ETAPA 1: Definir por el usuario el tiempo de grabación de los datos

E-Tender combines’ traditional tender methodologies re-intermediated with technology to realise an electronic tender process inclusive of the TMP. According to Wang, Y et al (2015, p.2/20) the intensive labour requirement of tender means the electronisation of government tender is inevitable including a requirement for significant technology functionality. This finding supports Doherty, McConnell & Ellis-Chadwick (2013, p.506) regarding the adequacy of the public authorities IT infrastructure. This is a subject for further empirical investigation and outside the parameters of this research project.

153

So what is council e-Tender in relation to this research project? To answer this question requires returning to the original tender definition (Refer 2.2.6). Tender and e-Tender will stand alone in definition as: tender is a once only single sealed bid offer by the potential supplier to the buyer’s specification where the value of the offer is unknown to other potential suppliers (Bergman & Sofia 2013, p.74; Raventos & Zolezzi 2015, p.2; Runeson & Skitmore 1999, p.289; Vickrey 1961, p.20). This is a definition originating through bidding theory (Freidman 1955), evolving into auction theory (Klemperer 1999; McAfee &

McMillan 1987) and arriving in tender theory.

The commonality factor in the definitions of traditional and e-Tender is the once only sealed bid offer. The traditional tender required the sealed bid offer to be delivered into a tender box (Figure 17) positioned in the public space of a council building.

Figure 17 - Traditional tender box

(Image from Bing online pictures)

The tender box still sits within the requirements of the NSW LGAct where a council must ‘provide a secure tender box’ (NSW LGA 1993, p.95 S174 (171) (a) ). This research project has determined councils use a market mechanism: an interaction with suppliers and the selection of a winner (Raventos & Zolezzi 2015, p.2). Inclusive in this market mechanism can be added the role of the TMP including methods of open tender, panels and categories of suppliers. In tender, the buyer (councils) and the seller (supplier) and every aspect evolves around the sealed bid process.

Should the ‘e’ prefix be used with tender? This question is answered by undertaking a simple query text search in NVivo with the results recorded in Table 21. The language of the participants was tender with the ‘e’ prefix used by interviewees in relation to

discussion around electronic process originated by the researcher. Interviewees also used the word portal to describe e-Tender and the TMP (Table 22).

154

Table 21 - e-Tender word search

Word search Sources References

Electronic Tender 10 16

e-Tender 11 37

Tender 21* 166

Tender (stemmed *ing, ed) 21* 1502

(* 19 interviewees plus 2 second interviews)

The ‘e’ prefix is a convenience for academics to distinguish traditional tender process from the re-intermediated e-Tender (Doherty, McConnell & Ellis-Chadwick 2013; Raventos & Zolezzi 2015), a process adopted for this research project.

Table 22 - e-Tender to portal

Council Tender box in context Tender box inclusion in response

Alpha Alpha 1 - We would issue the documents, would advertise publicly the press. We would receive tenders or offers and hard copy, a tender box a physical tender box in the customer service area

With the introduction of electronic we didn't use, we don't use the physical tender box. We use a portal.

Alpha 2 - We would get hardcopy tenders delivered into our tender box.

So the standard process hasn’t altered as far as giving out your plan and all that stuff

Charlie Charlie 2 - What I like about electronic systems is that once the time for tenders close, no one can possibly upload whereas an old system sometimes you'd be there at two o'clock waiting on the tender box. There's nothing stopping someone from putting a late tender after it closes

Advantage to using Vendor Panel is that you can do all your notifications automatically, keeps a record of that process as well

Echo Echo 1 - When we implemented TenderLink, we shut the, we shut down all hardcopy processes so, we used to have a Tender box which is actually just out there in reception

We went all electronic back in 2011. Absolutely fully electronic (fully electronic means 50% email – sic). The idea was to do everything over 15000 through the e-Tender system Golf Golf 2 - For Portal to me means. An electronic

tender box or a, this we use as a central port of communication for our tenders

Discussing the word Portal as it relates to e-Tender

An extensive report by Price Waterhouse Coopers for the European Union referred to electronic mechanisms, e-Procurement and tender without the ‘e’ prefix (PWC 2013). The response to removing the ‘e’ prefix (Table 23) clearly shows the applied attitude of the council interviewees to using the descriptive tender.

155

The applied terminology of tender has now been adopted, assimilated and

institutionalised. The test of institutionalised falls on the readiness to use major volumes through e-Tender (Tran et al. 2014, pp.95 - 96). Foxtrot 1 positions e-Tender as a method with tender as the process aligned to the NSW LGAct. The NSW LGAct cross references to another NSW statute regarding electronic transactions, a direction not deemed necessary to follow for the purposes of this research project. Both the Vic LGAct and SA LGAct refer to tender (and procurement) without mention to electronic process. It appears convenient for academics to use e-Tender for research emphasis.

Table 23 - Position on 'e' prefix

Council Use of the ‘e’ prefix Response to removing

the ‘e’ prefix

Alpha 1 An offer received electronically. An electronic file. I don’t see any difference. No I don’t see any difference. Bravo 1 Procuring is the process involved and tendering is the vehicle

or the mechanism.

Tender is just one of the ways to get to the end result.

Charlie 2 The rules are still all the same. Just procurement. Just we do it electronically now, so whether there’s a need to have the e in front of it doesn’t really matter.

We are still going to use it the same way. Echo 2 There’s a misnomer here when you are calling it

decentralised electronic tendering. The electronic is only the vehicle

Responding to the CEO’s call for electronic decentralisation Foxtrot 1 The prefix E’s just a process. The tendering. Also it is a

method, tendering is the process. So tendering is the all- inclusive, e-Tendering is a subset. Tendering is a method for procurement of a value over 150.

No I wouldn’t use e- Tendering when giving advice to council.

Tender is the institutionalised usage without adding an ‘e’ prefix. This research project has the continuing requirement to refer to both traditional tender, e-Tender and tender (as a collective descriptive), therefore to avoid confusion, both traditional and ‘e’ tender will continue through this DBA Dissertation.

156