Services
Our Technical Approach
- Policy, guidelines review and development - Development, review and updating laboratory policies, guidelines, Standard operating procedures (SOP) and strategic plans.
- Quality management systems (QMS) - Technical assistance (TA) for implementation of ISO15189 2022 standards and audit readiness. Strengthen internal and external quality assurance programs. Support audits and corrective actions and continuous improvement.
- Laboratory Continuous Quality Improvement (LCQI) - TA through continuous monitoring of performance metrics such laboratory workflows, staff competencies, SOP adherence, equipment management and inventory, IQ and EQA schemes, risk management and proper management documentation and data
- QMS training - Training in Good Clinical Laboratory Practice (GCLP), Good Clinical Practice (GCP), SOP development and biosafety management.
- Laboratory operations - Competency-based training (onsite or virtual), support and mentorship on biomarker testing, equipment use and operations, data analysis, POC testing, specimen handling, transport and reporting, laboratory information management systems and supplies inventory and management systems.
- Biosafety and biosecurity - Staff training and mentorship on biosafety and biosecurity to strengthen safety practices and ongoing biorisk assessment.
- Biobank/Biorepositories - Establishment and training for maintenance of biorepository centers for long-term storage of specimens.
- Laboratory systems assessment and mapping - Laboratory assessment and gap analysis for infrastructure, equipment, workforce, supply chain and governance.
- Diagnostic network optimization - Strategic placement of diagnostic tools, optimizing sample referrals and aligning demand with capacity.
- Proposal development support - Support study proposal development including workplans, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPS), procurement plans, budgets, monitoring and evaluation (M&E) plans, and donor-aligned reporting formats.
- Project coordination - Support projects with site readiness assessments, regulatory compliance, laboratory data management, and QMS management plans
Laboratory Systems Strengthening Built for Institutional Independence
SOAR delivers technical assistance designed to make us obsolete.
We’re laboratory professionals who’ve spent 30+ years building and managing the systems you’re trying to improve—PHIA survey laboratories, clinical trial laboratories, national diagnostic networks. We know the gap between what works on paper and what survives operational reality
Our engagements have one measure of success:
Your team calling us less frequently for guidance because they can sustain improvements independently.
We work for:
- Laboratory directors requiring ISO 15189 accreditation with approaching deadlines
- Program managers overseeing diagnostic networks with efficiency gaps
- Clinical trial coordinators needing GCLP-compliant laboratory systems
- Quality managers building capacity that survives staff turnover
PHASE 1: Diagnostic Assessment & Baseline Mapping Timeline: 2-6 weeks depending on scope
What happens: We conduct comprehensive on-site evaluation to map your current state across quality systems, competency gaps, network efficiency, or trial readiness.
What you gain immediately: Clear visibility into specific gaps with prioritized intervention roadmap, realistic timelines, and honest assessment of what’s achievable given your constraints. No consultant optimism—just operational truth based on resource realities.
You approve implementation phases before we proceed. No open-ended consulting arrangements.
PHASE 2: Collaborative Implementation & Capacity Building Timeline: 3-12 months depending on complexity
What happens: We deploy hands-on technical assistance, but not from conference rooms. We work your shift alongside your staff at the bench, implementing systems, developing SOPs, conducting competency-based training, and embedding mentorship into daily workflow.
What you experience: Functional systems with trained staff demonstrating competency through supervised practice, not just attendance certificates. We handle technical complexity while transferring skills. Your workload decreases as your team’s capability increases.
This 3-12 month investment protects multi-year funding streams. Failed ISO audits can terminate entire program budgets.
PHASE 3: Performance Monitoring & Continuous Improvement Timeline: Ongoing, decreasing intensity
What happens: We establish monitoring frameworks, support internal quality assurance programs, and build your team’s capability to identify and resolve issues without external dependence.
Typical trajectory: Monthly technical assistance in months 1-6, bi-monthly support in months 7-9, quarterly check-ins in months 10-12, then exit. Your team owns the system.
What you achieve long-term: Laboratory systems that continue improving after our engagement ends because your team has the skills and structures to sustain performance—the ultimate measure of capacity building success.
HOW WE ENSURE SUSTAINABILITY
Three safeguards prevent consultant dependency:
Competency Validation Through Supervised Practice Not just workshop attendance. Staff demonstrate capability through hands-on performance before we reduce support.
Phased Knowledge Transfer Your senior staff become internal trainers. We create mentorship structures that survive our exit.
Proven Track Record When we prepared laboratories for ISO 15189 accreditation across multiple countries, we designed systems that demonstrated sustained compliance through subsequent audits—even after staff turnover and operational pressures.
SOAR vs Typical Laboratory Consultants
TYPICAL APPROACH:
- Remote advisors deliver documentation
- Conduct workshop training sessions
- Exit after deliverables submitted
- Your team struggles to maintain systems independently
- Result: Consultant dependency cycle
SOAR APPROACH:
- On-site practitioners work at your bench
- Embed competency-based mentorship into daily operations
- Stay until your team demonstrates independent capability
- You sustain improvements without ongoing consultant fees
- Result: Institutional independence
WHAT SETS US APART
Implementation Practitioners, Not Just Advisors
We’ve built and managed the laboratory systems we consult on—PHIA surveys, clinical trials for Gates Foundation and IAVI, national laboratory diagnostic networks. We understand the gap between paper plans and operational reality because we’ve lived on both sides.
Completed Payement
Every engagement includes competency-based training, mentorship, and knowledge transfer. We work alongside your staff until they can independently maintain improvements. Success means you need us less.
30+ Years Collective Implementation Experience
Not 30 years of consulting, 30 years of managing laboratory operations under the same pressures you face daily. Staff turnover. Equipment failures. Funding shifts. Power outages. We’ve sustained systems through all of it.
