No explanation is given as to how this inane conclusion is reached. That asset, at least in appearance, is taken away in an exclusive contracting situation. There is absolutely no reference made to what form the appearance of partiality would take. The theory seems to be that any large contract in and of itself leads to partiality. This is a high-sounding and lovely platitude, but irrelevant absent the appearance of partiality.
Contracting represents only a portion of a firm's business.
No court reporting agency wants to alienate its discretionary clients by acting inappropriately or showing partiality. Huge financial investments have been made in our industry by the newly created consolidation and contracting groups. These groups have strong incentives to protect and promote the best economic and business practices of our industry. Rather than face the reality of the positive effects of contracting, the detractors hypocritically hide behind the totally unsubstantiated and false issue of impartiality. The effect of aggressive competition in any marketplace is to reduce costs.