{"id":30156,"date":"2026-09-08T14:28:03","date_gmt":"2026-09-08T12:28:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/spiritinprojects.com\/?p=30156"},"modified":"2026-09-08T14:31:50","modified_gmt":"2026-09-08T12:31:50","slug":"requirements-specifications-fixed-price-fixed-deadline-and-please-agile-two-paradoxes-in-it-rfp-processes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spiritinprojects.com\/en\/requirements-specifications-fixed-price-fixed-deadline-and-please-agile-two-paradoxes-in-it-rfp-processes\/","title":{"rendered":"Requirements\u00a0Specifications, Fixed Price, Fixed Deadline\u2014and\u00a0Please, Agile: Two Paradoxes in IT RFP\u00a0Processes\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many IT tender&nbsp;begin&nbsp;in a&nbsp;very&nbsp;traditional&nbsp;way:&nbsp;requirements&nbsp;are&nbsp;gathered,&nbsp;coordinated, and&nbsp;then&nbsp;documented&nbsp;in a&nbsp;requirements&nbsp;specification&nbsp;or&nbsp;service&nbsp;catalog.&nbsp;Bidders&nbsp;prepare&nbsp;their&nbsp;proposals&nbsp;based&nbsp;on&nbsp;this&nbsp;foundation.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During the&nbsp;hearing, the&nbsp;vendors&nbsp;present&nbsp;how&nbsp;they&nbsp;plan to&nbsp;organize&nbsp;the&nbsp;implementation. In&nbsp;my&nbsp;experience,&nbsp;many&nbsp;vendors&nbsp;present&nbsp;an agile&nbsp;implementation&nbsp;concept:&nbsp;with&nbsp;sprints, a&nbsp;backlog, and the usual&nbsp;Scrum&nbsp;rituals. In&nbsp;regular&nbsp;reviews&nbsp;or&nbsp;so-called&nbsp;\u201cshow-and-tell\u201d&nbsp;sessions,&nbsp;they&nbsp;present&nbsp;what&nbsp;was&nbsp;implemented&nbsp;in the&nbsp;previous&nbsp;sprint.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1030\" height=\"580\" src=\"https:\/\/spiritinprojects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Bild1-EN-1030x580.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-30153\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spiritinprojects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Bild1-EN-1030x580.png 1030w, https:\/\/spiritinprojects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Bild1-EN-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/spiritinprojects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Bild1-EN-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/spiritinprojects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Bild1-EN-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/spiritinprojects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Bild1-EN-1500x844.png 1500w, https:\/\/spiritinprojects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Bild1-EN-705x397.png 705w, https:\/\/spiritinprojects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Bild1-EN.png 1672w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1030px) 100vw, 1030px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At&nbsp;first&nbsp;glance,&nbsp;this&nbsp;sounds&nbsp;like a sensible&nbsp;combination. The&nbsp;client&nbsp;receives&nbsp;a&nbsp;binding&nbsp;price&nbsp;and a&nbsp;defined&nbsp;scope&nbsp;of&nbsp;work. The&nbsp;vendor&nbsp;can&nbsp;still&nbsp;organize&nbsp;the&nbsp;implementation&nbsp;in an agile&nbsp;manner&nbsp;and&nbsp;deliver&nbsp;results&nbsp;on a&nbsp;regular&nbsp;basis.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In&nbsp;practice,&nbsp;however,&nbsp;this&nbsp;gives&nbsp;rise&nbsp;to&nbsp;two&nbsp;paradoxes.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The&nbsp;first&nbsp;concerns&nbsp;the&nbsp;relationship&nbsp;between&nbsp;new&nbsp;requests&nbsp;and the&nbsp;agreed-upon&nbsp;fixed&nbsp;price. The second&nbsp;goes&nbsp;even&nbsp;further:&nbsp;If&nbsp;the&nbsp;scope&nbsp;of&nbsp;work&nbsp;changes&nbsp;significantly&nbsp;during&nbsp;implementation, the&nbsp;question&nbsp;eventually&nbsp;arises&nbsp;as to&nbsp;whether&nbsp;the&nbsp;project&nbsp;being&nbsp;implemented&nbsp;is&nbsp;actually&nbsp;the&nbsp;one&nbsp;for&nbsp;which&nbsp;the&nbsp;competitive&nbsp;bidding&nbsp;took&nbsp;place.