The strategy used may depend on the economic power of the buyer. The buyer’s autonomy is limited if it must depend on certain suppliers. For example, when a public procurement agency is substantially in arrears with its payments, only certain manufacturers will agree to furnish supplies. Or private wholesalers may be owned by certain manufacturers that impose their own strategy. Grants from foreign countries often oblige the beneficiary to buy from designated suppliers in the donor country.

A very small buyer has few options other than blind confidence, although blind confidence in an international supply agency may be justified. A large buyer may use either systematic distrust or cooperation. The strategy of cooperation does not mean that the buyer must be very powerful, as the cost is not important. It does, however, require substantial information and skill, as the rules are less formal than with systematic distrust. Table 8 compares characteristics of each strategy.

Table 8. Characteristics of procurement strategies