Buying an outside diligence report through a university can take longer than the analysis itself. Procurement offices may ask for vendor registration, a justification for the choice of supplier, a written agreement and an information security review. None of that is unusual, and most of it can be settled early.
This guide is written for technology transfer office (TTO) directors. It covers what procurement offices typically ask for, what Vantage offers TTOs, and the questions worth settling before a report is ordered. Every university's policies differ, so treat it as a checklist to take to your own procurement office, not as a description of its rules.
What Vantage Offers TTOs
- TTO Report, $7,500: commercialization readiness on one university-held asset or spinout, with claims cited to their sources, reviewed by a physician and a biomedical engineer, delivered within 48 hours of a complete intake, with a 30-minute debrief
- TTO Program, $45,000–$75,000 per year: reports across a disclosure pipeline under one annual agreement, with the number and timing of reports set on a call; an Embedded Partnership is available at $100,000 per year
- Quick Screen, $5,000 per technology: automated, six independent signals linked to their source records, with no composite score or verdict; the fee credits in full toward a larger engagement
Details are on the TTO page. Scope, deliverables, timelines, fees and payment terms for an engagement are set in a written engagement agreement.
Step 1: Find Out How Your Office Buys Professional Services
Questions for your procurement office:
- Which purchasing method applies at this dollar amount: a purchasing card, a purchase order or a formal solicitation?
- Is vendor registration needed, and what does it require (tax forms, insurance certificates, a supplier questionnaire)?
- Does the university require its own contract terms, or can it sign the vendor's engagement agreement?
- If the purchase is charged to a federal award, which additional rules apply?
Purchases charged to federal awards follow the Uniform Guidance procurement standards for non-state recipients (2 CFR 200.318 through 200.327), and many universities apply similar rules more broadly. Your sponsored programs office can confirm which funds a report can be charged to.
Step 2: Document the Choice of Supplier
Above certain thresholds, procurement offices usually want competition or a written justification for choosing one supplier. What that justification must show is set by your university's policy and, for federal funds, by the Uniform Guidance's rules on noncompetitive procurement. It should describe the specific need and why the chosen service meets it, in checkable terms. For Vantage, those include:
- Clinical and regulatory review by a physician (Arvind Ravinutala, MD) and engineering review by a biomedical engineer (Aswini Ravinutala, BME)
- Coverage of eight domains: regulatory, clinical, IP, reimbursement, commercial, team, financial and competitive position
- Factual claims cited to their sources
- Delivery within 48 hours of a complete intake
Whether those points meet your university's standard for a single-supplier purchase is your procurement office's decision.
Step 3: Start the Data Security Review Early
Information security reviews can take time, so start them early. Facts to give your security office:
- Vantage does not currently hold a SOC 2 attestation or offer a HIPAA Business Associate Agreement, so don't send protected health information
- Retention and deletion of your materials follow the engagement terms, and you can ask Vantage to delete the source documents you sent
- How materials are handled, including processing by an AI provider, is described on the data security page
If your university requires a certification Vantage doesn't hold, raise it on the first call so it surfaces before a purchase is drafted.
Step 4: Choose Per-Report or Annual Purchasing
A single report can often go through as one purchase. If you expect to order reports across a disclosure pipeline, an annual agreement means one procurement cycle instead of several, which is why the TTO Program is scoped on a call.
Step 5: Prepare the Intake
The 48-hour delivery window starts at a complete intake, so the practical timeline depends on how quickly the technology's materials (the disclosure, publications, patent filings and any data) are assembled once the purchase is approved.
A Checklist to Start
- Book a free 20-minute call and describe how your office buys outside services.
- Ask procurement which purchasing method, vendor registration and contract terms apply.
- Send the data security facts above to your information security office.
- Decide between a single report, a Quick Screen and an annual program.
- Assemble the intake materials so work can start once the purchase clears.
References
- 2 CFR Part 200, Subpart D, Procurement Standards (§§ 200.317–200.327), including § 200.320, Procurement methods. Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School. law.cornell.edu
Need a Custom Analysis?
Vantage full reports assemble the public record on a company, cite factual claims to their sources, and are reviewed by Arvind Ravinutala, MD, and Aswini Ravinutala, BME. Start with a free 20-minute call.