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22.3.07

Still feeling tender

Yes I am. Just did a presentation today - through the tender process - for a local authority project. Took four people out of the office for four hours to present to a committee of council employees. That's a total of 16 man hours.
Result? We didn't win the account, in spite of a sterling and creative presentation by the team showing examples of past work in the same area and years of expertise in the arts and regeneration.
So who won the account? The incumbent because they had the edge over us because of local knowledge. Well duh?
This is not sour grapes - just feeling a bit stupid for entering into the whole process from the beginning. Maybe we should just stick to the private sector - where they call a spade a bloody shovel and can put a value on the creative.

2 comments:

Laura Brown said...

Hi Ian, I found your blog through FMB too, last night. My Dad was Ian Brown so of course, I had to see who Ian Green was. :) Thanks for the visit to my blog. There are a lot of houses like that in Toronto. A lot which are in really bad repair but not being knocked down. I think there has to be some kind of balance for the old and new. Or, at the very least some way to keep the old so others can see it in photos. That's partly why I take photos of old places. I have done several abandoned farmhouses in rural Ontario too. I would love to see the UK where buildings are so much older than here in Canada.

Anonymous said...

Before moving into journalism I spent many years in housing development, most notably social housing. My job was to help win new business and I agree the paperwork was crucifying. Worst of all was the equal opportunities charters. Every company signs one - has to sign one - but when the top brass in the industry are some of the most bigoted people I've ever met it makes you shake your head in disbelief and shame.

Now I’m running my own PR biz I’ve opted to stay clear of the public sector. In previous jobs just working on public sector accounts was bad enough; I once had to coordinate the recycling departments from nine local authorities. It was like getting blood from a stone. Any excuse not to do the work, and don’t get me started on going home early on Fridays, or not working after a bank holiday, or, or, oh I’ve had enough.