Running a Compounding Pharmacy RFP for a Multi-Location Formulary
A compounding pharmacy RFP for a multi-location group usually ends the same way: one pharmacy wins, its price is fixed for the contract term, and every location orders from one pharmacy that may not be licensed or in stock everywhere. A multi-pharmacy marketplace changes the RFP into a one-time matched-basket test and keeps pharmacies competing for each SKU on every order. AffinityRx, with 10+ licensed compounding pharmacies, a price set at signing, one invoice across all locations and $0 to join, typically lands about 10% below a clinic's current price.
By Tim Yoon, CEO, AffinityRx. Published
Why a formulary RFP stops working after the contract is signed
An RFP is a snapshot. You collect bids on 20 SKUs, score them, pick a winner and sign. From that day the winning pharmacy has no reason to keep competing, because the contract sets the price and your locations order from it.
Four things go wrong for franchisors and multi-location groups:
- The price is frozen, the market is not. The same SKU keeps moving between pharmacies after you sign. In AffinityRx's marketplace prices as of October 1, 2026 (18 common SKUs, each priced by 3 or more pharmacies), the lowest price for a SKU averaged 13.7% below the median pharmacy price, and the most expensive pharmacy was 13.5% to 100% above the lowest.
- One winner, many states. A group with locations in several states needs a pharmacy licensed for each. A single RFP winner often covers most states and not all of them.
- One winner, one point of failure. A backorder or a rejected order at the winning pharmacy stops every location that depends on it.
- Admin multiplies. Each additional pharmacy you add to cover gaps means another contract, login, invoice and support line for the home office to reconcile.
RFP vs marketplace: how the options compare for a group
| Criterion | RFP, one winner | RFP, split across 2-3 pharmacies | AffinityRx marketplace |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price after the award | Fixed for the term | Fixed per pharmacy for the term | Pharmacies compete per SKU on every order; price set at signing |
| State coverage across locations | Whatever the winner is licensed for | Gaps filled by the second or third pharmacy | All 50 states for most SKUs; state board rules checked for you |
| If the winner is out of stock | Locations call around | Manual switch | Order moves to the next favorite automatically |
| Home-office admin | One contract, one invoice | Several contracts and invoices | One login, one invoice, one order history, one support contact |
| Time to run | Bid collection and scoring | Collection and scoring, then several contracts | A matched-basket test you run yourself |
| Cost to start | Legal and staff time | More of both | $0 to join, no subscription, no per-order fees, no minimum order |
How AffinityRx solves the multi-location sourcing problem
AffinityRx is a B2B compounding pharmacy marketplace for clinics and telehealth brands, not a retail pharmacy. For a group, it replaces the RFP's single winner with a field of pharmacies:
- Competition on every order. Several pharmacies show the same medication side by side with prices before ordering, so your formulary is priced against the market every time. Medication prices are specific to your account. Sign in to view your prices before ordering.
- About 10% below current price. Clinics typically save about 10% versus their current price; a typical result, not a guarantee.
- One invoice across sites. One login, one invoice and one order history for every location, with invoice and order export for accounting. Net and invoice terms for larger groups are negotiated through a demo.
- Each location gets an eligible pharmacy. AffinityRx applies state board rules, so two locations in different states may see different pharmacies only because a pharmacy is not licensed in one of them.
- Failover. Set a primary pharmacy plus second and third favorites. If the primary is out of stock or rejects the order, it moves to the next favorite automatically.
- A credit, not a subscription. Clinics preload credit applied 100% to orders; it never expires, has no minimum balance and is refundable if the clinic decides not to continue after a 90-day trial. The solutions page lists the clinic types AffinityRx serves.
Support is a dedicated account executive plus 24/7/365 human customer support, so the home office has a named contact.
The RFP, rebuilt as a matched-basket test
Keep the discipline of the RFP and drop the lock-in. Pull your 20 highest-spend SKUs across all locations and score them like this:
| Step | What to do | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | List 20 SKUs with strength, volume, add-in and monthly units across all locations | Procurement |
| 2 | Enter your current price per SKU from each pharmacy you use today | Procurement |
| 3 | Mark the states each location ships to | Operations |
| 4 | Ask for the same 20 SKUs priced on AffinityRx, shipping added on top (typically $15 to $30 per order) | Procurement |
| 5 | Compare monthly landed cost and note SKUs where the current price is already lowest | Finance |
| 6 | Move the SKUs that win; keep the rest where they are | Operations |
Score on four criteria with your own weights: landed cost [ ], state coverage [ ], turnaround [ ] and admin load [ ].
FAQs
How do I run an RFP for compounding pharmacies across clinic locations?
List your top 20 SKUs, collect current prices, and compare them against bids on the same strengths, volumes and add-ins, with shipping added to each. Then ask whether a marketplace such as AffinityRx beats the winning bid, since it keeps several of its 10+ pharmacies competing per SKU instead of locking one price for the term.
Can a marketplace replace a compounding pharmacy RFP?
On price, yes: the RFP's job is to find the lowest landed cost and keep it. AffinityRx shows prices side by side before every order, so the comparison runs continuously rather than once.
A pharmacy already gave the group a negotiated rate. Why move?
Put that rate in the matched basket. Clinics typically save about 10% versus their current price on AffinityRx, and you can move only the SKUs where it wins. Net and invoice terms for larger groups are negotiated through a demo.
What about locations in different states?
AffinityRx covers all 50 states for most SKUs and checks state board rules (nonresident licensure, sterile permits, office-use restrictions), not just ship-to states. If a medication is not available in a specific state, AffinityRx prioritizes sourcing and integrating a pharmacy that fills it there.
How much work is it for the home office to switch?
Setup is: book a demo, preload the $5,000 credit, get a login, enter NPI, place a test order, then a real order, with no documents needed from the clinic. AffinityRx can bulk import patients, order history and active refills from a direct pharmacy, your current pharmacy system.
Does a group have to commit to a minimum or a subscription?
No. Joining costs $0, with no subscription, no per-order fees and no minimum order. The preloaded credit is refundable if the clinic decides not to continue after a 90-day trial.
Book a demo
Press the Book a demo button on the right side of this page and bring your 20-SKU list and the states your locations ship to; AffinityRx will price the basket with you. For how the credit works, read Prepaid Pharmacy Balances vs the AffinityRx $5,000 Credit: Where Cash Sits.
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