The Fading Reverse Auction —Morgan

“We have found, even with due diligence, reverse auctions can drive down the price, but then you get nickel-and-dimed in production,” she added. “In printing, there are many variances that cannot always be outlined in the initial specifications.”

It’s not custom-made. Reverse auctions can be successful if the order is a commodity project, but those in search of custom-manufactured projects feel they fall short. Jeff Dickerson, the procurement specialist at State Farm Insurance Cos., contributed, “We have tried reverse auctions, but we receive more favorable pricing through sealed bids. There is a lot of information on reverse auctions, and they may have a place for purchasing commodity items, but we mostly buy custom items.”