Ever read a public sector solicitation and believe – based upon your strong industry knowledge – that the specs are written for a particular company?  Procurement opportunities with tight specs are frequently criticized as being wired for a targeted vendor. 

If this is the case, who do you think wired it?  Politicians?  End users?  Buyers?

I’m biased on this one.  During my time marketing for the Michigan Department of Management and Budget (DMB), I worked with true professionals, and can’t imagine any of them participating in a wired opportunity.  But, public sector buyers don’t always write the SOW – their end using agencies or outside experts frequently have a hand.

A wise person once reminded me that we cannot control what other people do, we can only control how we respond. 

So how do you respond if you think an opportunity is wired?  Do you allow your level-headed self to dominate and ask for clarity on the specs, perhaps requesting permission to bid a creative alternate?  Or, do you let your paranoid personality take over, deciding it is an intentional affront that should be resolved by complaining incessantly without additional action?

(Yes, that was admittedly leading.  We counsel clients to ask level headed questions, and then move on to the next opportunity if they don’t like the answer.  We don’t allow whining.)

So if you don’t ask the question, can you be angry when you don’t win?