Hardeep is the IT manager in a government department with more than 500 staff members and six branches across Australia. His department has decided to acquire an enterprise resource planning (ERP)...

Hardeep is the IT manager in a government department with more than 500 staff members and six branches across Australia.  His department has decided to acquire an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system.  A request for proposal (RFP) for the procurement of the software has been advertised in a number of Australian newspapers.  Two local companies have responded to the advertisement and have sent their offers to the department.

When Hardeep has examined the offers, he has found that Company A’s offer is slightly better than that of Company B. To his surprise, Company B’s offer has been made by Mandeep, who is his best friend, and the general manager of Company B.

Although the initial cost of Company B’s software appears less than that of Company A, Company B’s software may require some modifications which could eventually increase the total cost.
To complicate matters, Hardeep has received a phone call from Mandeep, urging him to favour his offer as he needs this work.
Discuss briefly how Hardeep’s friendship with Mandeep causes an ethical problem.  Follow your brief discussion with a recommendation on this issue.  Be sure to support this recommendation with reasons informed by your research and thinking on the ethical issues identified in your discussion