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Paradox 1: The&nbsp;more&nbsp;the&nbsp;client&nbsp;learns, the&nbsp;more&nbsp;pressure&nbsp;is&nbsp;put&nbsp;on the&nbsp;fixed&nbsp;price&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During a show-and-tell&nbsp;session,&nbsp;features,&nbsp;processes, and&nbsp;user&nbsp;interfaces&nbsp;become&nbsp;clearly&nbsp;visible. This&nbsp;almost&nbsp;inevitably&nbsp;leads&nbsp;to&nbsp;new&nbsp;insights:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cWe&nbsp;could&nbsp;make&nbsp;this&nbsp;form simpler.\u201d&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cWe&nbsp;need&nbsp;some&nbsp;additional&nbsp;information&nbsp;here.\u201d&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cIf&nbsp;we&nbsp;automate&nbsp;this&nbsp;step, it&nbsp;would&nbsp;save a&nbsp;lot&nbsp;of time.\u201d&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cActually,&nbsp;we&nbsp;need&nbsp;one&nbsp;more&nbsp;interface.\u201d&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That\u2019s&nbsp;exactly&nbsp;what&nbsp;these&nbsp;meetings&nbsp;are&nbsp;for. The&nbsp;client&nbsp;is&nbsp;supposed&nbsp;to&nbsp;provide&nbsp;feedback, and the&nbsp;solution&nbsp;is&nbsp;supposed&nbsp;to&nbsp;improve&nbsp;as a&nbsp;result.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, a&nbsp;misunderstanding&nbsp;often&nbsp;arises.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The&nbsp;client&nbsp;says, \u201cWe&nbsp;could&nbsp;still&nbsp;add&nbsp;that. After all,&nbsp;we\u2019re&nbsp;working&nbsp;in an agile&nbsp;way.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The supplier&nbsp;adds&nbsp;the&nbsp;request&nbsp;to the&nbsp;backlog. The&nbsp;development&nbsp;team&nbsp;may&nbsp;implement&nbsp;it as&nbsp;early&nbsp;as the&nbsp;next&nbsp;sprint. Only&nbsp;later&nbsp;does&nbsp;it&nbsp;become&nbsp;clear&nbsp;that&nbsp;the&nbsp;requirement&nbsp;was not included in the&nbsp;agreed&nbsp;scope&nbsp;of&nbsp;work.&nbsp;A&nbsp;supplementary&nbsp;request&nbsp;follows. This&nbsp;comes&nbsp;as a&nbsp;surprise&nbsp;to the&nbsp;client:&nbsp;from&nbsp;their&nbsp;perspective,&nbsp;they&nbsp;simply&nbsp;provided&nbsp;feedback&nbsp;in an agile&nbsp;project. For the supplier,&nbsp;however,&nbsp;this&nbsp;constitutes&nbsp;an additional&nbsp;service&nbsp;that&nbsp;was not&nbsp;factored&nbsp;into&nbsp;the&nbsp;fixed&nbsp;price.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Both&nbsp;sides&nbsp;have&nbsp;interpreted&nbsp;\u201cagile\u201d&nbsp;differently.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The&nbsp;client&nbsp;expects&nbsp;flexibility. The supplier&nbsp;expects&nbsp;a limited&nbsp;scope&nbsp;of&nbsp;work&nbsp;despite&nbsp;the agile&nbsp;approach.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A&nbsp;backlog&nbsp;is&nbsp;allowed&nbsp;to change.&nbsp;However, it&nbsp;is&nbsp;not a&nbsp;wish&nbsp;list&nbsp;with&nbsp;a&nbsp;price&nbsp;guarantee.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If&nbsp;a&nbsp;new&nbsp;requirement&nbsp;is&nbsp;to&nbsp;be&nbsp;implemented&nbsp;without&nbsp;additional&nbsp;costs,&nbsp;another,&nbsp;roughly&nbsp;equivalent&nbsp;service&nbsp;would&nbsp;have&nbsp;to&nbsp;be&nbsp;omitted, for&nbsp;example.&nbsp;If, on the&nbsp;other&nbsp;hand, all&nbsp;previous&nbsp;requirements&nbsp;are&nbsp;to&nbsp;remain&nbsp;in&nbsp;place, the&nbsp;new&nbsp;request&nbsp;leads&nbsp;to&nbsp;more&nbsp;effort,&nbsp;more&nbsp;time,&nbsp;or&nbsp;additional&nbsp;costs.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Agility&nbsp;does&nbsp;not&nbsp;negate&nbsp;these&nbsp;relationships.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1030\" height=\"580\" src=\"https:\/\/spiritinprojects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Bild2-EN-1030x580.