Frequently Asked Questions

Clinical Vendor Compare (CVC) is an independent platform that helps biotech and pharma sponsor teams find, evaluate, and compare clinical trial vendors including CROs, central labs, eClinical platforms, biometrics providers, patient recruitment specialists, and other service partners.

Yes. Browsing the vendor directory, comparing vendors, and reading reviews are all free. Sponsors can submit RFPs at no charge. Vendors can claim and enhance their profiles through a subscription model.

CVC is an independent platform. It is not owned by or affiliated with any CRO, vendor, or sponsor. See our Sponsorship Disclosure page for details on any commercial relationships.

Use the Find a Vendor directory. You can filter by category (CRO, central lab, eClinical, etc.), region, study phase, and review score. Add vendors to your compare list to view them side by side.

The Sponsor RFP tool lets you submit a request for proposal describing your study needs. Relevant vendors can then review your requirements and express interest, helping you build a qualified shortlist faster.

Scores come solely from verified user reviews submitted on the platform. Each review rates a vendor against an 8-criterion scorecard, and a vendor's score is the average of its verified reviews — CVC never scores vendors itself, and no online signals are blended in. Our methodology is documented on the Methodology page.

CVC aggregates vendor information from public sources. If your company is not listed, you can submit a request through the vendor contact page. Verified vendors can claim and enhance their profiles.

Yes. Vendors can post public responses to reviews. This is encouraged — responses provide context and demonstrate responsiveness to sponsor teams evaluating your services.

Vendors can subscribe for enhanced profile features, priority placement in search results, and access to sponsor-submitted RFPs. Visit the vendor subscription page for current plans.

Yes. CVC allows anonymous reviews to encourage honest feedback from industry professionals. All submissions are screened by AI to help confirm they come from valid sources before publication. See our Review Policy for details.

Every submission is screened by AI before publication. The system looks for indicators of authenticity and flags suspicious content for human review. We also publish our methodology so users understand how review scores are calculated.

Reviews and vendor profiles reference verifiable data — publicly available information, platform-submitted reviews, and documented experience. We distinguish between verified platform reviews, which are the sole source of scores, and publicly sourced profile information so users can assess confidence levels.

Vendor listings are compiled from publicly available sources including company websites, published trial information, and industry databases. Reviews are submitted directly by users, and all scores come solely from those verified user reviews.

See our Privacy Policy for full details. Account information is stored securely. Anonymous reviews are not linked to publicly identifiable personal information.

If you believe information on CVC is inaccurate or should be removed, please use our complaints and takedown page. We review all requests promptly.

Use the Find a Vendor directory and filter by therapeutic area (oncology, CNS, rare disease, etc.). Then add promising CROs to your compare list to see scores, capabilities, and specialisations side by side.

A full-service CRO manages the entire clinical trial on your behalf. A functional service provider (FSP) provides specific services (e.g. data management, biostatistics, monitoring) that integrate with your internal team. See our FSP vs Full-Service guide for a detailed comparison.

CVC lists over 800 clinical trial vendors across categories including CROs, central labs, eClinical platforms, biometrics providers, patient recruitment agencies, medical writing firms, regulatory consultants, and pharmacovigilance providers.

Yes. CVC profiles include therapeutic experience, regulatory compliance indicators, review scores, and operational capabilities. This makes it a strong starting point for vendor due diligence and bid defence preparation.

CVC primarily focuses on vendors serving the UK and European markets, but many listed vendors operate globally. You can filter by region to find vendors with specific geographic coverage.