The relative efficiency of auctions and negotiations is still a puzzle in the literature. While auctions are the prescribed procedures and the most used ones for public procurement, in the private sector, where buyers are free to choose their purchasing method, competitive tendering is far from...

We examine the impact of the EU Remedies Directive on the use of direct awards. Theoretically, strengthening bid protest mechanisms should reduce the use of direct awards as aggrieved bidders are more likely to challenge such awards. By utilising the staggered implementation of the Remedies...

The provision of local public services is increasingly being contracted out to private companies. We observe that local governments regularly choose the same private operator for a range of different services, and develop a model of relational contracts that shows how this strategy may lead to...

Legal frameworks, especially in Europe, encourage private participation and competition in the management of public services. However, many local public authorities concentrate the various services they have in charge in the hands of a single operator, leading to horizontal integration which a...

This report was produced as part of the THINK project. The future electricity system will face various challenges originating from both supply and demand side. Adaptations in system architecture are required to allow for decarbonization while ensuring stability and reliability of the system....