Silver bullet: those in favour of reverse auctions cite big money and time savings, while the critics point to unfair play, wrecked relationships and eroding margins. Whether the benefits can outweigh the shortcomings depends on which side of the fence you're on--or so it seems

Love them or hate them, reverse auctions are a fact of business life today. Having begun as a sidekick venture of consultants and/or software providers during the boom or bust [...]