Stablebridge partners with BMT Defence Services Ltd

Stablebridge have just completed their first project with BMT Defence Services on the selection of military vehicles, for the UK MoD. BMT Defence Services of Bath, were retained as prime contractor by the MoD to support the full acquisition lifecycle, from the finalisation of technical requirements, through to evaluation and acceptance planning. Stablebridge supported [...]

Competitive Dialogue - games bidders play

Competitive Dialogue is a procedure used by public-sector organisations to select contractors for complex, high-risk projects. Unlike other procedures, this one allows the buying authority to hold discussions with all the contenders throughout an extended bidding process, to help them refine their solutions. Competitive Dialogue is capable of creating a perfect match between contracts and contractors. But on the other hand, it can also lead to some intriguing game-playing… [...]

At what point does failure start to look like a bargain?

I spent a very frustrating day trying to explain the difference between ‘MEAT’ and ‘the cheapest bid’ to a very nervous civil servant. MEAT, if you haven’t come across it, means Most Economically Advantageous Tender.

I had been called in by a senior responsible officer (SRO) who was growing increasingly concerned the team running [...]

The Power of ‘Spin’…

If you don’t ask for evidence – you can only expect to get marketing hype. If you are trying to select a suitable supplier/contract for a high-risk project, you need to be cleverer than that. Here is a rather funny example of how something negative can be given a positive ‘spin’. [...]