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-30155\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spiritinprojects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Bild2-EN-1030x580.png 1030w, https:\/\/spiritinprojects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Bild2-EN-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/spiritinprojects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Bild2-EN-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/spiritinprojects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Bild2-EN-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/spiritinprojects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Bild2-EN-1500x844.png 1500w, https:\/\/spiritinprojects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Bild2-EN-705x397.png 705w, https:\/\/spiritinprojects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Bild2-EN.png 1672w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1030px) 100vw, 1030px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Paradox 2: The&nbsp;client&nbsp;is&nbsp;allowed&nbsp;to&nbsp;learn\u2014but the&nbsp;competition&nbsp;must&nbsp;not change&nbsp;retroactively&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even&nbsp;if&nbsp;the&nbsp;client&nbsp;and the supplier&nbsp;agree&nbsp;on the additional&nbsp;work, a second&nbsp;question&nbsp;remains.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What&nbsp;happens&nbsp;if&nbsp;the&nbsp;scope&nbsp;of&nbsp;services&nbsp;changes&nbsp;so&nbsp;significantly&nbsp;during&nbsp;development&nbsp;that&nbsp;other&nbsp;companies&nbsp;would&nbsp;have&nbsp;participated&nbsp;in the original&nbsp;procurement&nbsp;process?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Perhaps&nbsp;a&nbsp;bidder&nbsp;did&nbsp;not&nbsp;submit&nbsp;a&nbsp;proposal&nbsp;because&nbsp;the original&nbsp;specifications&nbsp;did&nbsp;not&nbsp;align&nbsp;with&nbsp;its&nbsp;core&nbsp;competencies.&nbsp;Perhaps&nbsp;another&nbsp;bidder&nbsp;could&nbsp;have&nbsp;offered&nbsp;a&nbsp;better&nbsp;concept&nbsp;or&nbsp;a&nbsp;lower&nbsp;price&nbsp;for the&nbsp;scope&nbsp;of&nbsp;services&nbsp;that&nbsp;emerged&nbsp;later.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In&nbsp;that&nbsp;case, the change&nbsp;no&nbsp;longer&nbsp;affects&nbsp;only&nbsp;the&nbsp;existing&nbsp;contract. It&nbsp;affects&nbsp;the original&nbsp;competitive&nbsp;bidding&nbsp;process.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Austrian Federal Public&nbsp;Procurement&nbsp;Act&nbsp;specifically&nbsp;addresses&nbsp;this&nbsp;scenario: A&nbsp;contract&nbsp;amendment&nbsp;is&nbsp;considered&nbsp;substantial, in&nbsp;particular,&nbsp;if&nbsp;the&nbsp;amended&nbsp;terms&nbsp;would&nbsp;have&nbsp;sparked&nbsp;interest&nbsp;from&nbsp;other&nbsp;companies&nbsp;in the&nbsp;procurement&nbsp;process&nbsp;or&nbsp;made&nbsp;it possible to&nbsp;select&nbsp;a different&nbsp;bid.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The&nbsp;further&nbsp;the&nbsp;backlog&nbsp;deviates&nbsp;from&nbsp;the&nbsp;tender&nbsp;specifications, the&nbsp;more&nbsp;questionable&nbsp;it&nbsp;becomes&nbsp;whether&nbsp;the&nbsp;contract&nbsp;for&nbsp;which&nbsp;the&nbsp;competitive&nbsp;bidding&nbsp;took&nbsp;place&nbsp;will&nbsp;actually&nbsp;be&nbsp;carried&nbsp;out.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An&nbsp;agreement&nbsp;between&nbsp;the&nbsp;contracting&nbsp;authority&nbsp;and the supplier&nbsp;alone&nbsp;is&nbsp;then&nbsp;insufficient.&nbsp;If&nbsp;the change&nbsp;constitutes&nbsp;a material&nbsp;amendment&nbsp;to the&nbsp;contract, a&nbsp;new&nbsp;procurement&nbsp;procedure&nbsp;is&nbsp;generally&nbsp;required,&nbsp;unless&nbsp;a&nbsp;statutory&nbsp;exception&nbsp;applies. This&nbsp;is&nbsp;the second&nbsp;limitation&nbsp;of so-called&nbsp;agility: The&nbsp;client&nbsp;is&nbsp;allowed&nbsp;to&nbsp;learn&nbsp;during&nbsp;the&nbsp;project.&nbsp;However, the&nbsp;client&nbsp;may&nbsp;not&nbsp;place&nbsp;unlimited&nbsp;orders&nbsp;with&nbsp;the&nbsp;already-selected&nbsp;supplier for the&nbsp;results&nbsp;of&nbsp;this&nbsp;learning&nbsp;process.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What&nbsp;does&nbsp;this&nbsp;mean&nbsp;in&nbsp;practice?&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">New&nbsp;requests&nbsp;arising&nbsp;from&nbsp;a \u201cshow-and-tell\u201d&nbsp;session&nbsp;should&nbsp;not&nbsp;automatically&nbsp;be&nbsp;interpreted&nbsp;as a&nbsp;work&nbsp;order.&nbsp;Before&nbsp;implementation,&nbsp;two&nbsp;checks&nbsp;are&nbsp;required:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Contractually:<\/strong>&nbsp;Is&nbsp;the&nbsp;requirement&nbsp;already&nbsp;included,&nbsp;is&nbsp;it&nbsp;being&nbsp;exchanged&nbsp;for&nbsp;another&nbsp;service,&nbsp;or&nbsp;does&nbsp;it&nbsp;entail&nbsp;additional&nbsp;work?