“Business negotiations are a sequence of mutual moves through which parties strive to achieve the most favorable resolution possible to a partial conflict of interests.” (Zbigniew Nęcki, Negotiations in Business)
Every industry has its own rules, and negotiations in the healthcare sector in Poland have their own specific characteristics.
Negotiations are a process, whether they concern the purchase of equipment or medical services. They impact patient safety, supply continuity, and the quality of long-term cooperation with manufacturers and suppliers, who are increasingly treated as business partners.
ARE NEGOTIATIONS A ONE-TIME TRANSATION OR A LONGER PROCESS?
The answer is clear – negotiations should be treated as a process.
Well-conducted negotiations are not about “winning the conversation.” Their goal—or ideally should be—is to reach a solution that both parties consider rational and sustainable over time.
This is especially important in healthcare, where purchasing and investment decisions rarely end with signing a contract.
In negotiations involving, for example, medical equipment purchases, the real value often lies beyond the price itself. It also includes warranty and post-warranty terms, distance from the nearest service center, response times, staff training, and availability of spare parts. These factors determine how the equipment will function in the facility’s daily operations and its total cost over its entire lifecycle.
Patient satisfaction with high-quality diagnostic equipment should not be overlooked.
RELATIONSHIPS VS. MAX BENEFITS
One-off transactional negotiations tend to favor hard bargaining over price. The situation is completely different with long-term contracts, framework agreements, multi-year service contracts, or ongoing cooperation with key suppliers.
From the projects we manage, short-term “negotiation wins” often lead to long-term operational losses. An overly aggressive approach weakens relationships, which in healthcare directly affects patient safety and cost predictability.
Negotiations Start Long Before the First Meeting
THOROUGH PREPARATION IS CRITICAL AND INCLUDES SEVERAL KEY AREAS:
– Analysis of both parties’ interests, not just your own negotiation position
– Defining minimum and maximum goals, taking possible scenarios into account
– Familiarity with market data and pricing benchmarks (e.g., SWZ in the public sector)
– Understanding the medical equipment lifecycle and its impact on long-term costs
– Considering regulatory requirements that often determine available solutions
– Analysis of logistics and service factors directly affecting facility continuity
– Preparing alternative scenarios (BATNA) that strengthen the negotiating position
Beyond preparation, attentive, empathetic listening is equally important. It allows you to understand your partner’s real needs and identify room for agreement that often goes beyond price.
Observing negotiations from both the client’s and supplier’s perspective, we can see that success depends not only on well-prepared data but also on soft skills: building relationships, understanding the other party’s needs, and anticipating the long-term consequences of decisions.
WIN-WIN AS A REAL BUSINESS STRATEGY
The “win-win” principle is often overused, but in well-conducted negotiations it remains one of the most effective strategies.
When both parties feel heard and treated as partners, negotiations cease to be a one-off event and become the beginning of stable, long-term cooperation.
Over time, this translates into cost predictability, patient safety, and lasting business relationships—crucial in the healthcare sector.
At Med-Invest Consulting, we treat negotiations as a tool for managing costs, risks, and relationships, rather than a “battlefield.”
This approach works particularly well in both short- and long-term care, where every business decision has a real impact on the functioning of the facility and patient safety.
In 2026, all forecasts indicate that the macroeconomic situation in Poland is expected to remain stable, which may facilitate negotiations and support a win-win approach.