I think you're being a little unfair to the civil servant who has to follow the law regarding procurement.

I once knew someone who had to solicit 3 bids and document them to buy a $500 camera for local government. They weren't thinking "I am useless and craven", they were thinking "this is silly but I have to do it".

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nick49488171 29 minutes ago | parent [-]

Screenshot of the top 3 results on Google shopping ought to do it

	▲	wongarsu a few seconds ago \| parent [-]
		And even if doesn't, writing five online shops to send you a written offer takes a couple minutes and results in the same or lower prices Procurement for such small items can be quick and sane. It's the larger items where rules tighten and procurement portals or bidding become mandated that are problematic