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I'm not trying to pick a fight here, but the United States strongly rejects, on a cultural level, the notion of a professional class of government employees. Fr

by jt2190 14y ago

I'm not trying to pick a fight here, but the United States strongly rejects, on a cultural level, the notion of a professional class of government employees. From the article: > A huge part of the problem is that agencies can’t keep > their private contractors in check. Starved of funds and > expertise for in-house planning, officials contract out > the project management and early design concepts to > private companies that have little incentive to keep > costs down and quality up. And even when they know > better, agencies are often forced by legislation, courts > and politicians to make decisions that they know aren’t > in the public interest. All you ever hear about at election time in the U.S. is "big government waste." My colleague from Spain tells me that in Spain everyone goes to work for the government, and that entrepreneurship is lacking. Perhaps that means that in order to have cost-efficient mass-transit projects in the U.S. we need a Spanish-style government and culture.

Anechoic 14y ago
I'm not trying to pick a fight here, but the United States strongly rejects, on a cultural level, the notion of a professional class of government employees. This is an excellent point. When the US Federal or a state government agency decides they need to link point A and point B with a transportation project, the agency typically only provides a basic outline of project requirements. Outside contractors are used to develop the more detailed requirements, and even the RFP for design and construction. This creates a situation where big engineering firms try very hard (and often succeed) in creating RFPs that only they are qualified for. Yes, this really happens. In fact, whenever I read an RFP the number one question on my mind is "is this written so that only XXX firm can win it?" The answer tends to be "yes" in many cases and we don't bother bidding on it. The obvious solution would be to prevent companies that write RFPs from bidding on the project. The problem is that no one (or at least no one good) would want to bid on the RFP prep work! If given the chance to win a $250,000 RFP preparation project, or a $500 million general engineering contract/$10 billion construction contract, the highly qualified firms will wait to take a shot at the larger work.
- ImprovedSilence 14y ago
  I wouldn't go so far as to say that outside contractors are writing those RFP's, and turning around and winning them, that would lead to allll sorts of legal trouble for all parties involved, a risk no large contracting company would be willing to take. I will say however, that often times, the particular govt office/personal have a working relationship with a contractor, or have done business with them in the past, and will tailor an RFP so that only the company they want to work with will win it. Sometimes this is bad, but sometimes if there is already an established relationship, and a good management structure in place between the two parties, it may be the most effective way to accomplish a task.
  - Anechoic 14y ago
    I wouldn't go so far as to say that outside contractors are writing those RFP's, and turning around and winning them, It doesn't happen all the time, but it happens a lot. often times, the particular govt office/personal have a working relationship with a contractor, or have done business with them in the past [..] it may be the most effective way to accomplish a task I've been on both sides of this issue and it's difficult to navigate, like you imply. Do you pick the low-bid firm who is likely to screw up the project, resulting in increased costs down the line? Or do you pick the more expensive firm who will do the job right the first time, but may subject you to "fraud, waste and abuse" criticisms?
- pessimizer 14y ago
  This creates a situation where big engineering firms try very hard (and often succeed) in creating RFPs that only they are qualified for. Yes, this really happens. I want to second this so it doesn't sound like conspiracy theory or sour grapes. Speaking from the perspective of somebody who worked for the state, and went through the process of putting out RFPs and final selection, at least half of RFPs are put out as a technicality after the deal has already been made informally with somebody's quid-pro-quo-friend/drinking buddy/nephew. It's the art of adding bizarre requirements to straightforward jobs, until you find a set that only one known vendor could satisfy - and using those to eliminate all of the other proposals before they ever get to the selection.

by jt2190 14y ago

Anechoic 14y ago

I'm not trying to pick a fight here, but the United States strongly rejects, on a cultural level, the notion of a professional class of government employees. This is an excellent point. When the US Federal or a state government agency decides they need to link point A and point B with a transportation project, the agency typically only provides a basic outline of project requirements. Outside contractors are used to develop the more detailed requirements, and even the RFP for design and construction. This creates a situation where big engineering firms try very hard (and often succeed) in creating RFPs that only they are qualified for. Yes, this really happens. In fact, whenever I read an RFP the number one question on my mind is "is this written so that only XXX firm can win it?" The answer tends to be "yes" in many cases and we don't bother bidding on it. The obvious solution would be to prevent companies that write RFPs from bidding on the project. The problem is that no one (or at least no one good) would want to bid on the RFP prep work! If given the chance to win a $250,000 RFP preparation project, or a $500 million general engineering contract/$10 billion construction contract, the highly qualified firms will wait to take a shot at the larger work.

ImprovedSilence 14y ago
I wouldn't go so far as to say that outside contractors are writing those RFP's, and turning around and winning them, that would lead to allll sorts of legal trouble for all parties involved, a risk no large contracting company would be willing to take. I will say however, that often times, the particular govt office/personal have a working relationship with a contractor, or have done business with them in the past, and will tailor an RFP so that only the company they want to work with will win it. Sometimes this is bad, but sometimes if there is already an established relationship, and a good management structure in place between the two parties, it may be the most effective way to accomplish a task.
- Anechoic 14y ago
  I wouldn't go so far as to say that outside contractors are writing those RFP's, and turning around and winning them, It doesn't happen all the time, but it happens a lot. often times, the particular govt office/personal have a working relationship with a contractor, or have done business with them in the past [..] it may be the most effective way to accomplish a task I've been on both sides of this issue and it's difficult to navigate, like you imply. Do you pick the low-bid firm who is likely to screw up the project, resulting in increased costs down the line? Or do you pick the more expensive firm who will do the job right the first time, but may subject you to "fraud, waste and abuse" criticisms?
pessimizer 14y ago
This creates a situation where big engineering firms try very hard (and often succeed) in creating RFPs that only they are qualified for. Yes, this really happens. I want to second this so it doesn't sound like conspiracy theory or sour grapes. Speaking from the perspective of somebody who worked for the state, and went through the process of putting out RFPs and final selection, at least half of RFPs are put out as a technicality after the deal has already been made informally with somebody's quid-pro-quo-friend/drinking buddy/nephew. It's the art of adding bizarre requirements to straightforward jobs, until you find a set that only one known vendor could satisfy - and using those to eliminate all of the other proposals before they ever get to the selection.