The head of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Jacques Rogge was recently quoted as saying that with hindsight perhaps Bejing wasn't the right choice for the Olympics but clearly they had the best bid and as such he has no regrets regarding the final choice.Well, Mr. Rogge, I beg to differ, because you see in Procurement, if you awarded bids, just based on who put forward the "best" bid, and ignored all other aspects -- political, environmental, financial, ethical -- you would be putting your organization at tremendous risk.
Just think of the issues that Nike and other clothes manufacturers faced when confronted with the fact that they outsourced to companies that utilized child labour caused them to rethink their awarding of business. Or how about Mattel whose reputation may have been irreparably damaged because of the "best" bidder for the business (in China), putting lead into the paint of toys, so that toddlers could get their non-recommended quota of potentially brain damaging substances!
Mr. Rogge -- China has a deplorable human rights record. They are polluting their own country and thus the world with reckless abandon. Yet they presented the "best bid" and you have no regrets? Shame on you -- the "best bid" should take into account all the external factors noted above -- then, and only then, can you accurately determine the "best bid". You can't approach awarding business (because the Olympics are business) with blinders on.
If a Procurement professional approached awarding contracts with such reckless abandon, they wouldn't have a job for very long!
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