Implementation Practitioners, Not Just Advisors
Bilingual Fluency: Donor Language + Operational
We design interventions that satisfy donor compliance frameworks (M&E, indicator reporting) while being operationally sustainable with local resources. We speak both languages fluently.
THE FUNDAMENTAL DIFFERENCE
We measure success when you’re calling us less frequently, not more.
Most consultants optimize for repeat contracts. We optimize for your independence.
Proven Track Record Across Sub Saharan Africa
PHIA Survey Laboratory Systems Led cross-cutting laboratory technical support for PHIA survey implementation across national laboratory networks, establishing quality systems that maintained specimen integrity throughout multi-country national HIV surveys.
Clinical Trial Laboratory Coordination Managed multidisciplinary laboratory teams supporting global clinical trials for Gates Foundation, IAVI, and PPD. Established biorepositories across multiple countries through ICAP at Columbia University, protecting research investments through proper sample tracking, quality control, and disaster recovery procedures.
Primary Healthcare Laboratory Integration Led clinical-laboratory integration improvements across 35+ primary healthcare centers in KwaZulu-Natal, optimizing diagnostic networks for measurable improvements in turnaround times and resource allocation.
ISO 15189 Accreditation Preparation Prepared laboratories for ISO 15189 accreditation across multiple countries. Systems designed for sustained compliance, surviving subsequent audits even after staff turnover and operational pressures.
Investment & Engagement Structure
Every engagement begins with a fixed-fee diagnostic assessment (2-6 weeks) that delivers a prioritized roadmap with transparent cost estimates for implementation phases.
You approve each phase before we proceed—no open-ended consulting arrangements.
Implementation investments vary based on scope: Single laboratory ISO preparation differs from multi-site diagnostic network optimization. The discovery call provides a preliminary cost framework based on your specific situation.
This Service Is Perfect If You:
Face ISO 15189 accreditation deadlines within 6-18 months with current gaps that threaten audit passage
Need clinical trial laboratory systems that meet GCLP requirements and sponsor qualification standards
Manage diagnostic networks with inefficient sample flow, unpredictable turnaround times, or misallocated resources
Require capacity building that creates permanent institutional capability, not consultant dependency
Want technical assistance from professionals who’ve managed the laboratory systems you’re trying to improve
Need interventions that satisfy donor compliance requirements while being sustainable with local resources
Are you ready to invest 4-6 hours weekly in collaborative sessions alongside our team?
This Is Not a Fit If You:
01
Need consultants to do the work for you without transferring knowledge to your team
02
Require only documentation deliverables without hands-on implementation and capacity building
03
Expect immediate fixes without investing 3-12 months in collaborative system development and staff training
THE COST OF WAITING
Every month without ISO readiness risks donor funding discontinuation.
Every quarter of trial delay compounds site activation costs at $10K-50K per site monthly.
Every year of diagnostic network inefficiency multiplies delayed diagnoses and preventable poor outcomes.
This 45-minute call clarifies whether we can close your gaps before deadlines expire.
Ready to Strengthen Your Laboratory Systems?
You’re facing real pressure.
ISO accreditation requirements. Clinical trial timelines. Diagnostic network inefficiencies. Donor compliance expectations. Capacity gaps that threaten program continuity.
You need consultants who’ve actually built and sustained the laboratory systems they’re advising you to implement.
SOAR exists because we believe laboratory systems strengthening should create institutional capacity and independence, not consultant dependency.
• Your specific laboratory challenges and current gaps
• What's actually achievable given your timeline, resources, and constraints
• Whether we're the right fit for your needs
• What engagement structure would deliver the most value
We'll discuss your situation, identify critical gaps, and provide a preliminary assessment of timeline and approach. You'll leave with clarity about next steps, whether that's working with SOAR or pursuing other options.
No obligation. No pressure. Just clarity about what's possible.
Frequently Asked Question
We're not external advisors who deliver recommendations and leave. We're laboratory professionals who've spent 30+ years building and managing the systems we consult on.
The fundamental difference: We measure success by whether your team can sustain improvements independently after we leave, not by how many consulting days we bill.
Every engagement includes three layers:
(1) Hands-on implementation working alongside your staff
(2) Competency validation through supervised practice, not just workshop attendance
(3) Internal mentorship structures where your senior staff become trainers
We're succeeding when you're calling us less frequently for guidance, not more.
We speak donor language fluently, M&E frameworks, indicator reporting, compliance documentation.
We design interventions that satisfy donor requirements while serving your population's actual health needs. That's the bilingual fluency Sub-Saharan health programs require
Assessment Phase: 2-6 weeks for comprehensive gap analysis
Implementation Phase: 3-12 months for hands-on technical assistance and capacity building (varies by complexity)
Sustainability Phase: Ongoing with decreasing intensity, monthly support transitioning to quarterly check-ins before exit
Timeline depends on scope. ISO accreditation for a single laboratory differs from diagnostic network optimization across 20 facilities.
This concern reveals why our approach differs from typical consulting.
We don't leave until your team demonstrates independent capability through supervised practice. Not theoretical knowledge, actual competency performing the work.
When we prepared laboratories for ISO 15189 accreditation across multiple countries, we designed systems that survived subsequent audits, even after staff turnover and operational pressures. That's our standard.
Investment varies based on scope, single laboratory ISO preparation differs from multi-site network optimization.
Every engagement begins with a fixed-fee diagnostic assessment that delivers transparent cost estimates for implementation phases. You approve each phase before we proceed.
Most clients fund engagements through existing technical assistance line items in CDC, PEPFAR, Global Fund, or NIH grants. We provide documentation for budget justification.
The discovery call provides a preliminary cost framework based on your specific situation, with no obligation to proceed.