On the flip side, I guess, I've also heard that a standing offer can be good for smaller or medium-sized businesses, because at least it provides a framework in which they can engage. If the federal government were instead to have a process to pick certain preferred suppliers, they would tend to be larger enterprises, and going through the whole RFP process could certainly be challenging for small businesses as well.
On December 12th, 2017. See this statement in context.