Rebirth: Fan Debiao rises from the Liaobei land

On the day the bid submission deadline arrived, Fan Debiao personally delivered five bound copies of the documents to the China Netcom bidding office. The kraft paper cover was printed with "Dexing Communications - Tender Documents for 50 Base Station Construction Projects," and it weighed about 60 kilograms.

The young woman in charge of collecting the bids dropped her hand as she took it, then looked up in surprise: "Boss Fan, your bid documents... are quite thick."

"Everything that needs to be written has to be written." Fan Debiao smiled. "Fifty base stations, that's no small matter."

As they emerged from the building, Gangzi rubbed his hands together and breathed on them, saying, "Brother Biao, now we just wait for the bidding to begin?"

"Let's wait and see." Fan Debiao glanced at the gloomy sky. "We've done what we needed to do. The rest is up to fate."

They said it was up to fate, but they were actually 70% confident. The tender document was something Awei and two other girls had worked on for three consecutive nights, every page soaked in their hard work. The original licensing agreements from Motorola and Ericsson were tucked inside the commercial tender, their bright red official seals stamped neatly.

At 7 PM, Fan Debiao was finalizing the quotation in his office when his phone rang. It was an unfamiliar number, and a slick male voice answered, "Boss Fan, have you submitted the tender documents?"

Who are you?

"Who I am isn't important," the person on the other end laughed. "What's important is that I'm representing Boss Gao from Northern Communications to negotiate a deal with you—withdraw from the bidding, and I'll give you 20,000 yuan in compensation. Take the money and have a good New Year; why waste time here?"

Fan Debiao chuckled: "Twenty thousand? A bid for fifty base stations, and Boss Gao only offers twenty thousand? Are you trying to fob me off?"

There was a pause on the other end, then the voice turned cold: "Boss Fan, a wise man submits to circumstances. Your Dexing has been established for less than a year, and you have no chance of winning against Northern Communications. You might as well take the money and leave; it'll save face for everyone."

"What if I don't return it?"

"Then we'll see how things unfold." The voice on the other end spoke slowly and deliberately, "Not everyone can hold onto their livelihood in Kaiyuan. Don't end up breaking the bowl before you even get to eat it."

The phone hangs up.

Fan Debiao tossed his phone onto the table and lit a cigarette. Gangzi came in from outside and, noticing his odd expression, asked, "Brother Biao, what's wrong?"

"That guy surnamed Gao from Northern Communications wants to buy our withdrawal for 20,000 yuan."

"Twenty thousand?" Gangzi's eyes widened. "Fifty base stations, costing at least two million, and he's offering twenty thousand? Who the hell is he trying to humiliate?!"

"It's not an insult, it's a test." Fan Debiao stubbed out his cigarette. "The more he acts like this, the less confident he is. You're coming with me to the bidding tomorrow. Dress smartly, don't let them look down on you."

The bidding is scheduled for 9:00 AM in the conference room on the third floor of the Netcom building.

Fan Debiao arrived at 8:30, followed by Gangzi, Awei, and engineers Li from Motorola and Zhang from Ericsson. All five were dressed in dark suits, their leather shoes polished to a shine, making them stand out from other companies.

Quite a few people had already arrived in the conference room. Mr. Zhou, the boss of Liaobei Communications, was sitting on the left. When he saw Fan Debiao enter, he nodded and greeted him. On the right sat a chubby middle-aged man wearing an ill-fitting suit, talking and laughing loudly with the person next to him. When he saw Fan Debiao, he glanced at him sideways and curled his lip—this was Mr. Gao, the boss of Northern Communications.

The company in the provincial capital only sent a young representative, who sat in a corner looking at the materials, appearing weak and isolated.

At 8:50, the seven members of the bidding committee entered the room. General Manager Zhang sat slightly to the right of the middle of the judging panel, while the team leader from the provincial company sat in the middle. General Manager Li sat on the left, expressionlessly flipping through the documents.

The team leader tapped the table: "Everyone's here, let's begin. First, check the seal on the tender documents."

The staff brought up the bid documents from the four companies and checked the seals on each one. When they saw the thick stack of bids from Dexing Communications, one of the judges couldn't help but look up at Fan Debiao.

