Just this morning while shaving, I was thinking about the word and the concept of “tendering”.
In the late 80s, when I was laying the foundations of my English vocabulary, I knew one meaning of tendering.
And that was to make something, like meat, tender.
Later I learnt the other meaning that relates to contracts.
My distant ancestors, Attila and his Huns used to tender meat under their saddles. They would salt raw meat to prevent it from spoiling, and then put pieces of meat under their saddles.
Then they would ride on the meat for a few days, and the riding action and the heat from the horse would make the meat tender. Then they would spice the meat and eat it.
And from this method has evolved the Steak Tartar, which is raw beef tenderloin with all sorts of raw ingredients. I usually eat it on toast made of artisan bread.
But there is another meaning of tendering, and that relates to contracts.
The process is basically the same.
Buyers issue their RFPs and unsuspecting sellers respond to them. This is the equivalent of putting the meat under the saddle.
Then buyers sit on the submitted proposals for weeks searching for the lowest bidder. This is the tenderisation process, the equivalent of riding on the meat.
And after a good ride, the Huns would pull out the meat strips, spice them and eat them. In the contract world, after a few weeks, buyers would call the lowest bidder to discuss “some details” before awarding the contract.
Our unsuspecting seller goes to the meeting, and the buyer starts “spicing” him to make sure the contract tastes great for the buyer.
This is where buyers pressurise the lowest bidder to drop his fees and prices by another 10-20% to win the contract. And when the seller drops the price to the desired level and hopes for the signatures, the buyers brings in the next spice: You get paid net 120 days.
And just because this is not enough, the buyer brings in yet another spice: And you do the work as per our instructions.
Now, Steak Tartar is the closest equivalent of under-saddle tendered meat, and when you have good tenderloin (I almost always use organic free-range veal), it tastes amazing.
But unlike tendering for food, which is a good process, tendering for contract is a nasty process, and I believe IT companies should avoid it like the plague.
In my experience, top-notch buyers don’t tender because they are seeking top-notch experts not merely fungible vendors. They also know that only fungible vendors respond to tenders. Respected experts don’t.
The tendering process is in place to replace fair play between buyers and sellers. Buyers try to create an environment where they can pay as little as possible and treat sellers like some kind of servants. It’s a master slaver relationship.
Anyone who’s worked with government bureaucrats knows this.
So, on one side of tendering, go for it and try the Steak Tartar, but do your best to avoid the other kind of tendering. Tender-based contract work.