Bidding to the government

Bidding to the government

Bidding to the government

When there is armed conflict or some natural disaster, you hear about certain very large conglomerates that are awarded "no-bid" contracts. If you don't do a lot of sales to public customers, you many not know how the routine works, and may be convinced that the fix is in. There is no question that when there are millions and even billions on the line, that the power of access and lobbyists can not be repudiated; but for the minor procurements, a small business can still receive justice.

In general, most municipal consumer try to be very fair as they serve both their customers, (the end user, who is the government worker who actually consumes what is procured) and the tax payer by getting the best worth possible. Purposely or by lack of information, there are sometimes public bids that are exclusionary, and deny competition. There are single source bids and tenders that are exclusionary due to specs, locale, preferences, etc.

Most "Single Source" solicitations are justafiable. If they had previously purchased a widget from XYZ Company, they will of course need parts and service from that business. If they want to buy something that is very exclusive, and there are no suitable substitutes, then a single source procurement is understandable.

Specifications are where you can quite often find your company shut out. I love the solicitations that attest they are fair and competitive; they will accept any seller, as long as they are within 23 miles of the delivery location. What? Where did they get that number? Is their cousin Homer exactly 23 miles away? You see dubious restrictions like this fairly often. Some agencies require that you have a local sales license. Some purchasing agents want you to provide local service, or to provide training for products that are very manageable to work with.

For the most part, purchasing agents do not write the specifications on their bids. If you are acquainted with the competition, you can often read a specification and know whose literature it was copied from. That more often than not does not mean that you cannot offer an substitute; but depending on how stringently they assess the responses, you may find it hard to "exactly" match your competitor's spec. It may or may not be by design; but Occasionally, you will encounter a bid that has reference part numbers that are very strange. You search for them, and find out after exhaustive research that the part numbers are numbers that have been chosen by a broker, and are meant to block you from knowing the manufacture's part numbers. It is very difficult to match a spec with a competitor who is actively trying to restrict competition.

I have been doing government bidding for almost 10 years now, and NO, it is not always equitable. For the most part it is, and if you spend too much time stressing about missed opportunities, you will be unhappy. Fortunately, if you get the short end of the stick, there will always be another bid on the horizon. I have seen vendors spend incalculable time and resources to fight a battle that can not be won. If you can somehow take your potential buyer to court and pressure them to buy from you, you can be sure that the next time they write a specification, it will be airtight, and you will never be able to do business with them ever again.

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