About tenders, tender purchases and the formation of the tender task

Hello.

It so happened that, as a technical specialist, I have been working closely with trade for more than 15 years.
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But this is understandable - the technique that is not wanted to buy is bad.

For a long time, the word “marketing” made me deeply disgusted, because I was associated with a completely Russian and understandable word “stealing”.

Earlier, I wrote several articles about how marketers manipulate buyers, imposing unnecessary things on them and describing certain special characteristics that turn out to be nothing outstanding.

But today I would like to talk about something else. About tenders.

Nowadays, tender purchases have become very popular - this is the mechanism to get something suitable for the buyer, at the lowest price - after all, in the overwhelming number of tenders the main factor determining the winner is precisely the price.

It is understandable: the price is a figure, it can be compared, unlike some characteristics with which it is not always clear what is better: more, less, redder or violet. Add here the high cost of expert assessments and the frequent engagement of these same experts - we get what we get.

Obviously, in order to force all suppliers to play by the same rules and with the same offers, it is extremely important to correctly form a tender task that clearly cuts off all irrelevant, leaving only the right ones - and then the price, reducii and so on will come into play.

As practice shows, the buyer very often underestimates the importance of the correct tender task, relying on the seller’s understanding - and the saddest thing: on his honesty.

Capital ... avoids noise and abuse and is timid in kind. This is true, but it is not the whole truth. Capital is afraid of lack of profit or too little profit, as nature is afraid of emptiness. But once sufficient profit is available, capital becomes bold. Provide 10%, and the capital agrees to any use, at 20% it becomes lively, at 50% it is positively ready to break its head, at 100% it violates all human laws, at 300% there is no such crime that he would not risk, at least under the gallows fear. If noise and warfare make a profit, capital will contribute to both. Proof: smuggling and slave trade.

- Dunning TJ Trade's Unions and Strikes: Their Philosophy and Intention. - London: Published by the author, and M. Harley, No 5, Raquet court, Fleet street, EC 1860. Published. P. 35-36. - 52 p. (cited by K. Marx, "Capital", chapter 24 note at the end of paragraph 6. K. Marx and F. Engels. Works. - 2nd ed. - T. 23. - p. 770.

Alas, but after more than 150 years, these words are relevant. Who does not believe - I recommend to go to any open area, dear readers from Ukraine can go to Prozorro - on closer examination, it is very easy to find a lot of purchases that go completely against what the buyer would like.

I would like to write quite a few simple advice to the buyer for the formation of the tender - not even: the technical specifications for the purchase, which will allow you to really get what you want. And forgive me, my employer and all marketers of the world.

1. Do not try to understand the equipment or systems - let the supplier understand your task!
   
   Unfortunately, the reality (or our mentality?) Is such that we all are afraid to seem stupid. And we go on about marketing, studying brochures, trying to understand the new-fangled technologies or features, tying them to their needs.
   
   WHAT FOR?
   
   Any supplier should have experienced technical specialists (whom I, for example, am - I can confirm), who are obliged to read your Wishlist and offer the technology that can solve it in full. There are no such specialists? And why do you need such a supplier?
   
   You do not have to know the engine volumes, spectral ranges and compilation keys - you want to get from point A to point B at such and such time so many times a week, measure such-and-such matter with such content in such a matrix or perform such actions on such computer systems. What to offer - let the supplier decide. He does not understand - let him ask a question. Do not take on the work of other technical technicians.
2. Always as detailed as possible the requirements for a complete set! “Automobile” does not always mean a real automobile - it can be plastic or it can be without wheels.
   
   The illustration at the beginning of this article is not accidental. We all understand very well that when the main criterion for choosing a winner is price, it is necessary to offer the most complete set that meets the minimum requirements of the tender. No one will give more. No one will pay out of pocket.
   
   Remember this.
3. Pay attention to the service, launch, methodological support!
   
   Even a wonderful device has the ability to break. Even the simplest systems require mastering and often learning. Yes, you have the smartest and best employees in the world, but even the smartest people learn something new longer than with proper training, and most likely they won't master 100%.
   
