APMP's Baachu Response

Statement on the Revocation of Baachu’s Approved Training Organization (ATO) Status

Throughout its 34 years, APMP has been unapologetic in its passion for the bids and proposals industry, our members, and our brand. In addition, APMP and all its members, board, and staff have been fiercely protective of the integrity of the APMP certification program. This is our north-star for the thousands of volunteers, approved training organizations (ATO), board members, and staff that have helped make your association into the worldwide leader and authority it is today.

We have become aware of online activity relating to APMP’s decision to revoke Baachu as an ATO. Although this was a recent decision by the APMP Board of Directors, your association has been privately and professionally working directly with Baachu’ s CEO, Baskar Sundaram, for 3 years and 11 months to try to prevent this action from having to take place. Repeated actions that breached the integrity of APMP, its values and mission forced the revocation of Bacchu as an ATO.

Four reasons the APMP Board of Directors revoked Baachu’s ATO status

Almost four years ago, APMP members alerted your association of Baachu website postings, claims, and potential inappropriate usage of APMP copyrighted material, trademarked material, and other intellectual property (IP). After our own investigation, APMP staff began working with Mr. Sundaram in March 2019 to remove this material and IP from the Baachu website. It is important to protect the integrity of APMP’s IP because it was developed by/for your association, using member funds, to advance the industry and provide our members with professional resources to help them thrive in their careers.

After many years and repeated failed and ignored requests to correct these and other issues, your Board of Directors took the step of revoking Baachu’s ATO status, along with a letter to cease using your association’s intellectual property. After several months and other letters, APMP sent the final cease and desist order on copyright, trademark, and other IP infringement issues in February 2023. Your association has been communicating with Mr. Sundaram privately for 3 years and 11 months.  APMP’s request each time has been clear and professional. Mr. Sundaram's claim that APMP never talked to him before revocation is wildly untrue.  

Here are four reasons why APMP revoked Baachu’s ATO status:  

1. REPEATED COPYRIGHT AND IP INFRINGEMENT #1: In March 2019, APMP became aware that Baachu took your association’s study materials, gave it a new name, made it available for sale on the Baachu website, and made it available for sale on Amazon at a much lower price than APMP was charging. Baachu took APMP’s copyrighted material – that many of our members contributed to and were paid for – and called it their own. Baachu changed APMP’s copyright infraction disclaimer from APMP to Baachu, warning others not to copy the material or they would face legal consequences. Mr. Sundaram was asked numerous times to remove and stop. Mr. Sundaram finally agreed to do so on March 19, 2019, after one of his supporters and a respected APMP Fellow asked Mr. Sundaram to stop.
2. REPEATED COPYRIGHT AND IP INFRINGEMENT #2: In January 2020, APMP became aware that Baachu had reposted the same publication online again and was selling it 10 months after Baachu was asked not to. APMP contacted Mr. Sundaram again and took a stronger tone to request that he stop.
3. REPEATED COMPETITION WITH APMP #1:  APMP members alerted your association that Baachu had posted a notice on its website that told potential Foundation exam candidates that they could sign up for Baachu’s certification as an alternative. This meant that APMP had granted ATO status to an organization that was marketing against APMP. This was a clear signal that your association had a serious problem with this ATO partner.
4. MORE COMPETITION WITH APMP #2:  APMP members alerted your association that the Baachu website was competitive to APMP. Baachu launched a community for the bid and proposal community and marketed to APMP members to join it for a cost. Again, your association recognized a pattern. Baachu used its coveted status as an APMP ATO to market its own bid and proposal community to APMP members. Other ATO partners have established their own communities. The difference is they are free and largely cater to their existing customers. In addition, other ATOs build their communities around their own copyrighted content and IP or properly attribute APMP for materials they use by permission. 

Some APMP members came to Baachu’s defense, saying Mr. Sundaram ran a small training operation and was not aware of global copyright and IP laws. Your association rejected that argument because APMP had warned Baachu numerous times to stop. Mr. Sundaram has previously made clear to APMP that he understands legal terminology, including “cease and desist” and IP concepts, and that he has access to legal counsel if needed to advise on those concepts. He has been made aware of those laws and his failure to follow them. He has had ample opportunity to discuss them with both APMP and his own counsel, and still, he persists in the behavior. 

The facts, emails, screenshots, ignored removal requests, and re-postings show a pattern of working outside of APMP’s rules and policies. After years of conversations, e-mails, multiple cease and desist orders, and the outreach to Mr. Sundaram by senior members of APMP’s bid and proposal community, Baachu left APMP with no other choice than to revoke its ATO status.  

To call your association discriminatory, unfair, and not transparent is disingenuous, factually incorrect, and disrespectful to our members, ATO partners, sponsors, the APMP staff, your Board members, Chapter leaders, affinity groups, and APMP’s volunteers worldwide.

APMP is an association governed by bylaws, policies, and, most important, goodwill. APMP will right these wrongs because we are passionate about our members and their careers, their investment in APMP, and the materials they have contributed to your association and community. Your association has seen enough written evidence as well as heard the stories of dozens of respected witnesses that it is confident in its decision both to revoke Baachu’s ATO status and to insist that they respect APMP’s intellectual property in order to maintain the reputation for quality and professionalism that our members have come to rely upon.

If you would like to have a private conversation about this issue, please feel free to contact [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] or [email protected] to schedule a meeting.