Sitting Across the Table

My father is a salesman. In my eyes, he was very successful and HONEST. He never played games, wasn't a schmoozer, and for a really shy guy, he did extremely well - winning awards, keeping family afloat during the aftermath of Black Monday (87), and eventually buying the company he worked for.

I chose a career in purchasing, basically sitting across the table from my father :) Strangely enough, I never felt we were at 'odds' with each others goals. My father, as a salesperson, sought to solve his customer's problems. I was most amazed at the fact some would want the latest, greatest machine; he'd look at their operations and tell them why they didn't need that, and how a different model (smaller, less expensive) would suit their needs including meeting their growth projections over the life of the machine.

So, never did I see sales and purchasing 'at odds', both were looking to solve a problem, build a relationship. However, in light of LinkedIn group conversations, I'm seeing a difference between sales and public sector buyers in the 'timing' of that relationship! Sales people want to build the relationship to 'win' the contract. Public Sector buyers need to run an open, fair, transparent competition, be completely objective, have no perceived conflicts, then build a relationship AFTER the contract is awarded. (there is a fear a relationship before/during a competitive process gives the perception the buyer has bias towards/against particular vendors).

That appears to be the issue regarding vendors hating the RFP process (no relationship building), and public sector buyers needing an arm's length approach to spending taxpayers' money. In light of Gomery enquiry and Ontario's E-Health scandals, public sector buyers are even more aware of keeping at arm's length from the vendor community when competing a contract.

So, how do we resolve the relationship timing, get the problem solved with the best solution, and avoid perception that public sector buyers are giving contracts to their 'friends' (Gomery, Ontario e-health scandals, etc)?

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