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Everybody in the Finnish software business knows that much of the public procurement happens over various "old boys club" arrangements, and "surprisingly" usual

by bergie 14y ago

Everybody in the Finnish software business knows that much of the public procurement happens over various "old boys club" arrangements, and "surprisingly" usually ends in the hands of the same two or three big IT providers. Finland used to be regarded as one of the least corrupted countries, but that has crumbled as more and more of these situations surface. No wonder they want to keep their costs secret.

tommi 14y ago
Please don't spread those kind of rumors as they are not true. Public procurement happens through an open process in which I have been also participating. Everybody involved can get their competitors RFQ replies and get the verdict with comments for each RFQ section. True, most big acquirements go for two or three big IT providers, but let's face it - how many big IT companies Finland can hold which have the men power available to provide big systems and long term support? And for the record, I do not work for any of those three. The official reply for requesting the details of the Open Office report was denied due to the fact that city of Helsinki has made a deal with Gartner Ireland Ltd which denies them giving out the figures for two years. Perhaps a bad contract, but hopefully they'll learn from it.
- bergie 14y ago
  I admit, I probably used a bit stronger words than warranted, but this is entirely due to the frustration on the constant state of public IT procurement failure in the country. Anyway, I'm quite well aware how the RFQ process works. The problem is that even though the idea works well, it is still very easy to write your requirements so that your preferred vendor gets the deal. This is sort of in line with the classic Stalin quote: I consider it completely unimportant who in the party will vote, or how; but what is extraordinarily important is this—who will count the votes, and how. Also, I find it curious that the city is even allowed to get into deals that deny them public accountability. This might be a great strategy for a politician: if you screw up, lock the details behind a similar deal, only to be opened after the next elections.

by bergie 14y ago

tommi 14y ago

Please don't spread those kind of rumors as they are not true. Public procurement happens through an open process in which I have been also participating. Everybody involved can get their competitors RFQ replies and get the verdict with comments for each RFQ section. True, most big acquirements go for two or three big IT providers, but let's face it - how many big IT companies Finland can hold which have the men power available to provide big systems and long term support? And for the record, I do not work for any of those three. The official reply for requesting the details of the Open Office report was denied due to the fact that city of Helsinki has made a deal with Gartner Ireland Ltd which denies them giving out the figures for two years. Perhaps a bad contract, but hopefully they'll learn from it.

bergie 14y ago
I admit, I probably used a bit stronger words than warranted, but this is entirely due to the frustration on the constant state of public IT procurement failure in the country. Anyway, I'm quite well aware how the RFQ process works. The problem is that even though the idea works well, it is still very easy to write your requirements so that your preferred vendor gets the deal. This is sort of in line with the classic Stalin quote: I consider it completely unimportant who in the party will vote, or how; but what is extraordinarily important is this—who will count the votes, and how. Also, I find it curious that the city is even allowed to get into deals that deny them public accountability. This might be a great strategy for a politician: if you screw up, lock the details behind a similar deal, only to be opened after the next elections.