History doesn't repeat itself, but it rhymes
(Attributed to Mark Twain)
There is an experience asymmetry between the buyer (public sector) and the seller which I have seen play out countless times in a neighbouring industry:
The lead buyer often runs their first procurement of this magnitude and complexity, as each organisation only procures one of these types of projects every few years or so, often accompanied by advisors (e.g. procurement advisors on process, external domain experts, internal stakeholders). On the other side of the table you have sellers who are engaged regularly in these kinds of procurements and consequently have experience - often lots of it - on how to maximise the opportunity for them.
The outcome is varied and while there may be a postmortem after the procurement and implementation, lessons learned are forgotten (by the organisation), because the next procurement is a few years away, the lead buyer has changed through promotion or retirement and a new lead is in place, possibly with new advisors and stakeholders.
And that is why history rhymes...
Biting the hand that feeds IT
