Procurement Error: 100-Meter Coax Order Arrives as One-Meter Sample

Each Monday, The Register begins its “Who, Me?” reader-contributed column with a recurring inquiry regarding workplace misjudgments—specifically, moments when a task was not completed correctly, yet the individual somehow retained their employment.

This edition introduces a contributor known only as “Terry,” who described an incident from the 1970s during his tenure at a defense-related organization.

“I needed 100 meters of RG8 50 ohm coaxial cable, so ordered it from an accredited supplier,” Terry wrote. “What I didn’t notice was that there was an option for ‘partial delivery’.”

The shipment arrived as promised, consisting entirely of one meter of cable alongside paperwork explaining that the remaining 99 meters were forthcoming due to the partial delivery selection.

“Needless to say, the one meter was not enough to span the distance between the two laboratories I was trying to link with an RF connection,” Terry stated.

The supplier’s acceptance of such an order resulted in the revocation of their accreditation.

Terry subsequently learned that a junior employee at the cable vendor had been terminated after confessing he had sent the single meter as an attempt at a joke.

“I did not think it was a joke at the time,” Terry wrote.

The Register remains open to further submissions of procurement mishaps from its readership.

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