Maintaining competition in recurrent procurement contracts: A case study on the London bus market

Authors

Elisabetta Iossa
Michael Waterson

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

2017

Subject Area

place - europe, place - urban, mode - bus, organisation - contracting, organisation - competition

Keywords

Dynamic competition, Procurement and incumbent advantage

Abstract

Under recurrent procurement, the awarding of a contract to a firm may put it in an advantageous position in future tenders, which may reduce competition over time. The objective of this paper is to study the dynamics of competition for tendered contracts, focusing on factors that may generate incumbent advantage. Particular attention is given to learning economies, sunk costs of entry and switching costs for the procurer. The paper then applies these insights to analyse empirically the evolution of competition in the market for local bus services in London.

Rights

Permission to publish the abstract has been given by Elsevier, copyright remains with them.

Comments

Transport Policy Home Page:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/0967070X

Recommended Citation

Iossa, E., & Waterson, M. (2017). Maintaining competition in recurrent procurement contracts: A case study on the London bus market. Transport Policy, Available online 24 March 2017. In Press, Corrected Proof — Note to users.