It's possible to be a winner - even while losing - if you know what you want to achieve.
Everyone hates reverse auctions except the buyers who set them up, and even some of them have doubts they end up with a good deal. Howls of protest from mechanical contractors have been among the loudest of all. With good reason, because the talents brought to bear in mechanical contracting defy commoditization. Nonetheless, momentum is unstoppable in many industries for this form of procurement, and it appears unlikely that the construction industry will completely rid itself of what amounts to price gouging in reverse.
That being the case, you might as well make the best of it. Such is the message of Stuart Maudlin, principal of Auctus Development in Houston, who has built a consulting business advising participants how to do exactly that. I heard him speak a few months ago, and feel compelled to share some of his ideas with readers who might benefit from them. Although Maudlin has no experience with construction industry reverse auctions, many of his concepts seem just as applicable to construction auctions as anywhere else.