Frequently Asked Questions
Welcome to Scientist.com. These are just a few of the most frequently asked questions. Contact support@scientist.com if you have any additional questions or need help using the marketplace.
- Introduction
- What is Scientist.com?
- How do I sign up?
- What types of services and products are available?
- What is the role of the Research Concierge?
- Initiating Your Projects
- How do I place an order if I already have a quote?
- How do I place a blanket purchase order?
- How do I make a request for a custom service?
- How do I place an order for a custom service?
- How do I review the status of my current requests and orders
- How do I request proposals to be submitted in milestones?
- How do I place another order for the same proposal?
- How do I place an order with more than one supplier on my request?
- Collaborating with Your Suppliers
- Can I purchase from my preferred suppliers?
- What if the supplier I want to purchase is not registered?
- Do I need to establish a CDA before I contact suppliers?
- Do I need to establish an MSA before I purchase services?
- Product Hub
INTRODUCTION
Scientist.com is an easy-to-use online marketplace that simplifies the purchase of preclinical services, human samples and custom reagents.
Creating an account is quick and easy. Please refer to the User Guide on how to create an account.
Almost any research service or product can be purchased through Scientist.com. There are currently over 3500 research areas represented in the marketplace, including biology, chemistry, pharmacology, toxicology, metabolism, human tissue samples, clinical services, manufacturing and consumer services.
All requests submitted through Scientist go through the Research Concierge, a team of experienced Ph.D. scientists who review your request for completeness and help select qualified suppliers (if applicable). You can communicate directly with suppliers who have questions or you can ask the Research Concierge to respond on your behalf.
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INITIATING YOUR REQUESTS
Enter keywords in the homepage search box, select the best-matching research area, attach the quote and a brief note (please indicate the supplier and include any contact details for the account representative who generated the proposal for you), and submit your form to initiate your request. Scientist.com has a dedicated account manager that will help place your order.
Initiate a request and in the description of the request, include details about the amount of the blanket purchase order that you require, the services that it'll cover, and the supplier who will be conducting the services. The supplier will then be prompted to submit a proposal matching the amount you require. You'll then be able to use the Statement of Work (SOW) that is submitted to generate your purchase order. Anytime a service is provided by this supplier can be invoiced against this purchase order.
You can reach out to one or multiple global research suppliers in just a few minutes. Enter keywords in the homepage search box, select the best-matching research area, fill out the online request form and submit your form to initiate your request.. In the online request form, you can ask a technical question, request a price quote or inquire about the availability of a service or reagent.
Once you have defined the exact terms of the service in the online Statement of Work (SOW), you can place an order by clicking the "Accept SOW" button, choosing the winning SOW and submitting a valid Purchase Order (PO) number. Please refer to the User Guide for more details. Scientist.com has a dedicated account manager that will help ensure your order is placed.
Click on Dashboard at the top of any page to review the status of any request or order. Your requests and orders are displayed in reverse chronological order. Click on the request details tab to get more information about a specific request or order. Use the Timeline tab to communicate with suppliers.
Suppliers can submit their proposals in milestones. To request the supplier to submit their proposal in milestones, simply post a message in the Timeline to ask the supplier to break it down by milestone (it may help to outline the milestones for the supplier to provide a proposal for each milestone).
After you've placed an order with a supplier, if you'd like to re-order the same service or product, you may simply accept the SOW again to generate a purchase order. Please refer to the user guide for details and screenshots on how to re-order a service or product.
After initiating your request and receiving multiple proposals from different suppliers, if you'd like to place an order for more than one supplier, please first place your order with one of the suppliers on your existing request and then, initiate a new request for each additional supplier you'd like to purchase from. In this new request, please reference the original request and request the supplier to submit the same proposal you had received. The supplier will then be prompted to re-submit their proposal for this new request, which will allow you to initiate a purchase order for their proposal. We will soon be launching a feature that will enable you to easily initiate multiple purchase orders to different suppliers within the same request.
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COLLABORATING WITH YOUR SUPPLIERS
Yes, you can use Scientist.com to purchase from established, preferred suppliers or from new suppliers. If you have a master services agreement (MSA) in place with a preferred supplier, any purchases are governed by the terms and conditions of the existing MSA.
If you can't find a supplier you want, please use the New Supplier Request Form and include the supplier name and their contact information. We will contact them and get them signed as soon as possible. If you have any questions about the onboarding process for suppliers, please reach out to our team at suppliers@scientist.com.
