"If I'm not mistaken, it's about Hongfeng Electronics bidding for a municipal procurement order, isn't it?" Chen Feng asked directly.
Nie Xiaosu asked in surprise, "How did you know? I haven't told anyone at Hongfeng Electronics about this."
"I deduced it. I make it a habit to read the news on my phone every day. Recently, Sandong City announced its municipal procurement list for this year, which includes a batch of electronic products," Chen Feng explained patiently.
"It seems I've come to the right person for help. Are you confident?" Nie Xiaosu asked tentatively.
"I'm very confident, but I suggest Hongfeng Electronics not bid for this municipal procurement project this time," Chen Feng replied directly.
"Chen Feng, I don't understand. This Sandong City municipal procurement order is really big; it would be a shame not to try," Nie Xiaosu replied earnestly.
"Miss Nie, you still don't understand the officialdom. Let me put it this way: for major projects in officialdom, without strong connections, it's impossible to get them purely by throwing money at it. To be blunt, this Sandong City municipal procurement order has already been internally decided," Chen Feng explained calmly.
The practice of internal decisions is too common in officialdom. Whether it's recruiting new staff or outsourcing procurement orders in officialdom, most are internally decided. Of course, now is a civilized society, and the traces of internal decisions are not so obvious. Frankly, if you are not an insider, you can hardly tell it's internally decided. People in officialdom know this as "one turnip, one pit." They deliberately set strange conditions that normal people or normal organizations simply cannot meet. For example, when recruiting new staff in officialdom, they inexplicably set a condition that one must have experience in supporting remote areas. Who has this sudden condition? Even if someone coincidentally meets this condition, the superiors will unhurriedly add a new condition that no one can meet. In short, those who are not internally decided will never meet the conditions of public recruitment. As for municipal public procurement orders, it's the same trick. It looks fair, and all companies can bid, but in reality, only one internally decided company can win the bid. As for why other companies fail, it's simple: they cannot meet one of the bidding conditions.
"What you're saying makes a lot of sense, but I can't see that this Sandong City municipal procurement order is internally decided. Could it be that you're overthinking it?" Nie Xiaosu asked, clinging to a sliver of hope. Honestly, giving up such a large municipal order would be too much of a shame.
"Miss Nie, the waters of officialdom are very deep; ordinary people cannot see through them. Let me put it this way: to ordinary people, officialdom is as it appears in the news, full of prosperity and positive energy. However, anyone who has had dealings with officialdom even once or twice will deeply understand that real officialdom is as deep as the sea, full of tricks that ordinary people cannot grasp. Of course, Miss Nie, if you truly don't believe me, you can try." Chen Feng explained calmly.
Nie Xiaosu thought for a moment and decided to try. What if they succeeded? So, Nie Xiaosu personally took charge of the bidding preparations. After a week of preparation, the bidding meeting began. Nie Xiaosu brought Chen Feng along to participate. The bidding meeting lasted for a whole morning, and Nie Xiaosu was in a good mood. This was because the Sandong City municipal electronic product bidding meeting proceeded exactly like other commercial bidding meetings, from the beginning to the middle and to the end. The person in charge of bidding repeatedly emphasized that the Sandong City municipal electronic product bidding was completely fair, open, and transparent, and welcome calls to report any instances of fraud.
"Chen Feng, it seems you were indeed overthinking it this time. Officialdom is not entirely dark; there is fairness, justice, and transparency. To attract this bid, Hongfeng Electronics offered almost zero profit. No electronics company can compete with such a bid price. Although it's zero profit, Hongfeng Electronics isn't losing money. Frankly, it's about spending money to build good relationships with Sandong City's officialdom, which will pave the way for Hongfeng Electronics in the future," Nie Xiaosu said with self-satisfaction.
"Miss Nie, it's quite good that you thought of using zero profit to buy goodwill. However, the situation this time is special. Your idea is good, but it cannot be realized," Chen Feng said with a smile.
"Chen Feng, you still haven't given up your prejudice against officialdom? Think about it, Sandong City's officialdom isn't foolish; they wouldn't want a higher price instead of a lower one, right?" Nie Xiaosu tried hard to persuade Chen Feng to accept the facts.
Chen Feng smiled but said nothing. He could only think that Nie Xiaosu was still too young. Oh well, the result would be known in the afternoon, and Nie Xiaosu would naturally understand the harsh realities of the world then. Thus, after the bidding meeting, the two went to a hotel room to rest, specifically waiting for the bidding results to be announced in the afternoon. Nie Xiaosu was nervous and excited, firmly believing that Hongfeng Electronics would definitely win the bid this time, so she couldn't sleep. Chen Feng was different; he fell asleep as soon as he hit the bed. The Sandong City electronic product municipal bidding this time was a routine operation in officialdom; the results were already internally decided, so there was nothing to be excited about.
Chen Feng didn't know how long he had slept when he was suddenly shaken awake by Nie Xiaosu. "Chen Feng, I lost," Nie Xiaosu said with a sad expression.
"Lost what?" Chen Feng asked, still groggy from waking up, unsure of what had happened.
"The bidding results just came out. A small company from Sandong City won the bid. I specifically inquired, and this small company's bid price was the highest. Chen Feng, are you saying Sandong City is crazy, not taking the low bid and taking the high one?" Nie Xiaosu asked indignantly.
"Miss Nie, calm down. Didn't I just say that for projects with particularly large profits, you can't get them without strong connections and background? Ultimately, China is a society of relationships everywhere. Officialdom takes this human relationship to the extreme. You know that officialdom is not right, but you can't produce evidence. This is officialdom; doing unpleasant things is done quietly and without a trace," Chen Feng comforted Nie Xiaosu.
"Chen Feng, I'm completely convinced now. I was too naive, always thinking officialdom was like what's shown on television, full of positive energy. In reality, it's always dirty and unbearable. I've decided to focus on my own business and stay out of officialdom. The waters of officialdom are too deep and murky; it's truly beyond my grasp," Nie Xiaosu said dejectedly.
"Staying out of officialdom is the right choice. However, not entering officialdom doesn't mean not interacting with it. For your business to run smoothly and grow large, you must maintain contact with officialdom. In China, without officialdom backing, businesses cannot go very far. Many companies go bankrupt every year, a considerable portion of which is because they offended officialdom and then disappeared without a trace. China's officialdom is so arrogant; there are ten thousand ways to make a company that was doing well suddenly go bankrupt," Chen Feng continued to advise Nie Xiaosu.
"I believe you. What should we do next? Can you give me some guidance?" Nie Xiaosu asked earnestly.
"It's simple. Invite the person in charge of this bid to dinner, and then give him a generous gift..." Chen Feng replied word for word.