Re: Procurement nightmares
And this is why these frameworks are so popular in Public Sector. If the framework is tendered or the adopted framework has categories with a number of approved suppliers in each ranked in order, as long as you place the order with the top ranked supplier you can "direct award" without the need to tender. There are some value limits but these appear to vary.
Then you have the situation where tenders are crafted in such a way that the desired supplier will win if all goes well. The responses that are then scrutinised in ever more detail to try and get the supplier/vendor people want, even if it is vastly more expensive and there are other bids that will also do the job.
Frankly the effort and costs that are put in by both sides in these situations are often in excess of any profits the supplier probably ever makes.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
