Limited competition in public procurement remains a persistent concern, yet the reasons for low participation are not well understood. We conduct a conjoint survey experiment that targets both potential and actual bidders in Finland. We present real firms with hypothetical tender scenarios,...

We study the extent of a one-size-fits-all approach in the design of public procurement (PP) tenders using comprehensive data from Finland. We show that crucial PP design features related to auction and contract rules tend to have significant lack of variation across different tenders for...

Effective policy implementation is foundational to development and depends crucially on a competent and committed bureaucracy. Bureaucratic failures can arise from both imperfect capabilities and incentive misalignment-dimensions of state capacity that often coexist and shape policy outcomes...

Public procurement in many European Union member states remains strongly priceoriented, often at the expense of delivery performance, innovation, and effective risk management. This study examines how the Best Value Approach (BVA) operates within a post-transition, legality-focused...

This paper examines the effect of government procurement on the firm-level labor share in China. Using manually collected local government contract data matched with A-share non-financial listed firms from 2015 to 2023, we find that firms receiving government procurement contracts experience...

This paper analyzes the economic returns to political connections in Brazilian local elections, focusing not only on traditional campaign donations but also on two novel channels: firms that provide goods or services to candidates during campaigns and firms' owners affiliated with parties within...

This paper assesses the impact of favoritism in public procurement on private sector productivity growth. To this end, it combines three novel microeconomic data sets: administrative data on firms, including more than 4 million firm-year observations and rich financial and ownership information;...

Approximately 42% of European public procurement contracts are awarded to a sole bidder. As this market represents about one-seventh of GDP in developed countries, any inefficiency is a first-order concern. This paper examines a Czech reform that prohibited awarding such single-bid contracts....

Governments support the green transition through green public procurement. Using US data, this paper provides the first empirical analysis of the causal effects of green contracts on corporate greenhouse gas emissions and economic performance. We focus on an affirmative program for sustainable...

This report contains a case study for the Study supporting the Impact assessment of the future European Social Fund proposal. Achieving structural change: conditions for success in the areas of ESF intervention. The reform under assessment focuses on the implementation of the National Strategy...

Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) allows public sector organizations to procure goods and services while maximizing value for money, benefiting society and the economy, and minimizing environmental damage. Cambodia's 2023 Environmental and Natural Resources (ENR) Code emphasizes SPP and...

Many auctions and procurement contests entail nontrivial bidding costs, which makes the bidders’ participation decisions endogenous to the auction design. We analyze the effect of different auction rules on potential bidders’ incentives to participate. We focus on first-price auctions with...

We investigate profit-share auctions in a procurement context,comparing them with traditional cash auctions to identify which mechanism yields lower expenses for buyers. We also explore whether specifying a high project value in profit-share auction contracts influences supplier bidding...

We investigate how buyer-supplier communication affects procurement prices, comparing auctions without direct communication to negotiations allowing it. In controlled experiments involving students and procurement professionals, we find communication increases prices, disadvantaging buyers....

Public procurement, or the purchasing of goods and services by governments, is among the most powerful policy tools available to the public sector. Accounting for nearly 14 percent of European Union GDP, it shapes markets, signals priorities and can in principle create demand for transformative...

A common approach to markets with adverse selection is to regulate competition to minimize inefficiencies, while preserving consumer choice among firms. We study the role of procurement auctions - leading to sole provision by the winning firm - as an alternative market design. Relative to...

This paper investigates the strategic and institutional dynamics of centralized public procurement in Romania, with a specific focus on the National Office for Centralized Procurement (ONAC) and its role in enabling digital transformation across technical universities. Using a qualitative case...

We investigate profit-share auctions in a procurement context, comparing them with traditional cash auctions to identify which mechanism yields lower expenses for buyers. We also explore whether specifying a high project value in profit-share auction contracts influences supplier bidding...

Background: EU environmental legislations affecting global supply chains have come into force since 2022. As procurement plays a direct role effectuating this, the result of these legislations via procurement becomes relevant. Methods: A systematic literature review is used to synthesize 152...

This study assesses the implementation of transparency and integrity in European public procurement, as mandated by the 2014 Directives. Analysing data from TED notices (2013-2024), it adopts an evidence-based approach using 24 key indicators to evaluate trends before and after the Directives'...

This study assesses the continued relevance and European added value of the 2014 Public Procurement Directives against the backdrop of recent crises, technological advances, and evolving EU policy priorities. The analysis finds that while the Directives have enhanced transparency, legal...

A new generation of policymakers is urgently needed - one that is capable of embracing strategic public procurement as a key market-based policy tool that goes beyond cost saving to deliver the best value for money. In doing so, these policymakers could pursue a dual mission, meeting the needs...

Public procurement in the European Union accounts for a staggering 14-19% of the European GDP, making it a vital part of the European economy. Traditionally, these purchasing activities of public authorities are regulated by the Public Procurement Directives, notably 2014/24/EU, 2014/23/EU and...

The European Commission aims to reduce the environmental and climate impact of the EU food system while cultivating a prosperous agricultural and food sector for future generations. This commitment is outlined in the European Green Deal and reaffirmed in the Vision for Agriculture and Food...

In the framework of the evaluation of the 2014 public procurement and concessions directives, this Study examines two aspects: whether the provisions of the directives are coherent and consistent with the objectives set for the 2014 reform and whether the three 2014 directives are complementary...

The selection of suppliers in public procurement significantly impacts economic efficiency and social wellbeing, particularly within residential care institutions responsible for vulnerable populations. Despite the strategic importance of procurement decisions, limited research has addressed...