THE TENDLEY CONTRACT - Confidential Instructions for the Consultant

Accompanied by product #PON474. Two-party contract negotiation between a computer consultant and a school district representative at an apparent impasse over different expectations over cost of services. A school district and a computer consultant are negotiating a potential contract for repair of the school district's failed computer network. Both parties are eager to work with each other: the consultant's qualifications appear perfect for the school district's needs, and the school district would help the consultant connect with additional governmental clients. After a fair amount of negotiation, however, the parties find themselves at an impasse: the consultant's bid (which the consultant feels is very low) is considerably higher than the school's budget for this project. The consultant and a school representative have agreed to meet one last time in an effort to salvage the deal. This simulation happens to involve a consulting contract, but the negotiation lessons are generic. The exercise can be used simply to illustrate the importance of the creative, option-generating aspect of negotiation. More importantly, it can also be used as the principal vehicle for presenting integrative theory more broadly. This is a role play case.

This is a Role-play case tailored for case method and experiential learning.