Crocodile schemes

There is this unspoken rule among tech vendors that says, “If you did not write or influence the bid specifications, do not even bother to join the bid.”

- TECH4G00D FORMER DICT UNDERSECRETARY MON B. IBRAHIM

This reality reflects how procurement processes are often manipulated from the very start, long before any bids are submitted.

By shaping the ToR to favor a preferred supplier, it provides a tremendous advantage to those vendors.

This manipulative influence turns what should be a fair contest into a charade where the outcome is predetermined, undermining true competition and public trust. Understanding this devious practice is key to addressing why some procurement projects, both in government and the private sector, reportedly fail to deliver genuine value for the institution despite the appearance of due process.

I should know — before joining public service in 2006, I was a tech vendor for more than 30 years and have observed this practice, which, I have heard, is still common today.

There are other ways that the procurement can be manipulated. One common technique is to bundle the hardware costs and pad them with extra hardware, software licenses, or services that are either unneeded or far beyond actual requirements, which results in “bloatware” pricing. That way, the price details are made difficult to determine, and it makes it easy for the manipulators to play around with costings. This is referred to among vendors as the art of selling everything, including the kitchen sink.