Check you can take usable records when leaving a supplier

What this means for your practice

Plan the handover before the supplier review becomes urgent. Ask for a usable sample export, confirm who will have access and agree responsibilities using the actual agreement.

What to ask before you choose

Request a representative export before renewal becomes urgent. Can an authorised colleague open it, understand its fields and connect related records without the old interface? Include documents and essential settings. Agree transfer responsibilities so the outgoing service does not close before the replacement is ready.

Test the handover while you still have options

Choose a sample that includes related records, an attachment and a setting needed for everyday work. Ask an authorised colleague from the receiving team to use the export without relying on the old supplier's screen. A file opening successfully is only the first check; its columns and relationships need to make sense for the intended move.

List anything that depends on continued access to the old service, including documents stored separately or information available only through an administrator. Establish which supplier is responsible for producing and checking each part. Use the actual agreement and appropriate advice to resolve contractual questions early. Plan the order of the handover so essential access is not removed before the replacement team has accepted what it needs. Keep unresolved gaps visible at the decision point. This allows the practice to judge the move with a realistic picture of the remaining work, rather than discovering missing material after the outgoing relationship has ended.

How to check the result

Track exit dependencies that remain untested before the decision date.