, Inc. Link No 0 Yes No No No

Free, minimally featured version, but no other public pricing

These vendors provide minimal pricing information, stating they have a free, minimally featured version of their software but not revealing any other pricing information for other versions of the same software. These are usually vendors offering a tiered solution, with the lowest tier being the free tier. Vendors are sorted by number of public videos demonstrating how their products work.

Vendor Pricing Has cloud or SaaS offering? # of demo videos LIMS? LIS? ELN? CDS and/or SDMS? Additional notes Benchling, Inc. Link Yes 36 No No Yes No Academic pricing is free, but rest of pricing was removed. LabSpace, LLC Link Yes 0 No No Yes No Academic pricing is free, but rest of pricing was removed.

GSA pricing

These are vendors who have a publically viewable contract with the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), and that contract displays prices for their solutions. As these are GSA prices, be aware they represent the lowest possible negotiated price. These prices aren't available to any entity outside of the Federal Government, and thus prices for non-government entities will be higher. If anything, they represent the lowest possible negotiated price. Vendors are sorted by number of public videos demonstrating how their products work.

Vendor Pricing Has cloud or SaaS offering? # of demo videos LIMS? LIS? ELN? CDS and/or SDMS? Additional notes Waters Corporation Link No 33 Yes No Yes Yes LabLynx, Inc. Link Yes 15 Yes Yes Yes Yes STARLIMS Corporation Link Yes 8 Yes No Yes Yes LabVantage Solutions, Inc. Link Yes 6 Yes No Yes No LabWare, Inc. Link Yes 6 Yes Yes Yes No Promium, LLC Link Yes 2 Yes No No No Xybion Corporation Link Yes 2 Yes No No No Bentley Systems, Inc. Link No 0 Yes No No No JusticeTrax, Inc. Link No 0 Yes No No No

Additional resources and help

LIMSforum

Formerly a LinkedIn-associated group, LIMSforum is a web portal for those interested in laboratory, scientific, and health informatics.

LIMSforum Career Opportunities

Formerly the LinkedIn-associated Lab Careers group, LIMSforum's career opportunities section is available for the viewing and posting of job openings for laboratory, scientific, and health lab careers.

LIMSforum Online Courses

Formerly LIMS University, the laboratory courses at LIMSforum provide free, open-access learning and teaching resources for those wanting to learn more about laboratory informatics.

LIMSfinder

LIMSfinder is a web portal for those looking for a LIMS and related information, services, products, news, events, resources, jobs, etc.

LIMSpec.com

LIMSpec.com provides a collection of datasheets — from lab requirements assessment to LIMS vendor and system questionnaires, validation documents, and more — for identifying LIMS needs and matching them with what's out there.

LIMSwiki informatics resource portal

The informatics resource portal here at LIMSwiki features a collection of as many useful online scientific and health informatics-related materials and research tools as possible, including books, journals, blogs, web portals, education programs, conferences, and more.