Not picking Oracle for the sake of not picking Oracle is a legitimate business decision, especially considering their dubious track record.
A government agency tailoring a bid to favor or not favor any company is entirely illegitimate (and illegal).
A government agency tailoring a bid to favor or not favor any company is entirely illegitimate (and illegal).
At a previous job, our company and three other companies operated similar programs, supporting the military. Call it company A, company B, and company C. Our company (company A) were doing a really good job. Our metrics were outstanding, we had the enthusiastic support of 3 consecutive commanders of the unit we were supporting, life was grand. Company B was also doing a great job, and they were better than us at certain things, but as a whole, we were slightly better. Company C suuuucked. Their metrics were shit, so they started gaming the metrics. Their metrics still sucked. The people in the unit we were supporting were well aware of their bullshit, and they regularly got dressed down in front of all us. They were absolute dogshit.
Imagine Firefox vs Chrome vs IE6. In the general case, you want Firefox, (Company A) unless you spend a significant amount of your time using Google Docs, in which case you want Chrome. (Company B) You don't want IE6.
Anyway, the Pentagon needed to select one of these programs to build into a long term DoD program, as opposed to a live in theater prototype, so they commission a study to evaluate the three programs. They hired an outside contractor to perform this study. The company they hired to perform this study was Company C. Company C's study showed that Company C's product was the most effective one. Their numbers were straight up lies- they literally made up bullshit and wrote it down on a piece of paper and submitted it to the Pentagon as a formal document. The unit we were attached to was livid, and wrote up a formal complaint to the Pentagon. This was ignored.
Our program was canceled, I was laid off. I don't work in defense anymore.
Government agencies are made up of people. Those people develop relationships with their providers, when they like them. They've been around long enough to have seen good providers and bad providers. When they find a good one, they hang on to them for a while.
Eventually someone above them shakes things up a little, and a new provider upsets the incumbent and takes over the work. After a few tries - or the first if they're lucky - they'll find another good provider, and the cycle starts over.
That's why bidding on a job isn't where the opportunity is won. You almost always win or lose the job before the solicitation is released. You win by building relationships with the people that make up these agencies. Do research, set up meetings, go talk to people, figure out what gives them heartburn, and develop a solution to their problems.
That solution becomes the framework for the new solicitation. You have then influenced the requirements. And congratulations, the bid has now been tailored to favor your company. You will probably win!