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Under&nbsp;procurement&nbsp;law:<\/strong> Does the change fall&nbsp;within&nbsp;the&nbsp;scope&nbsp;of the&nbsp;contracted&nbsp;work,&nbsp;or&nbsp;might&nbsp;the&nbsp;modified&nbsp;contract&nbsp;have&nbsp;been&nbsp;of&nbsp;interest&nbsp;to&nbsp;other&nbsp;bidders&nbsp;as&nbsp;well?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For&nbsp;each&nbsp;new&nbsp;requirement,&nbsp;there&nbsp;are&nbsp;thus&nbsp;four&nbsp;possibilities:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It&nbsp;is&nbsp;already&nbsp;covered&nbsp;by the&nbsp;agreed-upon&nbsp;scope&nbsp;of&nbsp;work.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It&nbsp;replaces&nbsp;a&nbsp;roughly&nbsp;equivalent&nbsp;requirement&nbsp;in the&nbsp;backlog.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It&nbsp;is&nbsp;commissioned&nbsp;as an additional&nbsp;service&nbsp;and&nbsp;is&nbsp;permissible&nbsp;under&nbsp;public&nbsp;procurement&nbsp;law.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It&nbsp;must&nbsp;be&nbsp;put&nbsp;out to&nbsp;bid&nbsp;separately&nbsp;or&nbsp;deferred.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This&nbsp;decision-making&nbsp;logic&nbsp;should&nbsp;not&nbsp;be&nbsp;developed&nbsp;only&nbsp;during&nbsp;the&nbsp;project. It&nbsp;must&nbsp;already&nbsp;be&nbsp;included in the&nbsp;tender&nbsp;documents&nbsp;and the&nbsp;contract.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A&nbsp;general&nbsp;statement&nbsp;such as \u201cThe&nbsp;backlog&nbsp;may&nbsp;be&nbsp;adjusted&nbsp;during&nbsp;the&nbsp;project\u201d&nbsp;is&nbsp;not&nbsp;sufficient&nbsp;on&nbsp;its&nbsp;own. The&nbsp;tender&nbsp;documents&nbsp;should&nbsp;already&nbsp;clearly,&nbsp;precisely, and&nbsp;unambiguously&nbsp;specify&nbsp;which&nbsp;changes&nbsp;are&nbsp;possible, to&nbsp;what&nbsp;extent, and&nbsp;under&nbsp;what&nbsp;conditions. The&nbsp;overall&nbsp;nature&nbsp;of the&nbsp;contract&nbsp;must&nbsp;not&nbsp;be&nbsp;altered&nbsp;as a&nbsp;result.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Conclusion&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Show-and-tell&nbsp;sessions&nbsp;aren\u2019t&nbsp;the&nbsp;problem.&nbsp;They&nbsp;bring to light&nbsp;what&nbsp;wasn\u2019t&nbsp;yet&nbsp;known&nbsp;when&nbsp;the&nbsp;requirements&nbsp;specification&nbsp;was&nbsp;drafted.&nbsp;That&nbsp;is&nbsp;precisely&nbsp;where&nbsp;their&nbsp;value&nbsp;lies.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, the&nbsp;insights&nbsp;gained&nbsp;need&nbsp;clear&nbsp;boundaries:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Contractually: Is the requirement already included, will it be exchanged for another service, or will it create additional work?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From a procurement law perspective: Does the change remain within the scope of the tendered contract, or would the modified contract potentially have been attractive to other bidders?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What&nbsp;has&nbsp;been&nbsp;your&nbsp;experience? How&nbsp;are&nbsp;new&nbsp;requirements&nbsp;arising&nbsp;from&nbsp;sprint&nbsp;reviews&nbsp;or&nbsp;show-and-tell&nbsp;sessions&nbsp;handled&nbsp;in&nbsp;your&nbsp;fixed-price&nbsp;projects?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Further Reading&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Status of legal&nbsp;basis: September 7, 2026.