Don’t forget the handshake

As consultants we are frequently asked to help Clients tender for capital equipment and IT systems.  These can often involve large sums of money and can be quite stressful experiences if not managed appropriately.

There are numerous approaches to tendering.  At one extreme we have the gentleman’s handshake where the process is about building trust and confidence that the supplier is going to do their best for the client and that the client is going to treat the supplier well in return.

This approach is rarely seen now in this country although it is more prevalent in Germany where there are many more privately owned, sizeable companies less encumbered by the oversight of shareholders and ‘the city’.  At the other extreme we have the traditional procurement professionals whose main aim is to gain maximum commercial advantage for the customer no matter what.

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