Pueblog USa
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
Government Bargain Hunting
Should paper clips and plumbing parts really be put out to bid in a formal process?
I was in a conversation yesterday with a public official who shall remain nameless because he was not warned that he might be quoted. I was getting the nitty-gritty about how something works in the City.
“Then,” he said, “the fire department puts it out to bid and [the job] is done.”
“How much does [the job] usually cost?” I asked. “$500?”
“That would be about right,” he agreed.
“So, with the bid process, the City is spending, what? $200 or $300 so they can spend $500?” I asked.
“Well, how would you know what the lowest price was without going through the bid process?” he asked.
“You call them up and ask,” I replied.
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