UK construction collaboration technology vendors with long(ish) memories will recall the surge in interest by the major UK water utility companies in using web-based systems to support their Asset Management Programmes (AMPs) during the early 2000s. Former BuildOnline boss Mark Suster, now a venture capitalist in California, tells the story of a defeat clutched from the hands of victory by a smaller competitor (I believe, Business Collaborator – see its case study). The post very effectively conveys the tensions and frustrations of selling software in a competitive environment, and I know his irritation was shared by other players in the market at the time.
Update (11 September 2009): Mark has written further about this episode here.