[mysterydip]

Sometimes the lowest bidder is the lowest because they purposely underbid knowing they will have cost/schedule overruns later and the customer would rather throw good money after bad than start the process over with nothing to show. I like the second lowest bidder process mentioned elsewhere.

[systemvoltage]

I’ve worked in procurement and let me tell you - there is a lot more than looking at a ranked list of bidders and going “oh look, lowest bidder. Job done, let’s go with these folks.” The caricature on HN is so incredibly misleading. Supplier selection is quite involved.

The right term is “optimal”.