Who this checklist is for (and why it exists)
This is for the person on the buying side — hospital procurement, EMS supply, distributor purchasing, OEM sourcing — who has to order stretchers, spine boards, KED devices, evacuation chairs, exam couches, first aid kits and the rest. There are 8 steps. Follow them in order. You can stop reading my war stories, but do not skip the steps.
It took me about three years and roughly 150 purchase orders to understand that the spec sheet I did not read is usually the most expensive line on the invoice. Nobody tells you that on day one.
Step 1: Start from the use case, not the product name
The first time I ordered 'scoop stretchers' I ordered the wrong ones. I did not know the difference between an aluminum scoop stretcher, a folding scoop stretcher and a basket rescue stretcher. My buyer asked for one thing, I quoted another, and the delivery looked right until it did not fit the job.
Before you touch a price, write one sentence: who uses this, where, and under what condition. A fire evacuation chair for stairs in a care home is not the same product as a wheelchair evacuation chair for a hospital ward. A medical neck brace for triage is not the same as a cervical brace for long-term immobilization. Name the condition, then name the product.
Step 2: Lock the specification in writing before you discuss price
In March 2022 I approved a $3,200 order that came back completely wrong. Every item had the issue. The supplier built to the spec I sent, and the spec I sent was the one I assumed, not the one my clinical team needed.
Get dimensions, weight capacity, material, and the exact model code in writing. For a spine board, that includes whether the head immobilizer is included or sold separately. For a KED device (Kendrick extrication), it includes the carry case, straps and training DVD — confirm what is in the box, item by item.
Step 3: Ask 'what is NOT included' before 'what is the price'
This is the step most buyers learn last. I have learned to ask what is not included before I ask what it costs. The vendor who lists every fee upfront — even when the total looks higher — usually costs you less in the end.
The lowest quoted price is often not the lowest total cost.
Watch for setup fees, freight, customs handling, minimum order quantities, and 'optional' accessories that turn out to be mandatory for safe use. A morgue stretcher or funeral stretcher quoted at one price and delivered at another with 'handling' added is a cost you did not budget. Ask for a landed-cost breakdown, not a unit price.
Step 4: Put compliance in writing — and know what you are verifying
I am not going to tell you which certificates a vendor holds. I am going to tell you to make them show you, in writing, before payment. For medical devices, the questions are standard: quality management (ISO 13485), market marking relevant to where you sell (CE marking for the EU, FDA clearance for the US), and test reports for the specific model — not the product family.
The mistake I made: accepting a photo of a certificate for a different model number. Close enough to look credible. Not close enough to protect the patient or the buyer. Match the certificate to the exact SKU.
Step 5: Check compatibility and dimensions (the step everyone skips)
This is the one I would bet money you will skip. Do not.
- Does the ambulance stretcher cot actually lock into your vehicle mount?
- Will the evacuation chair fit the stair width in the building — including the landing turn?
- Does the spine board head immobilizer fit the board you already own, or is it proprietary?
- Do the examination couches fit through the door and elevator to the room?
We once measured everything except the landing. The chair arrived, the price was right, and it did not make the turn. That is a $600 lesson delivered in a box.
Step 6: Confirm carton quantity and packaging
Sounds boring. It bills differently. If a first aid kit is packed 20 per carton and you need 15, you either buy 5 spares or pay a broken-carton fee. Same with finger splint kits, CPR pocket masks and CPR face masks — small items have big packaging rules.
Ask: units per carton, carton dimensions, gross weight, and whether they will ship partial cartons. Get it before the PO, not after.
Step 7: Get lead time as a date, not a feeling
'About a week' is not a lead time. I knew I should get written confirmation on the deadline, but thought we had worked together for years. That was the one time the verbal agreement got forgotten, and a 3-day production delay turned into a missed hospital opening.
Ask for a ship date and an arrival estimate in writing, and ask which items are stock versus made-to-order. A folding ambulance stretcher and a custom exam bed do not share a timeline.
Step 8: Run inbound QC before you sign anything
We did not have a formal receiving check. It cost us when a batch of soft stretchers arrived with a stitching fault nobody caught until a customer did. Now every shipment gets a 10-minute check: model code, quantity, one functional test per category, and a photo of anything borderline.
Keep a simple checklist by the loading bay. It is the cheapest insurance you will ever buy. (I really should have built it after the first incident, not the third.)
Common mistakes that undo a good order
Even with the steps above, these are the errors I still see. Assume they apply to you:
- Ordering by category, not by model code. 'Standard stretcher' means ten different things. Pin the SKU.
- Trusting a verbal price. The number that is not in writing is not the number you will pay.
- Forgetting the accessories. Straps, immobilizers and carry bags are where padding happens.
- Ignoring the return terms. Ask what happens if the evacuation chair for the disabled does not fit the stairwell. Restocking fees are real.
- Not documenting the decision. Six months later, nobody remembers why you chose that supplier. Write it down.
None of this is glamorous. That is the point. A clean order is not the one where you got the best price — it is the one where nothing came back. Run the eight steps and you get closer to that than I did for my first three years.