Opening up the public sector

The public sector bidding process is one that prompts differing reactions from the channel.

Yirrell: What is stopping more small players from getting a public sector look-in?

Some love it because they have managed to get into the ‘inner circle’ of Catalyst and G-Cat, and others hate it because they feel it is an ‘old boys club’-style setup that just slams the door in smaller players’ faces without even giving them a chance.

This week Viglen has revealed how it beat the likes of Dell, HP and IBM to a lucrative Office of Government Commerce (OGC) deal ­ -- OGC 11 ­ -- proving that the smaller players in the market do get a look-in and that the business does not always go
to multi-national giants.

But more often than not we hear how the public sector contracts tend to go to the same old players, which eventually throws up the same old problems ­ usually extra costs, delayed completion dates and increasingly complex technical issues.

Even Sir Peter Rigby, founder of SCH, has thrown his hat into the ring, claiming the process is unfair and far too costly for smaller UK players.

However, everyone I speak with lately is hopeful that a change of government will bring a much needed breath of fresh air to the public sector tender process.

One thing is for sure ­ -- the situation can’t get any worse. Or can it?

Sara Yirrell is editor of CRN. Contact her at [email protected]