Credibility

Joie's company provides IT solutions. Among the clients from different fields there is one particular type that is very "interesting".

Yep, interesting with inverted commas.

To make things simple, let me put it this way: there are direct customers - ones who contact us directly via leads/recommendations; and indirect customers - ones who represented by somebody (who usually known as "contractor") to become the bridge between two ends.

The "interesting" that I am referring to is the latter, which usually appear in one very common situation - TENDER PROJECTS.

They are our brothers of different race, having the privilege to be involved in business/opportunities without needing any cost, knowledge or skill. All they need is their participation in the tender, win the tender (don't know how), and then start looking for sources like Joie's company to do the work. So what's their role to be precise? They basically take a required specifications from the project, find a few dealers, get some quotations and they will do the easy markup themselves then submit the amount. That's all. They have no obligation as the obligations will fall on the people like Joie's company, who supplies them the goods and services.

Now thanks to the end customer (the government sectors/government involved sectors) who comfortably spending tax payers' money without any concern of practicality and value for money, projects like these always cost a lot of money and not knowing they end up with receiving products that are non compliance to the requested requirements.

For instance we recently received one inquiry from one of the tender projects for a local universities. Some guy has won the tender and found out the product of the price he quoted is lower grade than the required standard. So he went to see the cable guy who he appointed for a part of the project asking this cable guy to help him find the products. The cable guy came to Marvin and Joie found out there is no way we can supply a requested brand and of such standard with the price he quoted for the project because the price he quoted is only less than half of the correct product's cost.

We have only 2 choices: to supply the wrong product (but right price) or supply the quotation according to the right products. We have chosen the latter because we honour the credibility and reputation of our profession.


But how would the tender person able to fulfill the requirement when the products were already quoted wrongly?