Three quotes were obtained. The spec was written by the incumbent.

A competitive tender is only competitive if the requirements were neutral, and the person best placed to write them is usually the one you already buy from.

By Steve 5 min read
Abstract bridge artwork for Three quotes were obtained. The spec was written by the incumbent.

The file looks clean. Three quotations, dated within a fortnight of each other, a scoring sheet, a recommendation, an approval. Anyone reviewing the purchase after the fact would conclude that the market was tested and the best offer won. Then you ask who drafted the specification the three suppliers were responding to. And the answer, more often than most businesses would like to admit, is the supplier who already holds the contract, or a supplier who was very keen to hold it. Sometimes formally, as a helpful favour. Sometimes informally,…

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