ABSTRACT
Government agencies often complain about the quality of tenders they receive. The quality can, indeed, be poor. But the number one cause of a poor quality bid is a poor quality request. To invert the computer programmer’s mantra, garbage out means garbage in. Tenderers find it much easier to give you what you want if you tell them what you want. It also helps if what you want is capable of being provided.
The number one cause of a poor quality bid is a poor quality request.
