Partner Article

Gentoo debacle shows why tender process is flawed

Prior to Christmas, a tender for creative work issued by Sunderland housing firm, Gentoo made the headlines for all the wrong reasons, writes Merlin Duff.

They were charging a £100 ‘administration fee’ to all those submitting a tender.

We’re not interested in pouring any more petrol on this, but, for us, it highlights why the whole tender process is wrong. Tenders and pitches are common in more than just the creative industries, but we fail to see how the process is beneficial for anybody.

Essentially, tenders are one open question, responded to with numerous closed answers. All it creates is a supplier to consumer relationship; you say jump, we ask how high.

It’s wrong; creative agencies are not simply a supplier of a service.

We are experts in providing effective solutions to solve a given problem through the application of creative thinking. For this to work, however, us creative agencies need to be sure of the problem, as well as the solution. This involves a deep level of discovery on our part, and this happens through dialogue.

Merlin Duff

But the tender process stifles any opportunity for dialogue. The honest and open relationships dialogue creates, where agency and client work together, produces the most effective work every time. All the tender process does is create this illusion of transparency, choice and opportunity.

In addition, the economics for the client engaged in the tender process just don’t add up. It would be a far better allocation of budget, energy and man hours to spend time researching potential agencies, whittling it down to a preferred shortlist to then spend time engaging with those on the shortlist. This would ensure a truly effective end result.

So how did Gentoo step so spectacularly over the mark?

They stipulated that a fee of £100 would be levied to each agency upon submission of their response to ‘help cover the administrative costs associated in preparing the tender documents.’ Absurd.

Imagine putting an advert out for a tailor. You expect your new two-piece to be planned, executed, adjusted and delivered to perfection, on-time and on-budget, but that you’re going to charge £10 to anyone responding to ‘cover the cost of the advert’.

It simply wouldn’t happen. Just as it’s an ignorant approach to commissioning a new suit, it’s an equally inexplicable way to commission creative.

Thankfully, following substantial backlash that stretched right across the industry (see design weekand twitter), Gentoo dropped the charge stating that, it did not fit with the Gentoo brand and what it stood for.

Sadly, we know this Gentoo episode isn’t an isolated incident and we sincerely hope it isn’t the start of a wider trend. Commissioning truly effective creative just can’t be done like this. It takes a relationship to make it happen, and in a relationship both parties trust and value one another.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Wonderstuff .