In fact, in some jurisdictions winning proposals and the related documentation are available on demand. This change was not made by procurement officials looking to gain popularity with the supplier community. Typically, the easy access to information results from new laws or, as in the case of Montana, radical court rulings. In both Canada and the U.S., the courts have played a major role in defining the rights and responsibilities of public sector buyers. In the U.S., most states have procurement statutes which set the major rules.
All proposals are public property.
Offerors are even allowed to make recordings of the evaluation committee meetings. Evaluation committee member names have to be released if asked. Imagine if this Montana ruling were imposed where you do business. Anyone, including competing firms could attend the supplier presentations, sit in on briefings, and observe the deliberations of the evaluation committee in action. The outcome of this ruling is twofold.