One of the most frustrating things about running a new research agency is the work you know you can do competently and competitively is denied as you do not appear on the COI’s roster of preferred suppliers. Next week is the deadline for tenders for this round, not to be reopened again for another four years.
Six agency places are up for grabs and all the incumbents would be stupid not to re-pitch. The word is, unless you have been around for at least 3 years it is not worth expending the considerable effort and time negotiating the many hoops that are the tendering process.
I agree that a four year cycle is silly. It goes against all that we know of ‘Radical Transparency’.
I did a thing about it here: http://netpr.blogspot.com/2005/11/transparency.html