Every so often I get an email from large businesses or organisations asking me to spend time filling a questionnaire to provide the information which they need for their procurement process. This is ultimately asking me to do their work for them, work that only exists to fit their process. Being sent from very large organisations, they probably expect businesses to jump into action and bend over backwards to win their custom. They are used to a one-sided dynamic where they have weight.

For me though, what I’m providing is entirely cost-free and open source. I’m not trying to sell it to them. I don’t want to pressure/persuade anyone to use it. In these scenarios, it’s likely they’re asking me to spend time to adapt to their process, to save them time, for a product which may save them a lot of money compared to other options.

To be clear, I’m happy to answer questions if folks have trouble finding answers about specific things, the issue I have is that there’s no apparent effort on their side to find answers before contact, despite often having an entire department or role for procurement.

I take a similar approach with my paid support services. I decline requests to sign NDA’s, to accept extra terms of sale, to fill out forms full of questions they could answer themselves. From what I’ve learnt, if a company is demanding and throwing their weight before purchasing, they will continue to do so after purchasing. IMO, life is too short to deal with that.

An Example

Here’s an example I received very recently, which prompted me to write this post, especially due to their cheeky attempt at pressure based on their own manufactured time-scales. I’d usually provide a more helpful/open response, but their lack to even fill their template properly, upon the applied pressure, led to more haste in my response.

Note: The <angle bracket> parts are those where I’ve made redactions. Their greeting was how their email was received. For context, the linked form was a 5 page Microsoft Forms links.

Dear [Recipient’s Name],

The <name of US state> government is reviewing your company’s solution, “BookStack”, for potential use within the state. As part of our vetting process, we require additional information about your solution.

Please complete the linked form within two business days or provide an estimated completion date by replying to this email. Given our six-day processing timeline, timely submission is critical to ensuring your solution is evaluated for approval.

Failure to submit the form may result in your solution not being approved for use within our environment.

We appreciate your cooperation and prompt attention to this request.

Best regards,

<Vetting department>

My Response

Hi <Sender’s Name>,

Thanks for your interest but I’m not not going to spend my time filling a form to suit your process. Especially since it’s not clear how much time it will take.

I don’t mind if this means it’s not approved for your use, I’m not trying to sell you on the solution. It’s free to use, for everyone.

Regards.
[Recipient’s Name]