How does anyone knows there's something to bid on or do they only tell IBM? In that case it's hardly IBM's fault is it.
Companies have some listed period that could be as short as 7 days or as long as 6 months to respond with a Proposal of work including costs.
Government then reviews and picks one based on the stated criteria.
This might seem like a reasonable solution, but it adds significant overhead.
This is where the big shops earn their money. They know how to grind through the paperwork.
I am also aware of some huge pivots where some minor feature became the only thing the customer cared about.
The country club