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ris.bka.gv.at\/eli\/bgbl\/i\/2018\/65\/P365\/NOR40276151\">\u00a7 365&nbsp;BVergG&nbsp;2018 \u2013&nbsp;Contract&nbsp;Amendments During the&nbsp;Contract&nbsp;Term,&nbsp;current&nbsp;version&nbsp;<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ris.bka.gv.at\/GeltendeFassung.wxe?Abfrage=Bundesnormen&amp;Gesetzesnummer=20010295\">Federal Public&nbsp;Procurement&nbsp;Act 2018 \u2013&nbsp;complete&nbsp;consolidated&nbsp;version&nbsp;<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/eur-lex.europa.eu\/legal-content\/DE\/TXT\/?uri=CELEX%3A02014L0024-20260101\">Article&nbsp;72 \u2013&nbsp;Contract&nbsp;modifications&nbsp;during&nbsp;the&nbsp;term&nbsp;of the&nbsp;contract,&nbsp;consolidated&nbsp;EU Public&nbsp;Procurement&nbsp;Directive&nbsp;2014\/24\/EU of&nbsp;January&nbsp;1, 2026&nbsp;<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ris.bka.gv.at\/VwghRechtssatzkette.wxe?Abfrage=Vwgh&amp;Dokumentnummer=JWR_2020040020_20240201J10\">Supreme Administrative Court (VwGH)&nbsp;decision&nbsp;of&nbsp;February&nbsp;1, 2024, Ro 2020\/04\/0020 \u2013&nbsp;Requirements&nbsp;for&nbsp;clear&nbsp;and&nbsp;precise&nbsp;contract&nbsp;amendment&nbsp;clauses&nbsp;<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This&nbsp;article&nbsp;provides&nbsp;a&nbsp;general&nbsp;overview&nbsp;and&nbsp;does&nbsp;not&nbsp;replace&nbsp;a legal review of the&nbsp;specific&nbsp;case&nbsp;in&nbsp;question.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Many IT tender&nbsp;begin&nbsp;in a&nbsp;very&nbsp;traditional&nbsp;way:&nbsp;requirements&nbsp;are&nbsp;gathered,&nbsp;coordinated, and&nbsp;then&nbsp;documented&nbsp;in a&nbsp;requirements&nbsp;specification&nbsp;or&nbsp;service&nbsp;catalog.&nbsp;Bidders&nbsp;prepare&nbsp;their&nbsp;proposals&nbsp;based&nbsp;on&nbsp;this&nbsp;foundation.&nbsp; During the&nbsp;hearing, the&nbsp;vendors&nbsp;present&nbsp;how&nbsp;they&nbsp;plan to&nbsp;organize&nbsp;the&nbsp;implementation. In&nbsp;my&nbsp;experience,&nbsp;many&nbsp;vendors&nbsp;present&nbsp;an agile&nbsp;implementation&nbsp;concept:&nbsp;with&nbsp;sprints, a&nbsp;backlog, and the usual&nbsp;Scrum&nbsp;rituals. In&nbsp;regular&nbsp;reviews&nbsp;or&nbsp;so-called&nbsp;\u201cshow-and-tell\u201d&nbsp;sessions,&nbsp;they&nbsp;present&nbsp;what&nbsp;was&nbsp;implemented&nbsp;in the&nbsp;previous&nbsp;sprint.&nbsp; At&nbsp;first&nbsp;glance,&nbsp;this&nbsp;sounds&nbsp;like a sensible&nbsp;combination. The&nbsp;client&nbsp;receives&nbsp;a&nbsp;binding&nbsp;price&nbsp;and a&nbsp;defined&nbsp;scope&nbsp;of&nbsp;work. The&nbsp;vendor&nbsp;can&nbsp;still&nbsp;organize&nbsp;the&nbsp;implementation&nbsp;in an agile&nbsp;manner&nbsp;and&nbsp;deliver&nbsp;results&nbsp;on a&nbsp;regular&nbsp;basis.&nbsp; In&nbsp;practice,&nbsp;however,&nbsp;this&nbsp;gives&nbsp;rise&nbsp;to&nbsp;two&nbsp;paradoxes.&nbsp; The&nbsp;first&nbsp;concerns&nbsp;the&nbsp;relationship&nbsp;between&nbsp;new&nbsp;requests&nbsp;and the&nbsp;agreed-upon&nbsp;fixed&nbsp;price. The second&nbsp;goes&nbsp;even&nbsp;further:&nbsp;If&nbsp;the&nbsp;scope&nbsp;of&nbsp;work&nbsp;changes&nbsp;significantly&nbsp;during&nbsp;implementation, the&nbsp;question&nbsp;eventually&nbsp;arises&nbsp;as to&nbsp;whether&nbsp;the&nbsp;project&nbsp;being&nbsp;implemented&nbsp;is&nbsp;actually&nbsp;the&nbsp;one&nbsp;for&nbsp;which&nbsp;the&nbsp;competitive&nbsp;bidding&nbsp;took&nbsp;place.&nbsp; Paradox 1: The&nbsp;more&nbsp;the&nbsp;client&nbsp;learns, the&nbsp;more&nbsp;pressure&nbsp;is&nbsp;put&nbsp;on the&nbsp;fixed&nbsp;price&nbsp; During a show-and-tell&nbsp;session,&nbsp;features,&nbsp;processes, and&nbsp;user&nbsp;interfaces&nbsp;become&nbsp;clearly&nbsp;visible. This&nbsp;almost&nbsp;inevitably&nbsp;leads&nbsp;to&nbsp;new&nbsp;insights:&nbsp; That\u2019s&nbsp;exactly&nbsp;what&nbsp;these&nbsp;meetings&nbsp;are&nbsp;for. The&nbsp;client&nbsp;is&nbsp;supposed&nbsp;to&nbsp;provide&nbsp;feedback, and the&nbsp;solution&nbsp;is&nbsp;supposed&nbsp;to&nbsp;improve&nbsp;as a&nbsp;result.&nbsp; However, a&nbsp;misunderstanding&nbsp;often&nbsp;arises.&nbsp; The&nbsp;client&nbsp;says, \u201cWe&nbsp;could&nbsp;still&nbsp;add&nbsp;that. After all,&nbsp;we\u2019re&nbsp;working&nbsp;in&hellip; <a class=\"continue\" href=\"https:\/\/spiritinprojects.com\/en\/requirements-specifications-fixed-price-fixed-deadline-and-please-agile-two-paradoxes-in-it-rfp-processes\/\">Continue Reading<span> Requirements\u00a0Specifications, Fixed Price, Fixed Deadline\u2014and\u00a0Please, Agile: Two Paradoxes in IT RFP\u00a0Processes\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":30144,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[70],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30156","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Requirements\u00a0Specifications, Fixed