CompuServe Messages

I am very interested in hearing your horror stories on problems that you have had with specifying, purchasing and implementation of CAD into your comapny. Tell me about your problems with dealers, consultants or other CAD gurus and how you solved them. Tell me about the problems you have had in-house with your companies Purchasing Agents, purchasing regulations and policies. What do you do to beat the system and get the hardware or software that YOU need. What I am looking for is the problems that individuals have encountered in purchasing the hardware. You know, you spec the system out. But when you get it in its' low bid and full of problems. How did you handle preparing specifications to avoid the "low bid" problems? When you did get a system that was low bid and "met the specifications", how much did it really wind up costing you? What problems did you have in incompatability, hardware problems, finger pointing, etc. I am doing research for a presentation on the problems individuals have had in the selection, implementation and management of CAD systems. I intend to subtitle my presentation "The CADD System from Hell : How to avoid the Nightmare". So its going to be a bit tounge in cheek, geared toward purchasing agents and financial officers involved in the purchase end. If you want to, send your responce via private mail. I greatly appreciate your input and assistance. Thank you, Steve Foster