The Garden Bridge and the art of qualification

Posted by Jon

Well, I've just been laughing aloud. See, the report by Dame Margaret Hodge into the proposed 'Garden Bridge' over the Thames has just been published. And the procurement process that it describes is so flawed as to be almost beyond belief.

Download it here, and start at paragraph 35. In essence, the company run by the rather wonderful designer Thomas Hetherwick had been involved from the very outset in the plan to build a gorgeous tree-lined pedestrian bridge over the river. Before too long, people realised that there'd need to be a 'fair and open' procurement process, as public money was involved.

So, on 8th February 2013, three firms were notified that an ITT for the bridge design services contract would be issued five days later. And, to quote today's report: "They were given a deadline for their submissions of 25th February. Heatherwick had been working on the project for around five months; the other two firms were given eight working days,"

Guess who won? You guessed it: the company who'd influenced the spec, and worked alongside the decision-makers. And I'm not for a moment criticising Heatherwick. Actually, the folks who made me laugh were the other two bidders, for deciding to respond to the ITT.

See, here's the thing. If you learn about an ITT out of the blue, at the last minute, and haven't had any involvement with the customer up to that point, the alarm bells should be ringing. Because if they've not been talking to you, they've surely been talking to one of your competitors.

And if you're also given a ridiculously unrealistic period in which to respond - the bells shouldn't just be ringing, they should be deafening you. It's a classic sign of a procurement team who are going through the motions, with a preferred vendor already very much in mind. Far too many companies bid for deals simply because they're there, or for fear of saying 'no' to the client.

That said, the real blame here lies with those involved in such a shoddy procurement process. There really is no excuse. And, sadly, it seems as if a project that could - done right - have been a wonderful London attraction is now dead in the water, rather than spanning it for all to enjoy.