The Instiute replied that “the tender and selection exercise for inclusion on the register has just closed and so it will not be possible to invite you to participate…Very many thanks for thinking of us…”
I responded that I had registered my interest with their predecessor body last year, but this cut no ice. They promised to keep my details on file (again!!!) and said that they advertised in “relevant press as well”, though the narrow press mentioned did not include the Department’s web site or Contrax Weekly, the recognised medium for public contracts.
It’s almost an article of faith that you should make yourself and the services you offer known and you should register your interest for future tendering exercises. Public bodies are supposed to encourage this, to simulate competition, widen the circle of providers and ensure value for money – which, I heard last year, was a bone of contention.
Clearly, all this marketing was pointless with this new Department of Health quango (of which there is a bewildering array). My NHS pedigree didn’t count. The press chosen was as narrow as it could be, without relying on a card in the local post office.
Doubtless the usual suspects will be celebrating.
Ian MacFadyen Consulting 