RFP: A bridge between a buyer and a seller

RFP: Request for proposal

This is generally released by an intended buyer as a detailed requirement specification for the potential service providers to submit their business proposals. Different market players have their different formats and contents for RFP’s.  However it should not be confused with Request for Tender RFT.

A RFP process is very vital for both the buyer and seller. In a good RFP where a buyer can put down prudently its requirement and expectations in detail on the other hand a potential supplier can do a fair analysis, if it’s offering can meet all the expectations of buyer. Therefore, RFP favors a client by filtering the vendors and focus on potential and best vendors, where advantage to vendor comes from the gap analysis.

A well documented and nimble RFP should have below mentioned features:

• It informs suppliers that an organization is looking to procure and encourages them to make their best effort.
• It allows for wide distribution and response.
• It ensures that suppliers respond factually to the identified requirements.
• It includes specifications of the item, project or service for which a proposal is requested. The more detailed the specifications, the better the chances that the proposal provided will be accurate. Generally RFPs are sent to an approved supplier or vendor list.
• It has all relevant corporate information of the client and expectations in terms of budget, time and delivery quality.

In today’s competitive environment RFP’s receivable and response is also taken as an indicator of performance of selling parties. RFP’s are also taken as a source to improvise among competitors.

There are many incidences of false responses of RFPS’s where sellers extrapolate and falsify their claims to fulfill the requirements of a buyer to bag the order. In a nutshell, RFP’s are instrumental in making the optimal match between a buyer and a seller in a competitive market however, nepotism and un ethical reporting are two factors that abate the advantages of RFP’s to some extent.

 

Reservation or tool!

Today I heard PC announcing the launch of Direct Cash Transfer scheme in the first twenty districts on January 01, 2013. Kudos!!! but that moment provided enough food for my mind to chew when he declared first seven welfare schemes to be paid on the very first day. All seven related to primary and degree scholarship schemes for schedule caste, schedule tribe, other backward classes and girl education. 

Frankly speaking I was not aware of such cash benefits in our system for backward communities but if these are in place what is the need of reservation in entrance to higher education institutions, government jobs and promotion in jobs? 

I wonder that how our system (not only government but all of us) identify and differentiate among different types of backwardnesses like social, educational, economical, mental and other such. What is more optimal, shelling out quotas and seat reservations for people to redress discrimination or providing a level play ground  to compete for the best? It is hilarious that in India we are giving out everything without a single effort to measure the outcomes and side effects. We have been doing this mistake since long but the time has come to revisit our plans and schemes on scales of social, economic and educational indicators to determine backwardness rather than just surnames or village names. 

Allocating quotas on the basis of caste is a form of racial discrimination, and contrary to the right to equality. As a consequence of legislating to provide reservations for Christians and Muslim, religious minorities in all government education institutions will be introduced which is contrary to the ideas of secularism, and is a form of anti-discrimination on the basis of religion.

Assuming that a child from an advanced class family and that of a backward class family had the same intelligence at the time of their birth, is it obvious that owing to vast differences in social, cultural and environmental factors, the former will beat the latter by lengths in any competitive field?

What a silly question I asked myself, there is no doubt that so called backward class child will get IIT or AIMS seat where as the so called advanced class child will have to shell out donation for getting a seat in any private institute.

Here the crux which I want to paddle more is the definition of advanced and backward. A fruit vendor or a labour class living on say less than 2 USD per day belongs to advanced class? Or an IAS family will still remain backward just because of their surname? This disparity has increased manifold and now raising an alarm on the doors of our society and system. 

Today, we are compromising with efficiency, position, cadre and sensitivity of many posts in all realms of executives, jurisdictions and parliamentary systems on the grounds of reservation. The ramifications are now visible on ground in forms of unrest among so called upper caste people, increasing communal hatred among youth, brain drain, inefficiency in administration, corruption and many such.

I beg to GOI that please uplift the backward to provide the level field in fighting rather doing injustice to all castes and creeds and non recoverable damage to Indian society in whole.

We have ample of schemes now on grounds like right to primary education, mid day meal, anganbadi, cash scholarships, coaching and tuition fee scholarships, UID, Direct Cash Transfer scheme, than please review the merits and demerits of reservations in seats and jobs. The caste system is kept alive through these measures. Instead of coming up with alternative innovative ideas which make sure equal representation at the same time making the caste system irrelevant, the reservation schemes are only fortifying the caste system.

I just want to pen down with a thought why Public Distribution System and subsidies are not based upon caste and creed like reservations in educations and jobs?