Price, Fixed Deadline\u2014and\u00a0Please, Agile: Two Paradoxes in IT RFP\u00a0Processes\u00a0 - Spirit in Projects<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/spiritinprojects.com\/en\/requirements-specifications-fixed-price-fixed-deadline-and-please-agile-two-paradoxes-in-it-rfp-processes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Requirements\u00a0Specifications, Fixed Price, Fixed Deadline\u2014and\u00a0Please, Agile: Two Paradoxes in IT RFP\u00a0Processes\u00a0 - Spirit in Projects\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Many IT tender&nbsp;begin&nbsp;in a&nbsp;very&nbsp;traditional&nbsp;way:&nbsp;requirements&nbsp;are&nbsp;gathered,&nbsp;coordinated, and&nbsp;then&nbsp;documented&nbsp;in a&nbsp;requirements&nbsp;specification&nbsp;or&nbsp;service&nbsp;catalog.&nbsp;Bidders&nbsp;prepare&nbsp;their&nbsp;proposals&nbsp;based&nbsp;on&nbsp;this&nbsp;foundation.&nbsp; During the&nbsp;hearing, the&nbsp;vendors&nbsp;present&nbsp;how&nbsp;they&nbsp;plan to&nbsp;organize&nbsp;the&nbsp;implementation. In&nbsp;my&nbsp;experience,&nbsp;many&nbsp;vendors&nbsp;present&nbsp;an agile&nbsp;implementation&nbsp;concept:&nbsp;with&nbsp;sprints, a&nbsp;backlog, and the usual&nbsp;Scrum&nbsp;rituals. In&nbsp;regular&nbsp;reviews&nbsp;or&nbsp;so-called&nbsp;\u201cshow-and-tell\u201d&nbsp;sessions,&nbsp;they&nbsp;present&nbsp;what&nbsp;was&nbsp;implemented&nbsp;in the&nbsp;previous&nbsp;sprint.&nbsp; At&nbsp;first&nbsp;glance,&nbsp;this&nbsp;sounds&nbsp;like a sensible&nbsp;combination. The&nbsp;client&nbsp;receives&nbsp;a&nbsp;binding&nbsp;price&nbsp;and a&nbsp;defined&nbsp;scope&nbsp;of&nbsp;work. The&nbsp;vendor&nbsp;can&nbsp;still&nbsp;organize&nbsp;the&nbsp;implementation&nbsp;in an agile&nbsp;manner&nbsp;and&nbsp;deliver&nbsp;results&nbsp;on a&nbsp;regular&nbsp;basis.&nbsp; In&nbsp;practice,&nbsp;however,&nbsp;this&nbsp;gives&nbsp;rise&nbsp;to&nbsp;two&nbsp;paradoxes.&nbsp; The&nbsp;first&nbsp;concerns&nbsp;the&nbsp;relationship&nbsp;between&nbsp;new&nbsp;requests&nbsp;and the&nbsp;agreed-upon&nbsp;fixed&nbsp;price. The second&nbsp;goes&nbsp;even&nbsp;further:&nbsp;If&nbsp;the&nbsp;scope&nbsp;of&nbsp;work&nbsp;changes&nbsp;significantly&nbsp;during&nbsp;implementation, the&nbsp;question&nbsp;eventually&nbsp;arises&nbsp;as to&nbsp;whether&nbsp;the&nbsp;project&nbsp;being&nbsp;implemented&nbsp;is&nbsp;actually&nbsp;the&nbsp;one&nbsp;for&nbsp;which&nbsp;the&nbsp;competitive&nbsp;bidding&nbsp;took&nbsp;place.&nbsp; Paradox 1: The&nbsp;more&nbsp;the&nbsp;client&nbsp;learns, the&nbsp;more&nbsp;pressure&nbsp;is&nbsp;put&nbsp;on the&nbsp;fixed&nbsp;price&nbsp; During a show-and-tell&nbsp;session,&nbsp;features,&nbsp;processes, and&nbsp;user&nbsp;interfaces&nbsp;become&nbsp;clearly&nbsp;visible. This&nbsp;almost&nbsp;inevitably&nbsp;leads&nbsp;to&nbsp;new&nbsp;insights:&nbsp; That\u2019s&nbsp;exactly&nbsp;what&nbsp;these&nbsp;meetings&nbsp;are&nbsp;for. The&nbsp;client&nbsp;is&nbsp;supposed&nbsp;to&nbsp;provide&nbsp;feedback, and the&nbsp;solution&nbsp;is&nbsp;supposed&nbsp;to&nbsp;improve&nbsp;as a&nbsp;result.&nbsp; However, a&nbsp;misunderstanding&nbsp;often&nbsp;arises.&nbsp; The&nbsp;client&nbsp;says, \u201cWe&nbsp;could&nbsp;still&nbsp;add&nbsp;that. After all,&nbsp;we\u2019re&nbsp;working&nbsp;in&hellip; Continue Reading Requirements\u00a0Specifications, Fixed Price, Fixed Deadline\u2014and\u00a0Please, Agile: Two Paradoxes in IT RFP\u00a0Processes\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/spiritinprojects.com\/en\/requirements-specifications-fixed-price-fixed-deadline-and-please-agile-two-paradoxes-in-it-rfp-processes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Spirit in Projects\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-09-08T12:28:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-09-08T12:31:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/spiritinprojects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Team-Besprechung-.