Because motivations are unknowable, it's hard to retroactively distinguish "trying to get my buddy a lucrative government contract" from "trying to get a bargain for the taxpayer."
That's why there are strict rules against Ministers interfering in procurement regardless of goal.
That's why there are strict rules against Ministers interfering in procurement regardless of goal.
No matter how dodgy the deal, a Minister can always claim they thought it was a badly needed offering at a great price and that it would be wrong to penalise the vendor for being their friend.
But that's not supposed to be a defense.
But that's not supposed to be a defense.
If there are good deals on badly needed products or services out there, the procurement process is supposed to find and contract them on its own, without Ministers writing to Ministers to help it along.
If that's not happening either the vendor or the process sucks.
If that's not happening either the vendor or the process sucks.
If the process sucks, by all means intervene to fix it. But do so within your protfolio and do it for everyone, not just the guy who happens to have your cellphone number.
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