MacScot

On a recent trip to the UK to interview and engage a training services company to join my company in bidding for an oil and gas tender that I had been personally invited to submit an expression of interest, the UK company pulled out at the last minute and said they were going to tender for the job themselves...even though they had not been invited initially to tender.

It's now too late to find an alternative company...so I won't be putting in a bid. I'm so angry after wasting my time and all that money on UK airfares, hotels etc.

I've been out of the UK for 25 years but was taken aback at this unethical conduct. Worst still...it was a Scottish company ! So much for my belief in the honesty of my fellow Scots, which has been severely shaken. :curse:

Anyone else had such problems with UK-based companies?

seven seas

Mac Scot- companies everywhere will do things like that.

I would go back to the peole who invited you to bid... and have a quiet word.

This kind fo dishonesty - they need to knwo about it when considerign a partnership..

scarletfan

It happens all the time back in the UK. I have put together bids for tenders, as joint ventures, only for either the company I was with at the time to pull the plug or the partnering company to pull the plug. It is so frustrating when that happens, but, from experience, don't let the bastards get you down!

Bijilo123

Well this is the first time that the Scots nation are being classed as reliable and honest as well as their many other fine attributes!!!

By the way, I'm from Scotland too.

MacScot

Thanks for your responses, which didn't make pleasant reading. I was unaware (green?) of such underhand practices.

I spent 25 years in Oz and covered hundreds of tender bids, networking and joint ventures...but had never come across such underhand tactics. May simply be the case that the Aussies are truly fair dinkum after all !

I thought about contacting the tender source...but it would sound like sour grapes. Just have to take my medicine and be a wee bit wary when dealing with UK companies.

admon

surely something legal could have been signed beforehand to prevent this?

MacScot

One tends to do the 'legal' stuff, such as signing a joint venture agreement or MoU when the tender bid is won. Up to that point, custom is to agree to work together on a bid and shake hands on it.

admon

once bitten..

Grace O Malley

Twice bitten, you should of got an MOU.

If the bid is for ADNOC, they have a code of conduct for all suppliers with regard to business ethics, you could inform them of this behaviour

typical

If the point of the letter is to apologise for not bidding as you were personally invited to do, and asking that you are still considered for future work... and just happens to mention how company X withdrew from your agreed partnership at a late stage... I don't think it'd be read as sour grapes. Let the other side put 2 and 2 together about thier underhand behaviour.

MacScot

Actually, I will now draft up a generic MoU for future commitments and/or agreements. Thanks...seems like the best way to go and to avoid further dispointments.

MacScot

Good point. I still have to reply and will mention the circumstances under which I had to withdraw. Mentioning "a" Scottish training company without divulging its real name would be easy to identify. The client is hugh Qatari company spending billions of dollars in the region, so future work is quite likely.