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"450\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Wolfgang Hiermann\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Wolfgang Hiermann\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spiritinprojects.com\\\/en\\\/requirements-specifications-fixed-price-fixed-deadline-and-please-agile-two-paradoxes-in-it-rfp-processes\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spiritinprojects.com\\\/en\\\/requirements-specifications-fixed-price-fixed-deadline-and-please-agile-two-paradoxes-in-it-rfp-processes\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Wolfgang Hiermann\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spiritinprojects.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/88a0269956f37f079ad9bcb88326e09a\"},\"headline\":\"Requirements\u00a0Specifications, Fixed Price, Fixed Deadline\u2014and\u00a0Please, Agile: Two Paradoxes in IT RFP\u00a0Processes\u00a0\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-09-08T12:28:03+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-09-08T12:31:50+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spiritinprojects.com\\\/en\\\/requirements-specifications-fixed-price-fixed-deadline-and-please-agile-two-paradoxes-in-it-rfp-processes\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1985,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spiritinprojects.com\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spiritinprojects.com\\\/en\\\/requirements-specifications-fixed-price-fixed-deadline-and-please-agile-two-paradoxes-in-it-rfp-processes\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spiritinprojects.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/Team-Besprechung-.png\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spiritinprojects.com\\\/en\\\/requirements-specifications-fixed-price-fixed-deadline-and-please-agile-two-paradoxes-in-it-rfp-processes\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spiritinprojects.com\\\/en\\\/requirements-specifications-fixed-price-fixed-deadline-and-please-agile-two-paradoxes-in-it-rfp-processes\\\/\",\"name\":\"Requirements\u00a0Specifications, Fixed Price, Fixed Deadline\u2014and\u00a0Please, Agile: Two Paradoxes in IT RFP\u00a0Processes\u00a0 - 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Er befasst sich intensiv mit Projektmanagement und Agilit\u00e4t.\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Requirements\u00a0Specifications, Fixed Price, Fixed Deadline\u2014and\u00a0Please, Agile: Two Paradoxes in IT RFP\u00a0Processes\u00a0 - Spirit in Projects","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/spiritinprojects.com\/en\/requirements-specifications-fixed-price-fixed-deadline-and-please-agile-two-paradoxes-in-it-rfp-processes\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Requirements\u00a0Specifications, Fixed Price, Fixed Deadline\u2014and\u00a0Please, Agile: Two Paradoxes in IT RFP\u00a0Processes\u00a0 - Spirit in Projects","og_description":"Many IT tender&nbsp;begin&nbsp;in a&nbsp;very&nbsp;traditional&nbsp;way:&nbsp;requirements&nbsp;are&nbsp;gathered,&nbsp;coordinated, and&nbsp;then&nbsp;documented&nbsp;in a&nbsp;requirements&nbsp;specification&nbsp;or&nbsp;service&nbsp;catalog.&nbsp;Bidders&nbsp;prepare&nbsp;their&nbsp;proposals&nbsp;based&nbsp;on&nbsp;this&nbsp;foundation.&nbsp; During the&nbsp;hearing, the&nbsp;vendors&nbsp;present&nbsp;how&nbsp;they&nbsp;plan to&nbsp;organize&nbsp;the&nbsp;implementation. In&nbsp;my&nbsp;experience,&nbsp;many&nbsp;vendors&nbsp;present&nbsp;an agile&nbsp;implementation&nbsp;concept:&nbsp;with&nbsp;sprints, a&nbsp;backlog, and the usual&nbsp;Scrum&nbsp;rituals. In&nbsp;regular&nbsp;reviews&nbsp;or&nbsp;so-called&nbsp;\u201cshow-and-tell\u201d&nbsp;sessions,&nbsp;they&nbsp;present&nbsp;what&nbsp;was&nbsp;implemented&nbsp;in the&nbsp;previous&nbsp;sprint.&nbsp; At&nbsp;first&nbsp;glance,&nbsp;this&nbsp;sounds&nbsp;like a sensible&nbsp;combination. The&nbsp;client&nbsp;receives&nbsp;a&nbsp;binding&nbsp;price&nbsp;and a&nbsp;defined&nbsp;scope&nbsp;of&nbsp;work. The&nbsp;vendor&nbsp;can&nbsp;still&nbsp;organize&nbsp;the&nbsp;implementation&nbsp;in an agile&nbsp;manner&nbsp;and&nbsp;deliver&nbsp;results&nbsp;on a&nbsp;regular&nbsp;basis.