Clinical Trial Podcast | Conversations with Clinical Research Experts Best Practices for Clinical Trial Budgeting
Jan 19, 2026
Matt Lurie, consultant advising sites on budget negotiations and sustainability. Heidi Kassel, site business lead focused on operations and billing compliance. Kristen McKenna, Pfizer contracts lead overseeing global site budgeting. They discuss why budgets stall, what makes defensible justifications, templates and fee schedules, communication tactics, and ways sponsors and sites can speed negotiations.
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Send A Signed Administration Fee Schedule
- Do bundle an administration fee schedule and deliver it with the initial redlined budget on letterhead to standardize negotiations.
- Heidi Kassel sends signed admin schedules, overhead sheets, and redlines budget lines to cut back-and-forth.
Use Standardized Budget Templates Every Time
- Do create and follow a standardized internal budgeting process and templates (fee schedule, justification, overhead policy) for every study.
- Matt Lurie recommends a repeatable process so site costs are transparent and defensible across sponsors.
Hold Internal Coverage Analysis Calls
- Do run internal coverage analysis and budget review calls with startup, clinical and PI stakeholders before sending budgets out.
- Heidi Kassel conducts CA review calls and tracks master CTAs and rate-card renewals on a tracker.
