Why Businesses are Reluctant to Sell to Governments

Why are some businesses unwilling or reluctant to sell to governments? In a survey of 3,282 business firms, Susan A. MacManus finds a generally negative attitude toward doing business with governments. When asking for specifics, MacManus found the five most-cited problems were slow payments, narrow...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Public administration review 1991-07, Vol.51 (4), p.328-344
Main Author: MacManus, Susan A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
5120
9140
9190
9550
Bids
Bureaucracy
Business & industry
Business community
Business enterprises
Business structures
Competition
Contracts, Government
Cost control
Economic competition
Employment
Exhibits
Florida
Government
Government (Administrative Body)
Government contracts
Government purchasing
Mail Surveys
Negative Attitudes
Paperwork
Polls & surveys
Private Sector
Problems
Procedures
Public administration
Public Administration "Partnerships"
Public sector organizations
Public services
Purchasing
Purchasing, Government
Reputation
Reputations
Research and Development
Service contracts
State government
Statistical data
Surveys
Texas
United States
Vendors
Citations: Items that cite this one
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Description
Summary:Why are some businesses unwilling or reluctant to sell to governments? In a survey of 3,282 business firms, Susan A. MacManus finds a generally negative attitude toward doing business with governments. When asking for specifics, MacManus found the five most-cited problems were slow payments, narrow bid specifications, difficulty in making contact with end-users, excessive paperwork, and competition from other firms. Firms with contracts cited different problems than those without contracts, and responses varied by type of product or service being provided.
ISSN:0033-3352
1540-6210
DOI:10.2307/976748