&nbsp; In&nbsp;practice,&nbsp;however,&nbsp;this&nbsp;gives&nbsp;rise&nbsp;to&nbsp;two&nbsp;paradoxes.&nbsp; The&nbsp;first&nbsp;concerns&nbsp;the&nbsp;relationship&nbsp;between&nbsp;new&nbsp;requests&nbsp;and the&nbsp;agreed-upon&nbsp;fixed&nbsp;price. The second&nbsp;goes&nbsp;even&nbsp;further:&nbsp;If&nbsp;the&nbsp;scope&nbsp;of&nbsp;work&nbsp;changes&nbsp;significantly&nbsp;during&nbsp;implementation, the&nbsp;question&nbsp;eventually&nbsp;arises&nbsp;as to&nbsp;whether&nbsp;the&nbsp;project&nbsp;being&nbsp;implemented&nbsp;is&nbsp;actually&nbsp;the&nbsp;one&nbsp;for&nbsp;which&nbsp;the&nbsp;competitive&nbsp;bidding&nbsp;took&nbsp;place.&nbsp; Paradox 1: The&nbsp;more&nbsp;the&nbsp;client&nbsp;learns, the&nbsp;more&nbsp;pressure&nbsp;is&nbsp;put&nbsp;on the&nbsp;fixed&nbsp;price&nbsp; During a show-and-tell&nbsp;session,&nbsp;features,&nbsp;processes, and&nbsp;user&nbsp;interfaces&nbsp;become&nbsp;clearly&nbsp;visible. This&nbsp;almost&nbsp;inevitably&nbsp;leads&nbsp;to&nbsp;new&nbsp;insights:&nbsp; That\u2019s&nbsp;exactly&nbsp;what&nbsp;these&nbsp;meetings&nbsp;are&nbsp;for. The&nbsp;client&nbsp;is&nbsp;supposed&nbsp;to&nbsp;provide&nbsp;feedback, and the&nbsp;solution&nbsp;is&nbsp;supposed&nbsp;to&nbsp;improve&nbsp;as a&nbsp;result.&nbsp; However, a&nbsp;misunderstanding&nbsp;often&nbsp;arises.&nbsp; The&nbsp;client&nbsp;says, \u201cWe&nbsp;could&nbsp;still&nbsp;add&nbsp;that. After all,&nbsp;we\u2019re&nbsp;working&nbsp;in&hellip; Continue Reading Requirements\u00a0Specifications, Fixed Price, Fixed Deadline\u2014and\u00a0Please, Agile: Two Paradoxes in IT RFP\u00a0Processes\u00a0","og_url":"https:\/\/spiritinprojects.com\/en\/requirements-specifications-fixed-price-fixed-deadline-and-please-agile-two-paradoxes-in-it-rfp-processes\/","og_site_name":"Spirit in Projects","article_published_time":"2026-09-08T12:28:03+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-09-08T12:31:50+00:00","og_image":[{"width":800,"height":450,"url":"https:\/\/spiritinprojects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Team-Besprechung-.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Wolfgang Hiermann","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Wolfgang Hiermann","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/spiritinprojects.com\/en\/requirements-specifications-fixed-price-fixed-deadline-and-please-agile-two-paradoxes-in-it-rfp-processes\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/spiritinprojects.com\/en\/requirements-specifications-fixed-price-fixed-deadline-and-please-agile-two-paradoxes-in-it-rfp-processes\/"},"author":{"name":"Wolfgang Hiermann","@id":"https:\/\/spiritinprojects.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/88a0269956f37f079ad9bcb88326e09a"},"headline":"Requirements\u00a0Specifications, Fixed Price, Fixed Deadline\u2014and\u00a0Please, Agile: Two Paradoxes in IT RFP\u00a0Processes\u00a0","datePublished":"2026-09-08T12:28:03+00:00","dateModified":"2026-09-08T12:31:50+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/spiritinprojects.com\/en\/requirements-specifications-fixed-price-fixed-deadline-and-please-agile-two-paradoxes-in-it-rfp-processes\/"},"wordCount":1985,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/spiritinprojects.com\/en\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/spiritinprojects.com\/en\/requirements-specifications-fixed-price-fixed-deadline-and-please-agile-two-paradoxes-in-it-rfp-processes\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/spiritinprojects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Team-Besprechung-.png","inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/spiritinprojects.com\/en\/requirements-specifications-fixed-price-fixed-deadline-and-please-agile-two-paradoxes-in-it-rfp-processes\/","url":"https:\/\/spiritinprojects.com\/en\/requirements-specifications-fixed-price-fixed-deadline-and-please-agile-two-paradoxes-in-it-rfp-processes\/","name":"Requirements\u00a0Specifications, Fixed Price, Fixed Deadline\u2014and\u00a0Please, Agile: Two Paradoxes in IT RFP\u00a0Processes\u00a0 - 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