It's perfectly understandable that there are expiration dates on vendor bids, especially in areas with fluctuating commodity prices such as a printing bid if paper is included or a product that relies on raw materials in manufacturing.
However, there is one area that really irks me when it comes to bid expiration dates. In addition to it being unnecessary for these types of vendors to have their quotes expire at all, they are the pushiest about those dates! Read on...
If you have ever bought or sold software, then you know that's the industry of which I speak. The quotes software reps issue should be valid for a year as far I'm concerned.
Why the big emphasis on dates? From what I can ascertain, they are in a high-pressure sales industry. All the hype comes simply from attempting to book sales in a certain time period. It will cost them no more or less to sell you a software system on the day before the close of a quarter than the day after.
Truly experienced and confident buyers tell them politely that they will not be held to artificial deadlines. Try it. You'll be amazed at how well it works.
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