I have embarked on an eQMS Software as a Service (SaaS) search of my own, focused on lower-cost browser-based fully-hosted services with good ongoing validation support.
From what I can see, GG and Verse cost more than what my startup clients with less than 10 persons are willing to pay. The providers I am evaluating are as follows:
- Grand Avenue Software (most supportive of my evaluation journey so far)
- Zen QMS
- Simploud (runs under Salesforce)
- Propel QMS (runs under Salesforce)
- QMSwrapper
- Qualio
Note: I am not affiliated with any of these providers.
I am a medical device quality system consultant, providing tailored document sets to clients that (so far) are not based on any particular eQMS. I will have to re-engineer my core document set since many of my legacy SOP Forms (that become records when filled out) will be replaced by eQMS data entry screens. As I review the eQMS providers, I am using my SOP Form fields as a comparator for the database fields in the eQMS software. If there are no such standard fields, I am looking to see if the software can be custom-configured to give me what I want.
Without divulging the pricing of the firms I am evaluating, here is some general information:
- None of them appear to have an upfront, flat fee, but I am still checking on some of them.
- Their pricing is either on a "per user" basis, or a "per 5 users" basis, or a "per 20 users" basis.
- Some have pricing that is on a "per month" basis without any additional commitment, whereas others require a one-year commitment.
- Some breakdown their pricing based on the number of modules you are using. For example, one of the providers has 9 modules, with the increased cost as you add modules, on a non-linear sliding scale that favors adding more modules. The beauty of this is that when first starting up, firms usually only need 2-3 modules at the outset, with Document Control and Training being the foundation.
- Others provide their full capabilities (all modules) for the prices quoted.
I had a call with Verse, and I believe that they are focused on serving mid-size to large-size firms with 100s and 1000s of eQMS users. Perhaps their pricing on a "per user" basis becomes affordable for the larger firms when you divide it by the number of users they have?