Quote:
Originally Posted by jwslam
As a private business I can make business decisions as to only using Ecofitt lightbulbs because the the president and I are friends, or because I've had a bad experience with other lightbulbs.
As a public government who is spending public money, there needs to be a detailed explanation to the public, whom they got the money from, as to why the Ecofitt product is superior above all others.
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Correct. Ive worked procurement on both private and public industry.
You can pretty much do anything in private industry. You can sole source, run legit bids, run slightly biased bids, etc. You only have to answer to your company and "best value" for shareholders. Personal and company reputation and ethics are kind of the only things at stake.
Its a lot more regulated in public industry since you're using tax payers money. Usually you have to be a lot more transparent and cost is usually the #1 deciding factor for evaluation criteria. The process is usually very defined. The scope and requirement is usually very detailed. There is way less emphasis on relationship building, etc.
There's also competitive bidding law in place and companies can sue if they perceive an injustice in the process. Look up Contract A vs Contract B if you want to know more.
Most cases of lawsuits in competitive bidding are against public governmental entities.
I'd also be interested in viewing the RFP for this. Public ones are usually posted online, but not sure you could find this as its old and already awarded.