Software Vendors Intellectual Property

past 2 days I have been meeting software vendors.  One vendor is the one we have engaged 1 month ago but they screw up big time.  So we have halted the project and we met today to discuss why we halt the project and what to do next.  The other vendor is our next best vendor if this current vendor still cann't live up to our standard.

The thing is ... again a Niamah situation !

2 months ago, we have 

1. verbally mentioned what we need, our requirments in person

2. documented what we need and our requirments.  (One is called RFP - Request For Proposal and another are Use Cases.)

and they have repeatly mentioned that they have read our documents and know what we need and they can do it !

But when we asked 'so what do you propose how to configure your software to suit our needs'.  Then they will ask a question that we have already specify in our document 2 months ago.

So you have read and understand our requirment but you still have to start all over asking the 1st question ?

Damn ... I cann't help to slam down straight to their face ( their directors ) that no matter how many times you said you have read and understand our needs, but the questions you asked show that you are clueless of what we need despite our varies approach to share that with you.

Many software companies always use the words "Intellectual Property" to justify the high price of their software.  But the fact is there is NO intellectual in their software AT ALL !!  

A real intellectual idea would have attracted everybody and you don't even need to hide anything from it, nor do you need to try too hard to 'sell' it.  If you are a smart person who come up with an intelligent idea you wouldn't fear the idea being copied by others because by then, you would have come up with a better and more intelligent idea.

If you are not capable of doing above, whatever you have right now is NOT intelligent AT ALL !!!

Being a software consultant myself, I cann't help to become so upset that so many in this industry is still SO PROUD of themselves and not even realize how deep shit they are in.

TNM !!