After confirming that the seal was intact, the seal was opened on the spot.

The bidding process begins.

The staff member cleared his throat: "First company, a provincial capital telecommunications technology company. Quotation: 2.18 million yuan. Technical proposal: 65 pages."

There was a slight commotion below. The price was a bit high.

"The second company is Liaobei Communications Co., Ltd. Their quote is 2.05 million yuan. Their technical proposal consists of 80 pages."

Boss Zhou pushed up his glasses, his expression calm.

"The third company, Northern Communications Engineering Company. Quotation: 1.95 million yuan. Technical proposal..." The staff member paused, "...forty pages."

When Boss Gao heard the price, the corners of his mouth turned up noticeably, and he leaned back and crossed his legs.

"The fourth company, Dexing Communications Technology Co., Ltd. Quotation: 1.98 million yuan." The staff member picked up the technical bid, weighed it in his hand, and said, "Technical proposal... 128 pages."

A buzzing sound filled the conference room. Boss Gao's smile froze.

The team leader tapped the table: "Quiet. We will now proceed to the Q&A session. Judges may ask questions, and bidders will answer them on the spot."

Mr. Li was the first to ask a question, directly targeting Dexing Communications: "Mr. Fan, your company has been established for less than a year. Can you handle the workload of fifty base stations? Don't overdo it."

These words were barbed. Fan Debiao stood up, unhurriedly: "General Manager Li, although we have only been established for a short time, our first base station has passed inspection, and General Manager Wang of the provincial company praised it as a 'model project.' Here is the acceptance report."

Avi handed over the documents at the right time, "As for the fifty base stations, we have a detailed construction organization design, which will be completed in three phases, with sufficient personnel and equipment support for each phase. This is the construction schedule."

Boss Gao interjected, his tone sarcastic: "What does one base station prove? We at Northern Communications have built twelve base stations in four years! Boss Fan, engineering isn't about who has the thickest paper, it's about who has the toughest skills!"

Fan Debiao turned to him and smiled: "Boss Gao is right, it's all about the hard work. But I heard that the base station you built last year took three months to pass inspection? Just because the waterproofing of the feeder connectors wasn't done properly, you had to redo it twice?"

Boss Gao's expression changed: "Who are you listening to, spouting nonsense!"

"Whether it's nonsense or not, just check the acceptance records." Fan Debiao stopped looking at him and turned to the judges. "Distinguished leaders, although our Dexing Communications is young, every aspect is solid. The technical proposal is 128 pages long, not just for show, but because every detail has been considered."

Mr. Zhang asked, "What specific measures do you have in place to ensure construction quality?"

Fan Debiao gestured for Engineer Li to answer.

Engineer Li stood up calmly: "We adopt a dual quality control system from Motorola and Ericsson. There are three inspections upon equipment arrival, eighteen quality control points during installation, and nine tests during commissioning. This is the quality control flowchart and inspection record form." Engineer Zhang then unfolded two large charts, densely covered with procedures and standards.

The judges passed the charts around, nodding frequently.

Boss Gao couldn't sit still any longer: "What's the point of all this fancy stuff? The key to this project is having people to do the work! Do you even have anyone like that?"

This is exactly what Fan Debiao was waiting for.

He looked at the team leader from the provincial company: "Team leader, you just asked about follow-up maintenance and support, I'll answer that too." Picking up the training center's materials, he said, "We have our own telecommunications technology training center, with qualifications approved by the Labor Bureau. The first batch of fifty trainees are currently undergoing training, including eleven technical trainees who are receiving certification training from Motorola and Ericsson. They will be able to start working in three months. This is the trainee list, course schedule, and manufacturer training agreement."

Fan Debiao handed over a thick stack of materials: "These people will be our future construction and maintenance teams. With our own team, we'll be more dedicated to our work."

The team leader reviewed the materials for a full two minutes, then looked up with approval in his eyes: "Developing our own talent—that's a good idea. It's a long-term strategy."

Boss Gao's face turned green.

After the questioning session, the judges scored the questions behind closed doors.

During the forty minutes of waiting, the atmosphere in the meeting room was oppressive. Boss Gao paced back and forth in the corridor, smoking one cigarette after another. Several times he tried to come over and talk to Fan Debiao, but Gangzi blocked him each time.

