Pre-tender Phase Communication During Public Procurement Process : Expectations and Perceptions

Abstract

Public buyers are enhanced to communicate with potential suppliers before the actual tendering in order to co-develop services and service processes. However, the competitive environment and the uncertainty of future exchange may challenge open information exchange, which is a prerequisite for effective communication. However, there is no research of how the quality of communication is perceived by the actors involved in the pre-tender phase. Thus, the aim of this study is to explore public buyer’s and potential suppliers’ perceptions of the pre-tender phase communication. We have conducted an explorative single case study and collected dyadic data with the help of interviews and observation from a buyer and suppliers that we involved in the pre-tender phase interaction. In our preliminary findings, we discovered major differences between the buyer’s and the suppliers’ perceptions of the quality of the pre-tender phase communication. The buyer was satisfied with the communication, whereas most of the suppliers perceived the information exchanged during the pre-tender phase too superficial to be useful neither for the buyer nor for the suppliers. We contribute to the public procurement literature by exploring buyer-supplier communication in the early phases of the procurement process, and by taking a dyadic view. Managers in public organizations can utilize our findings when planning pre-tender phase interaction.