Writing a Term of Reference (TOR)

OK .. This post may not be a computer science topic per se, but it's something that I have always wanted to say. No no ... I am not going to write a great deal on how to write a TOR or what a TOR is.  It's just going to be on something that I have experienced over the years.

I have had a bit of experiences helping both government and private sectors come up with a TOR for a system or systems that they wanted. Of course, all of them were IT-related.

For those of you, who have written a TOR before, you would feel or know that it is such a tedious thing to do.  Anyway, what I don't understand is the actual process of it. No matter where I go or am involved in, the process of writing a TOR is no different. Maybe it's just my own feelings that it should not be the way it is.

In my opinion, writing a TOR should be a process of informing people/companies/dealers what we want.  That is, we should be stating the problems we are facing. I don't even think that it is our job (the TOR writers) to specifically state what kind of a system is needed to solve these problems. Let alone list all the functions and features of a system!

Writing a TOR should just be as simple as this: "Here are my problems ... What do YOU propose?"

In reality, haha ... far from this.  Well, from what I have experienced anyway.  An organisation (with money to spend, of course) would do one of these two things:

1. Know the problems. Look for a system that (they think they want and hopefully) can solve the problems. Copy and paste the function and features of THAT system into the TOR, or
2. Know the problems. Invite a dealer or two and ask them to list functions and features the solution! (er ... wouldn't they just write functions and features of what they are already selling or having in stock?)

What I'm trying to say is that why do people feel the need to waste so much time to write in so much detail of all functions and features of the required system (when they haven't got a clue what they are talking about)?  Why don't they just state the problems and let the "professionals" propose the solutions?

You will then have several options to choose from. Of course, you will choose the solution that solves the problems and gives the value for the money.

Strange, but this is what really happens.