   By the way, who will pay for this extra training time?
4. Good service does not occur in a year or two!
   
   Service is always an expense in the initial stage: people need to be trained, people need to get their own experience, because right after the courses a specialist never becomes a real specialist.
   
   And it is clear that in order to gain experience it is necessary to have sales - if the seller has not put a single system, then what is the practice of the service?
   
   It is ridiculous: I saw a lot of certificates of service engineers received last month (a person got a job two months ago), upon closer inspection, these certificates turned out to be something like “Training course for rookie” or “beginners”. Do you want to become a platform for training such "beginners"?
   
   Yes, and do not forget that the foreign service is interested in you exactly during the warranty period (and not always). Then their arrival will be very expensive: you are not the main country on their list, and the cost of their work is calculated in currency per hour, not in rubles.
   
   Require the availability of service in your country, require certificates, check them - and finally require the presence of experience with the supplied system for at least 5 years.
5. Pay attention to the list of users and their contacts - let the users talk about the equipment, not the sellers!
   
   It's no secret that every frog praises its own swamp. The same with sellers. And how do previous buyers think of them? You have the right to inquire, and let the stories about a trade secret do not stop you - you are not interested in contractual relations or price. No seller will hide his luck - and if he hides, then there was no luck.
   
   By the way, very often the list of users was fictitious - do not hesitate to call the specified numbers, get acquainted, ask.
   
   Very often, all the “best systems in the world” are either not launched by anyone, or they do not fully complete the task, and sometimes they only exist in the supplier’s fantasies.
6. Check the cost of operation! Often a cheap device for the year of operation doubles its value.
   
   Alas - but this is how business works: someone earns at the starting cost, and someone earns on consumables. Motorists will not lie here.
7. Agree on a payment plan so that you can finally pay off when everything is already up and running, adjusted and verified.
   
   The seller is easiest to find when you owe him something. It's not a secret. Some supplier companies have a feature to disappear immediately after receiving the entire payment. Yes, such companies rarely have a service, a list of users, and so on, but even with all the other advantages, remember: friendship is friendship ...
   
   To make the supplier receive the full amount only after correct commissioning, training of your specialists and confirmation of full compliance with your task (see above) - this is a very good move!
8. Unfortunately, the reality is that of the three categories of “fast, high quality, cheap” with the purchase, you can choose only two. REMEMBER THIS!
   
   I would always be wary if something is offered at an extremely low price in comparison with competitors who stayed in about the same price category - most likely the supplier either does not understand what he is delivering, or is delivering something completely different, or it is b / u, refurbished and other rubbish.
9. Do not hesitate to check the manufacturer's authorizations, supplier certificates and other accompanying documents.
   
   Any tender documentation includes relatively formal documents: certificates of good conduct, no bankruptcy, etc. - and more specialized documents, which indicate the authorization of the dealer, customer reviews, already mentioned service certificates, etc.
   
   First, always ask for an official translation. Yes, Google rules, but I would trust the official translation from some other language than my own (or Google) linguistic knowledge if it comes to my money.
   
   Secondly - check. Forgery of certificates from the tax inspectorate and ATC is a crime. With this, few are at risk. Yes, I know that the falsification of any documents at state tenders is also, but who will check foreign certificates and authorization letters? For example, the already mentioned Ukraine introduced an electronic trading system, but did not introduce a system for controlling the authenticity of documents. I met the certificates with a blurred seal - they found it in the googlokartinka and did not even try to search in the best resolution, certificates with roughly rubbed and corrected names and other funny fakes. It is impossible to attract a participant for this in practice - he will always refer to a failure in loading a document, to substitute on the server for anything, and the expertise is rather laborious.
   
   Require paper. Require official wet stamps and signatures. Require documents to come from the manufacturer to your address. Do not hesitate - demand! And in extreme cases, write to the organization that issued the certificate or authorization - let them confirm their own document.

Yes, my advice turned out to be rather lengthy, but I think that if you follow them, you will be able to avoid both the headache in the procurement process and the problems after them.

I wish you all successful purchases and reliable partners!