Post AW0bKyhLaBCzomPiGu by phillipdewet@mastodonapp.uk
 (DIR) More posts by phillipdewet@mastodonapp.uk
 (DIR) Post #AW0bKyhLaBCzomPiGu by phillipdewet@mastodonapp.uk
       2023-05-25T09:03:47Z
       
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       Today in #tenders: 60x electrical multiplugs for the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (#PRASA).Total expected cost: call it 0.0012% of PRASA's annual spending.Someone went to the website for the retail chain Builders, did a copy-and-paste of the exact product they need, from just below the brand name, and plonked that in a 24-page RFQ.
       
 (DIR) Post #AW0bKzVKaLBuJnndBI by wogan@mastodon.africa
       2023-05-25T09:08:20Z
       
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       @phillipdewet Ok that is ridiculous - the process overhead cost of that line item surely far exceeds the cost of the hardware they're trying to procure?
       
 (DIR) Post #AW0bq89SU83s79Pvg8 by phillipdewet@mastodonapp.uk
       2023-05-25T09:13:57Z
       
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       @wogan It'll take us a couple of years of information requests and resulting legal action to be sure. But my back-of-envelope calculations say just the salary cost of the people adjudicating will exceed the contract cost, yes – assuming they are quite fast and efficient.And if someone challenges the tender – which they could do, for free, using the Small Claim Court – then it gets real expensive real fast.
       
 (DIR) Post #AW0bu1a2rHWgtOi44u by wogan@mastodon.africa
       2023-05-25T09:14:41Z
       
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       @phillipdewet 😭