YMTC: Bluateam Buys Redateam's 2009 Discounted Controller

[EricH]

Originally Posted by Natchez

You Make The Call (YMTC) is a series of situations where you are the official and make the call. Please reference specific rules when applicable. The results of YMTC are not official and are for educational purposes only.

It's January 13th and Redateam's Principal, Redaprincipal, visits her FIRST team and is surprised when she sees a group of students working around a brand new NI Controller. Redaprincipal is ecstatic, "Wow, I just signed the purchase order today for that controller and you already have it! You guys are incredible!" Redacoach immediately responds, "Well, THAT controller has not arrived yet but since we did not buy a controller last year, our friends from Redateam, who we've been working with for years, agreed to buy our discounted 2009 controller from NI and give it to us if we agreed to buy our discounted 2010 controller and give it to them. It worked out great for us because we did not have the money in December to buy a controller even if Procurement could have expedited the order over Christmas AND we did not have to dismantle last year's robot, our beloved Redabot; it worked out great for Bluateam because they usually buy several controllers and instead of spending $1,500 for a controller, Bluateam only spent $750." Redaprincipal then leaves the shop with a bounce in her step, "See Y'all Later!" and then mumbles to herself, "I'm going to have these guys teach the rest of the school about coopertition."

Based on the Spirit of FIRST, YOU MAKE THE CALL!

I'm confused. So, let me get this straight.

Redateam's friends (not specified) buy Redateam's 2009 discounted controller and give it to Redateam, then Redateam buys the 2010 discounted controller and gives it to Bluateam. Is this correct?

Assuming the bold portion of the quote is meant to be Bluateam, they used Redateam's 2009 discount to buy a discounted controller for Redateam. In exchange, Redateam used their 2010 discount to buy Bluateam's controller.

Redateam did not have the money to buy their 2009 discounted controller, while Bluateam did, but had already used their discount for 2009.

Here's one question that I have: Why doesn't Bluateam have a 2010 discount? (Or are they simply buying a controller with it?)

Second question: What are the 2010 rules going to say?

2009 doesn't really have anything that I can think of offhand; as long as Bluateam and Redateam both use the right (true) cost in their cost accounting, it should be legal and in the FIRST spirit. Redateam is simply using a purchasing agent to get a controller faster; nothing illegal there. In return, Bluateam gets to use Redateam as a purchasing agent; again, nothing illegal. Nothing against the spirit of FIRST, either, that I can see.

However: Bluateam has figured out how to get two controllers for the price of one non-discounted one. Redateam is actually getting a bad deal here, because Bluateam gets (or can get) 2 controllers at $750 each (one given to Redateam) and Redateam gets 1 at $750 (given to Bluateam). I would expect, the next year or the year after, that Bluateam would return the favor to even out the number and cost of controllers.

I think that this is not in the spirit of FIRST, because while Redateam gets their controller faster, Bluateam gets 2 midseason for the price of one non-discounted one. This is a serious ethics call; I almost said violation, but that would depend on your code of ethics.

If anything, Redateam should wind up with two controllers this year, because Bluateam already has two, and Redateam only has one.