No, the Supplier agreement contains terms and conditions covering confidentiality, material transfer, IP protection and purchasing. No additional terms are required to purchase on Scientist.com.
No, before suppliers can view your request they must accept (or must have already accepted) the marketplace Supplier Agreement, which includes confidentiality protections. The Supplier Agreement also has basic terms covering material transfer, IP protection and purchasing.
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PRODUCT HUB
Navigate to your product of interest by using the search bar in the middle of the homepage. Some example search terms include product name, product type, sku, supplier/manufacturer name, gene name, alias names, CAS #’s, SMILES and other keywords. Product categories are available in the dropdown menu located on the left side of the search bar. The product categories have specific filters that can be applied to help further refine your search. If you can't find the product you're looking for, contact us. Our team will help you find the right product for your research needs.
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To place an order register and create an online account. Products may be viewed without an account, but pricing and additional details are not visible until an account is created.
You may place orders with a Purchase Order (PO) or credit card. To place an order by PO:
- Add products to cart.
- Select check out.
- Enter the shipping and billing information.
- Submit addresses.
- Select payment method (Credit Card or PO)
- Select "Finalize Purchase"
If you would like a PDF file for your request, you can Download PDF after finalizing purchase.
Send PO document to labsupplies@scientist.com to complete and process your order.
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Inquiring - Products without pricing will need to be reviewed by our Research Concierge team before purchase. Select 'Inquire' and follow the instructions to submit a request. Make sure to press 'Save and Finish' to finalize the order. A member of our Research Concierge team will reach out shortly thereafter to confirm the order.
Credit card – We accept Visa, Mastercard and American Express
Once an order has been placed, a confirmation email will be sent to verify the sales order. This email will include the date the order was placed, order number, shipping details, and itemized costs.
Once we ship your order, we will send a shipping notification that the order is on its way, including the order details. Package tracking information will also be provided.
Log-in to your account anytime to check order status. Navigate to the Previous Purchases tab, search by sales order number to locate the order. Shipping details will be displayed once the item ships.
ADVANCED FEATURES
Navigate to your product of interest by using the search bar in the middle of the Lab Supplies homepage. Enter product name, catalog #, keywords, etc. We offer multiple filter options to refine your search results. Tap the “+ Add filter” button, as shown below. To clear the filter, tap on the trash icon.
To add a product to your favorites list, tap the star icon on any product. The star icon turns blue to show that it’s now a favorite.
Keep track of your favorite products by clicking the star located to the right on the search results page.
To view your Favorites List, hover over your account icon and tap on Products under Favorites.
To remove a product from your favorite list, tap the blue star icon. The star icon turns white to show that it’s no longer a favorite product. Alternatively, you can view your Favorites List and simply tap the trash can icon next to the product and this will be removed.
Start by doing a search for the product of interest. Then, on the search results page, look for the Compare Box. Click on “Compare” to select the product. Proceed and select other products for a side-by-side comparison.
When multiple products (maximum of 4) have been selected, the compare menu icon will be displayed.
Click on the Compare Menu to display the Comparison Table.
To remove a product from the Comparison table, tap “x” on the top right corner. To purchase a product on the Comparison Table, click “Add to Cart,” and the product will be added to your shopping cart.
We ship to customers located within the United States. If you are outside of the United States and would like to place an order please contact labsupplies@scientist.com.
We charge Clients in the United States $50 per shipment if the supplier is located in the United States and $100 per shipment if the supplier is outside of the United States.
Scientist.com can provide bulk discounts for purchases of at least 5 times the largest quantity listed on the Product Hub. To request a bulk shipment please click here.
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
Contact Customer Service at labsupplies@scientist.com for any cancellation request by 10 am PT of the next business day. Written confirmation is needed from Scientist.com to confirm cancellation request has been processed. If order has been placed with manufacturer prior to cancellation request, a return authorization may be required for a credit less a restocking fee.
In some cases we can process changes but we need to know as soon as possible. Please contact Customer Service at labsupplies@scientist.com immediately to see if we can accept a change request for an order submitted.
Contact Customer Service within 5 business days of receipt of product to report any damaged or lost order.
Contact Customer Service as soon as possible. Please provide us with as much data and details as needed to demonstrate the Products did not conform to specifications presented to you. Additional information from customers may be required in order to process replacements and refunds.