Linkage and Negotiations

Linkage is key in negotiations.

Firstly, it’s important to avoid one-sided concessions.  If you say to a Procurement department, we will agree to X, it’s important to link it to but only if you also agree to Y. If you don’t make the linkage, you are inviting more incoming demands. Effectively, you are saying: I give things away for free, please ask for more.

Secondly, the Y (the trade that you are asking for) has to be clear and articulated at the time the trade is made. If you don’t clearly express the specifics that you are asking at that moment then, human nature being what it is, the Procurement department will forget the quid pro quo. In their minds, they will have secured what they were looking for and they will discount your side of trade.

Worse, the benefit they have gained is likely to be communicated within their organisation without any conditionality attached. It becomes a given and any attempt by you to enforce the trade by saying, if you are not giving us Y, then we are not giving you X, will be seen as unreasonable and disruptive

Two factors are key:

• Timing – the linkage has to be clearly articulated at the time of the trade.

• Specificity – the substance of the Y has to be specifically articulated at the time of the trade. Every time you are vague, or say something along the lines of we will back later with our proposal, you weaken the linkage.

9th September 2025