Governments Should Rethink the Procurement Process

Do you remember your first middle-school dance? The boys on one side of the gym, the girls on the other, both too afraid to approach each other. Many of those fears evaporated as we came to know more about each other.

Too often, the government procurement process is like that dance. Government officials are reluctant to engage with potential private-sector vendors outside of the formalized bidding process, fearing that their ethics might be questioned or they might end up spending taxpayer money on products or services that cost too much or don’t work as advertised.

For companies, the decision to work with government is scary as well, given the complexities of the procurement process and the worry that a lot of resources will be expended for an uncertain return. Yet regardless of which side of the process you sit on, the procurement process can be your friend.

I started my career as a federal agent investigating public corruption and procurement fraud. I learned early on that government often fails to select the best competitive bid. The rules-driven process too often prevents an open dialogue between the private sector and government about the best solution. Government is criticized at times for not choosing the best product or service and at other times for showing strong, early support for a particular solution to the exclusion of others, even when it’s the best. There is so much emphasis placed on creating a level playing field that the process too often ignores the most important goal: the best outcome for citizens.

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