When the procurement strategy doesn't go as planned

[kantiishere]

I recently wrapped up a project where, looking back, I realize we might have picked the wrong procurement strategy from the start. Everything was on paper and it seemed logical, aligned with the budget and timeline but once we got into execution, delays and unexpected costs started piling up. Worthy of note, this was a medium sized infrastructure project, and I was leading the team responsible for sourcing materials and contractors. We went with a traditional competitive bidding process, thinking it would be straightforward and fair. In reality, it caused bottlenecks, miscommunications, and a few missed opportunities that could have been avoided with a different approach.
Aanyone else had a wrong strategy moment? how did you course correct mid project, and what lessons stuck with you for future planning?

 

[Jabba_Appraise]

Competitive bidding always looks good on paper, but it's slow death in practice if the scope isn't rock solid. Mid-project course correction usually just means eating cost and trying to patch relationships. Lesson: pick speed and flexibility over "fairness" when timelines actually matter.

 

[DPM.Ann]

I recently wrapped up a project where, looking back, I realize we might have picked the wrong procurement strategy from the start. Everything was on paper and it seemed logical, aligned with the budget and timeline but once we got into execution, delays and unexpected costs started piling up. Worthy of note, this was a medium sized infrastructure project, and I was leading the team responsible for sourcing materials and contractors. We went with a traditional competitive bidding process, thinking it would be straightforward and fair. In reality, it caused bottlenecks, miscommunications, and a few missed opportunities that could have been avoided with a different approach.
Aanyone else had a wrong strategy moment? how did you course correct mid project, and what lessons stuck with you for future planning?

That’s a painful but common realization. Mid-project course correction is about mitigation. For any remaining major tenders, shift the evaluation criteria away from pure low-cost to a best-value selection that weights technical capability and a realistic schedule. For existing contracts, I suggest that frequent joint coordination meetings should be mandated to preemptively resolve issues, mimicking the integration of a Design-Build model. Try shared-risk/shared-reward mechanisms for key milestones to incentivize speed in areas where delays are unavoidable. But I think bringing in key players during design for constructability input is the best way to avoid those execution delays and unexpected costs.

 

[kantiishere]

It was mostly internal policy pushing us toward competitive bidding. The organization has this whole transparency and fairness mindset that makes sense in theory but doesn't account for real project complexity
@Jabba_Appraise did you run into pushback when you brought those other bidders in middle of the project? I'm wondering how to sell a different approach next time