Dear Buyer,
Imagine this scenario where you invited, say, four vendors to bid for a supply and only one vendor responds. Familiar right😄
Just like that, you were "ghosted" by the other vendors who didn't decline nor did they acknowledge your invite.
This can be frustrating especially when you're sure the requirements of the RFP/Q aren't restrictive in any way.
Now, why would a vendor refuse to bid even though the specifications are well spelled out and the delivery time is adequate too?
Let’s consider some reasons. Sometimes the no-bid vendors might have other clashing business priorities informing their decision not to bid. And they don’t want to bite off more than they can chew.
Sometimes, the scope of the RFP may be beyond their core business/expertise and so they decide not to participate.
And yet these no-bid ghost vendors do not formally decline so that you can seek alternatives. Click here to read why they ’ghost’ you
And there are times the vendors decide not to bid because for whatever reason, they ’feel’ the tender is not fair. That perhaps a winner has already been pre-selected and the process is a charade.. hmmm topic for another day!
One thing you should keep in mind as a procurement manager is that you cannot totally avoid outcomes like this and hence you need to be prepared to explore other options.
You may be wondering if the procurement process is still competitive since only one vendor responded.
Well, it may or may not be considered competitive but your proactive action at this time is key.
Explore other means to benchmark the quote received from the vendor that responded and negotiate as necessary.
Meanwhile, it's also important to reach out to the no-bid ghost vendors and have them state their reasons for declining, both for record purposes and to aid your evaluation report.
Do you want to learn how to deal with different procurement issues?
If you need help developing RFPs, bidding, supplier management, sourcing, bid evaluations, and contracting to grow your business, then visit Efemini Academy to explore our range of online procurement courses.
Kommentare