The Value of a Right of First Refusal Clause in a Procurement First-Price Auction

In a procurement first-price sealed-bid auction with risk-averse suppliers, we determine the conditions under which the buyer has an incentive to grant a supplier a right of first refusal. We show that this clause can lower the buyer’s expected cost when suppliers (the incumbent and new suppliers) are risk-neutral or slightly risk-averse. We also show that the incumbent’s expected utility is higher when he is granted a right of first refusal than when he competes under a first-price auction. So, this clause may benefit both the buyer and the favored supplier.