So angry right now...

[timbernet]

I can't go into too much detail on a public forum, but basically - I work in education in the IT Engineering field. A few months back we were given a project and my co-worker and I have talked to MANY vendors, demoed tons of tech, and have been nailing down a rocksolid design.

Then we start working on the specs for a RFP (due to the size) ... no issue there... well, my boss basically said that he is going to try to work a deal with a certain vendor and break things apart in such a way that we don't have to go out for RFP.

The real killer part is that he is retiring at the end of the budget year (June 30th) --- so my co-worker and I will be stuck with an inferior, sub-par system because my boss likes that one company.


If the job market was better I would just quit if we actually order this certain brand.

It costs more, is harder to manage, doesn't perform as well, is extremely monolithic and doesn't scale worth a darn, does not have the high availability that I would like.... but it is made by ___ so it must be good.... OH JOY! Your tax dollars at work!

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[TonsOfOregonBrass]

I worked for the government for years. It happens all the time. That is one of the reasons i left and started my own company. Now when stupid things happen i have no else to blame but my self.

 

[Cougfan2]

Given that he is retiring, could you go around or over your current boss and if so what would be the ramifications? BTW, this doesn't just happen in govt, it happens in businesses as well.

 

[twoclones]

Sounds like you work for Mayor Nickels.. :d

 

[nixuser]

they must be drinking the microslop coolaid !!!!!

 

[timbernet]

Given that he is retiring, could you go around or over your current boss and if so what would be the ramifications? BTW, this doesn't just happen in govt, it happens in businesses as well.

I know this happens everywhere - but it is worse when you are dealing with taxpayer dollars. If a private company wants to use its own money to buy something sub-par, fine. But when you are using MY money and the money of others in the state to buy it... I think we need to be responsible/accountable and make sure we are spending the money the best way possible.


As for going over his head... I am seriously considering it. I can't go to the director of our department, he is retiring as well and I think he is also pretty sold on this one brand... So I could go to HR, or the business manager, or maybe up to the Superintendent... not sure. I'll cross that bridge IF it appears to be a done deal that we are rejecting all other options.

they must be drinking the microslop coolaid !!!!!

Sadly no... this is a storage system -- 100TB of SAN storage for a VMWare cloud environment

 

[elsullo]

Is there any evidence of kickbacks offered to your retiring supervisors? Have they gone on any vendor-sponsored vacation "business retreats?" Possibly consulting fees to them from that one vendor after they leave? Or charity donations from the vendor to organizations that they are on the board of directors of? Bribery is not always a sack of cash, but other legal incentives to influence decisions are standard operating proceedures.

Just to fuel your fantasy life in a lousy job, the IRS offers a "whistle-blower law" bounty of ten percent (or more) of the tax penalty if you can document and report such a crime of bribery by a vendor to an executive. "Getting even is the best revenge!"............................elsullo

 

[timbernet]

Is there any evidence of kickbacks offered to your retiring supervisors? Have they gone on any vendor-sponsored vacation "business retreats?" Possibly consulting fees to them from that one vendor after they leave? Or charity donations from the vendor to organizations that they are on the board of directors of? Bribery is not always a sack of cash, but other legal incentives to influence decisions are standard operating proceedures.

Just to fuel your fantasy life in a lousy job, the IRS offers a "whistle-blower law" bounty of ten percent (or more) of the tax penalty if you can document and report such a crime of bribery by a vendor to an executive. "Getting even is the best revenge!"............................elsullo

I don't think there is any of that going on... I think it is just being stuck in old ways...

Oh well - that's life... doesn't always go the way you wish.

 

[Trlsmn]

Is there any evidence of kickbacks offered to your retiring supervisors? Have they gone on any vendor-sponsored vacation "business retreats?" Possibly consulting fees to them from that one vendor after they leave? Or charity donations from the vendor to organizations that they are on the board of directors of? Bribery is not always a sack of cash, but other legal incentives to influence decisions are standard operating proceedures.

Just to fuel your fantasy life in a lousy job, the IRS offers a "whistle-blower law" bounty of ten percent (or more) of the tax penalty if you can document and report such a crime of bribery by a vendor to an executive. "Getting even is the best revenge!"............................elsullo

That was my first thought! Watch, I'll bet when your boss retires he will hired as a consultant to the approved vendor!

 

[SonicBlue03]

How thorough is your legal/contracts team? Make them aware of the RFP effort and loop them in early. That way if your supervisor tries to end-around the process he has to be accountable somewhat to them in terms of explaining why he's not following the standard RFP process.

Then have a separate conversation with them off the record and have them sandbag the **** out of the process so - if he continues down that path - they can push sign date past the 30th and torpedo it.