Choosing laboratory consumables: a procurement checklist

Connect the item to its task

Describe the task the item will perform: collecting a sample, holding material or supporting preparation. Include the sample type, equipment and validated method. These details make a specification more useful than a shortened tube or container name and help exclude unsuitable alternatives before comparing cost.

Compare the same attributes

Compare item name, size, material, container characteristics and units per commercial pack. Include additives or other method-specific requirements. Do not infer compatibility from cap colour or similar dimensions. Retain the full product identifier once an alternative is approved.

Plan receiving and stock records

Decide who will inspect deliveries and what information will be recorded. Connect quantities with lot, expiry and storage location, and follow the facility’s stock-rotation system. Consumption records support appropriate pack-size choices. Apply each product’s storage directions rather than one blanket rule for all consumables.

Turn the checklist into a concise specification

The result should be a short specification that technical and purchasing teams interpret consistently. Identify mandatory features, criteria for accepting alternatives and documents required at delivery. SAMCO’s consumables sector explains the place of these items in the wider workflow and links to related laboratory fields.