This morning, the world was told that the DISD contract with Kinkos has an interesting provision. The provision is that Kinkos will give select district employees free entry into celebrity golf tournaments. One of the tournaments was the Kinko’s/Unicare Pro-Am in Austin. Entry into the tournament cost $10,000. The package included airfare, a banquet, two nights at a posh resort, and $500 gift package of clothes and equipment. No one can explain when or how the provision found its way into the contract. Read more about this little challenge here.

More common than one might hope

Some may be surprised by the provision. Quite frankly, a lot of suppliers offer such perks. This is one of the reasons that many organizations have policies that spell out exactly what employees can accept. There is no such thing as a free lunch. Suppliers set aside a certain amount of money to sweeten the deal and they don’t necessarily care how the money is used.

Rules for accepting gifts

Here are a four rules that have served me well. Perhaps you will find them helpful too…

1. As my friend and former client, Ron, used to say “only accept perks that can eaten and excreted within 24 hours and without requiring medical attention.”
2. If you wouldn’t go there with your family and be able to comfortably pay for it, don’t go there on your company’s dime… Not even if the supplier is cutting the check.
3. What is good for the goose is good for the gander. If you wouldn’t let every firm under consideration do something, don’t let any of them do it.
4. If you would be embarrassed to admit doing something in a courtroom filled with your best friends, your worst enemies, and all of your friends, neighbors, family, and colleagues, don’t do it at all.

Filed by Coleen Davis at 4:09 pm under Negotiations, Sourcing