How to select a consensus company to support your evidence plan
Expert consensus is playing an increasingly vital role in today’s healthcare decision-making. It can often be used to inform clinical guidance, support regulatory submissions, address variations in care, or align healthcare stakeholders behind a common vision. As organisations across pharma, life sciences, and health policy seek to strengthen their evidence generation and stakeholder alignment strategies, many are turning to a specialist provider – a consensus company – to generate expert opinion insights.
Choosing the right consensus company is critical to ensuring that the research will produce valid data and a study that can have real-world impact. So, what exactly should you look for in a consensus company to ensure you gain strategic value from the process?
-
Structured Methodology and Adaptability
A skilled consensus company should offer a clear, structured process for capturing and aligning expert opinion, with the flexibility to tailor that process to each project’s specific objectives and scope. Reputable providers should be experienced in multiple methodologies such as:
- Advisory Boards – These quickly gather diverse perspectives but require skilled facilitation to ensure meaningful participation and outcomes.
- Nominal Group Technique (NGT) – A structured, often in-person method for generating and ranking ideas, ideal for prioritising options when group discussion is key but time is limited.
- RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method – Combines literature and expert judgement to assess the appropriateness of clinical practices, widely used in guideline development.
- Delphi and Modified Delphi – Anonymous, multi-round surveys designed to refine expert views, reduce bias, and build robust consensus across generally geographically dispersed participants.
When selecting a consensus company, assess their ability to confidently recommend the right method for the challenge being faced and to apply it effectively, considering:
- Study Design – How are questions framed to meet objectives?
- Expert Selection and Engagement– What ensures a balanced, credible panel that maintains interest throughout the project?
- Data Handling – Are tools secure, and do they capture the type of data needed, for instance including both quantitative and qualitative data?
-
End-to-End Project Ownership and Efficiency
Consensus-building can be a complex process involving multiple stakeholders, timelines, and deliverables. A consensus company should offer seamless project management to take pressure off the project’s internal team and allow them to focus on strategic oversight. This could include:
- Managing timelines and ensuring high response rates among experts.
- Maintaining communication with steering committees or advisory panels throughout the project lifecycle.
- Having communications plans in place with clients to gather the required input at the right time.
- Risk management plans to help identify and mitigate challenges such as panel recruitment issues, lack of consensus, survey fatigue etc
Look for testimonials or case studies that reflect successful project delivery and strong collaboration with both internal and external stakeholders including HCPs participating in the consensus studies.
-
Publication Success and Scientific Rigor
Structured consensus is about generating credible evidence. This means the consensus outputs should meet scientific standards to be worthy of peer-reviewed publication. A qualified consensus company should:
- Have a proven track record of publishing consensus studies in respected journals.
- Follow established reporting standards such as GRADE, EQUATOR, or the ACCORD guidelines (the first formal reporting guidance for all consensus-based research).
- Demonstrate familiarity with ethical publishing practices (e.g., ICMJE, GPP guidelines).
- Know how to co-author with stakeholders and handle medical writing responsibilities effectively.
Publishing in high-quality journals significantly increases the chances of impact of a study and it is a strong indicator that the consensus company meets the quality expectations of the scientific community.
-
Ethical and Regulatory Compliance
Any organisation supporting work in healthcare must adhere to strict ethical and legal standards. When evaluating a provider, you should enquire about:
- How they handle anonymity, confidentiality, and conflict of interest.
- What data security protocols they follow.
- Their understanding of industry codes of practice (e.g., ABPI, PhRMA).
- Their approach to compliance when publishing or sharing findings with external audiences.
Even in projects that are not classified as formal research, credibility still relies on rigour and transparency. Your consensus company of choice should take this seriously and demonstrate a clear track record of compliance.
-
Strategic Insight and dissemination
Many vendors can help run a meeting or distribute a survey. But an established consensus company goes beyond execution, acting as an expert advisor. This requires their team to understand the healthcare system, including clinical pathways and broader market dynamics:
- Can they help define a strategy around the evidence you aim to generate?
- Are they able to translate consensus findings into clear recommendations and action plans?
- How do they share findings with stakeholders, including clinicians, policymakers, and patients?
- Do they offer guidance on integrating findings into clinical practice or policy?
Robust consensus studies demand a cross-functional approach that integrates stakeholder engagement, evidence synthesis, and scientific communication. Consensus providers with in-house expertise across these areas can deliver more efficiently and cohesively, eliminating the need for multiple external vendors.
The ideal consensus partner goes beyond simply facilitating agreement—they focus on the meaningful dissemination of findings to drive real-world impact. This approach maximizes the value of research and contributes to meaningful improvements in healthcare.
The role of expert consensus in healthcare is growing as a source of evidence and a tool for alignment, insight, and influence. Choosing the right consensus company is therefore essential to achieving your objectives. This is not just about methodology, but also about working with a team that understands what is at stake including strategic goals and that can deliver outcomes that matter.
Download our Check list to help you choose the right consensus company
About Triducive
At Triducive, we specialise in designing and delivering structured consensus studies that generate actionable insights, build stakeholder alignment, and drive meaningful change. With deep experience across therapy areas and healthcare systems, we support clients through every step — from study design to publication, and beyond.
With more than 50 peer-reviewed publications and a decade of experience in consensus-building, we are proud to be a trusted consensus company to leading healthcare organisations worldwide.
Get in touch with us to learn more.