In a shock move, the US General Services Administration has dropped IBM Corp and Microsoft Corp software and hardware from its annual purchasing lists, the Washington Post reports, making it more difficult for government agencies to acquire the products. According to the Post, the government watchdog took the step because it is battling with the […]
In a shock move, the US General Services Administration has dropped IBM Corp and Microsoft Corp software and hardware from its annual purchasing lists, the Washington Post reports, making it more difficult for government agencies to acquire the products. According to the Post, the government watchdog took the step because it is battling with the two companies over discount and marketing data, which it reckons it needs in order to determine whether it is paying fair prices for computer products. The companies rather lamely contend that the market determines fair prices and that the government’s demands cannot be met since they do not track much of the data and do not sell directly to customers.
