RE: Vendor conflict of interest - Consultants, etc.

Good point...many times objective advice really isn't wanted...those can
be messy with their hidden objectives. But I like it when clients say to
me "You can do the recommendation, but you can't bid on the work or you
can pass on the recommendation gig but then be able to bid on the
solution." That makes a clear distinction between the recommender and the
do-er.

On Wed, 10 Mar 2004 11:36:44 -0500, "Andy Nolen-Parkhouse"
<aparkhouse@xxxxxxxxxxx> said:
> I would imagine that many "consulting" arrangements are really designed
> to
> reach a pre-determined result.  Either because a board may need to
> justify a
> very large expense or because executives need to override their internal
> staff, a study is commissioned to provide the appropriate "due
> diligence".
> I don't think it's a problem in these cases that someone would contract
> with
> someone who supports the desired results and may profit from the
> decision.
> 
> Many of us do this frequently, but on a smaller scale.  A potential
> customer
> calls up and says "Management won't let me upgrade my iSeries because
> they're thinking about implementing SAP.  Help me get together my
> business
> case for staying on the platform and you have a good chance of selling me
> the upgrade."
> 
> On the flip side, anyone who truly wants an objective analysis of
> alternatives should vet their consultants thoroughly and make it clear
> that
> they want objective advice.  Hiring someone who could profit from one
> choice
> presents such a clear conflict of interest that it should really be
> avoided.
> But in many cases, I don't think objective advice is desired.
> 
> Regards,
> Andy Nolen-Parkhouse
> 
> 
> 
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