Short, useful articles from our consultants on medical equipment, cybersecurity and international logistics.
Five questions to ask before buying hospital imaging equipment
Digital X-ray, ultrasound and CT systems can shape a hospital's budget and its clinical capability for a decade. Most problems we see after installation trace back to questions nobody asked before the purchase order went out.
Can the room support it? Check floor loading, radiation shielding, power quality and air conditioning before choosing a model, not after it arrives.
Who will service it, and how fast? Ask for the nearest certified engineer, the typical response time and where spare parts are stocked.
What does it cost over ten years? Service contracts, detectors, tubes and software licenses often exceed the purchase price.
Does it fit your workflow? Confirm it connects to your existing PACS or reporting system, and that staff can be trained on site.
Is the model cleared for your market? Verify FDA or CE status for the exact configuration being quoted.
Our Biomedical practice builds these checks into every equipment plan and tender evaluation.
Organizations now rely on dozens or hundreds of vendors that touch their data, systems or operations. When one of them is compromised, the impact lands on you: regulators, customers and patients rarely distinguish between your failure and your supplier's.
A workable third-party risk management (TPRM) program does four things well:
Knows every vendor. A single inventory of who you work with and what each one can access.
Tiers by risk. Deeper due diligence for vendors handling sensitive data or critical services, lighter reviews for the rest.
Writes controls into contracts. Security requirements, breach notification and audit rights agreed before signing.
Monitors over time. Risk changes after onboarding, so reviews repeat on a schedule set by tier.
Our Cybersecurity practice designs and runs TPRM programs scaled to the organization, from a first vendor inventory to ongoing monitoring.
CIF or DAP? Choosing the right Incoterm for medical equipment
Two Incoterms appear on most equipment quotes into West Africa: CIF and DAP. They can look similar on price, but they divide cost and risk very differently.
CIF (Cost, Insurance and Freight): the seller pays ocean freight and minimum insurance to the destination port. Risk passes to the buyer once the goods are loaded at the origin port. The buyer handles unloading, clearance and inland transport.
DAP (Delivered at Place): the seller delivers to a named place, such as the hospital site, and carries the risk until then. The buyer handles import clearance and duties.
For sensitive equipment, DAP keeps responsibility with the party managing the shipment for longer, which reduces disputes if something is damaged in transit. CIF can cost less when the buyer has a strong local clearing agent.
Our Logistics practice quotes on whichever term suits the client and explains exactly what it covers before anything ships.