Boss Zhou whispered to Fan Debiao, "Boss Fan, you're really well prepared. That fat Gao has met his match today."

Fan Debiao smiled and said, "We were forced into it."

The door opened, and the judges re-entered. None of them had a distinct expression on their faces.

The team leader sat down and cleared his throat: "After review, the scores for each company are as follows."

He read very slowly, each word like a hammer blow to the heart:

"Provincial capital company, technical score 68, price score 85, overall score 77.2."

"Liaobei Communications: Technical score 75, Price score 88, Overall score 81.5."

"Northern Communications: Technical score 70, Price score 95, Overall score 83.5."

As he read this, Boss Gao leaned forward, his eyes lighting up.

The team leader paused for a moment, then continued: "Dexing Communications, technical score 92, price score 90, overall score 90.8."

He looked up: "First place in overall score, Dexing Communications."

"Impossible!" Boss Gao jumped to his feet, his chair crashing to the ground with a loud bang. "There's something fishy about this scoring!"

The meeting room fell into a deathly silence.

The team leader's face darkened: "Boss Gao, please be mindful of the occasion. The scoring was done independently by seven judges; the procedure was legal and compliant."

"Compliance?" Boss Gao pointed at Fan Debiao, his finger trembling. "They've been established for less than a year, and they got a 92 in technical skills? We've been doing this for four years and only got 70? Is that reasonable? I want to see the scoring sheet! I want to see how each judge scored them!"

Fan Debiao then slowly stood up, his tone as calm as if he were having a casual conversation: "Boss Gao, technical scores aren't based on years of experience, but on competence. Your technical proposal is forty pages, ours is one hundred and twenty-eight; when you questioned us, you couldn't even answer the question about feeder loss standards, while our engineers answered fluently; you don't have a talent development plan, we have a training center. Isn't the difference obvious?"

He turned to the team leader: "Boss, there's nothing new under the sun. If Boss Gao has any questions, you can put out all the tender documents and compare them point by point. Compare the solutions, the technology, and the follow-up support. Dexing Communications is ready to go."

Boss Gao, his face flushed and neck red, was about to speak again when the team leader interrupted him: "Enough! The bidding process is not open to the public; that's the rule. If you have any questions, you can submit them in writing during the公示 period. Now, the bidding is closed!"

He packed up his documents, got up, and left. The judges followed him.

As Mr. Zhang passed by Fan Debiao, he paused slightly and nodded gently.

People gradually dispersed. Boss Gao stood in the center of the conference room, staring at Fan Debiao with eyes like poisoned knives.

Fan Debiao packed his things and led his men out. As he passed Boss Gao, he heard him squeeze out a few words through clenched teeth:

"Fan Debiao, don't be too happy yet. The public notice period is seven days, and I'll be keeping a close eye on you. As long as I catch you doing something wrong..." He took a half step closer and lowered his voice, "I can make you cough up your principal and interest."

Fan Debiao didn't stop walking until he left the building, at which point he finally let out a long breath.

Gangzi rubbed his hands excitedly: "Brother Biao, we won! We really won! A huge prize of 1.98 million!"

Awei's eyes lit up, but she remained composed: "There's still a public announcement period..."

Engineer Li and Engineer Zhang laughed, "Boss Fan, this is a sure thing. 92 points in technical skills, the judging panel knows their stuff."

Fan Debiao didn't laugh. He glanced back at the building; Boss Gao's figure was still behind the third-floor window, like a plague god.

"Winning the bid is just the first step." Fan Debiao lit a cigarette. "The subsequent public announcement, contract signing, construction, and acceptance—any step could go wrong. Boss Gao's 'keeping a close eye on you' wasn't just an angry outburst."

The phone rang. It was Director Zhao: "Boss Fan, congratulations. But General Manager Zhang asked me to remind you—the public notice period is seven days, and there can't be any problems during these seven days. The tender documents must withstand scrutiny, and the company's qualifications must be flawless. Especially… the training center."

"Understood," Fan Debiao said. "Thank you, Director Zhao."

After hanging up the phone, he took a deep drag on his cigarette. He'd secured a foothold in Kaiyuan, but whether he could actually make a living from it depended on whether they could weather the storm in the next seven days.