IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/trapol/v117y2022icp23-39.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Combinatorial versus sequential auctions to allocate PPP highway projects

Author

Listed:
  • Mochon, Pablo
  • Mochon, Asuncion
  • Saez, Yago

Abstract

This article models a procurement process for allocating multiple related public-private partnership (PPP) highway projects. Traditionally, public infrastructure procurement processes have used a sequential allocation mechanism, despite the potential benefits of allocating all projects at once. The main contribution of this research is to address the question whether these projects should be auctioned individually, in sequential auctions, or at the same time, in a combinatorial auction. Our goal is to understand the impact of the allocation process in terms of efficiency and social welfare. In sequential auctions, bidders submit their offers for each project independently. However, in combinatorial auctions, contractors have the ability to bid for their preferred packages (combinations of projects), reflecting synergies or entry costs, if any, in their valuations. We have compared the impact in terms of efficient allocation and social welfare of both mechanisms in order to help policymakers to take future decisions when facing these processes. The methodology used to address these core questions in the multidisciplinary environment described is based on social simulations, which involves conducting analysis by means of computational simulations. For this work we have created a sophisticated valuation model adapted to the public infrastructure sector and we have developed a simulator which includes multiple types of bidders, projects and several scenarios. The experimental setup is based on the second wave of the Colombian 4G program, a case involving the allocation of 9 highway construction projects across the country. We have also included references to multiple examples of real markets in which these mechanisms could be implemented. Therefore, this research provides a valuable reference for policymakers chasing to enhance market design that could be applied in many real-world scenarios. The results reveal that the combinatorial mechanism improves the process in terms of optimal allocation and efficiency, yielding significant savings for all parties.

Suggested Citation

  • Mochon, Pablo & Mochon, Asuncion & Saez, Yago, 2022. "Combinatorial versus sequential auctions to allocate PPP highway projects," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 117(C), pages 23-39.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:trapol:v:117:y:2022:i:c:p:23-39
    DOI: 10.1016/j.tranpol.2021.12.015
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0967070X21003681
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.tranpol.2021.12.015?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Mochon, Asuncion & Saez, Yago, 2017. "A review of radio spectrum combinatorial clock auctions," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(5), pages 303-324.
    2. Mireia Jofre-Bonet & Martin Pesendorfer, 2003. "Estimation of a Dynamic Auction Game," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 71(5), pages 1443-1489, September.
    3. Dakshina G. De Silva, 2005. "Synergies in Recurring Procurement Auctions: An Empirical Investigation," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 43(1), pages 55-66, January.
    4. Jofre-Bonet, Mireia & Pesendorfer, Martin, 2014. "Optimal sequential auctions," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 33(C), pages 61-71.
    5. Verweij, Stefan & Meerkerk, Ingmar van, 2020. "Do public-private partnerships perform better? A comparative analysis of costs for additional work and reasons for contract changes in Dutch transport infrastructure projects," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 430-438.
    6. Kumar, Lakshya & Jindal, Apurva & Velaga, Nagendra R., 2018. "Financial risk assessment and modelling of PPP based Indian highway infrastructure projects," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 2-11.
    7. Macário, Rosário & Ribeiro, Joana & Costa, Joana Duarte, 2015. "Understanding pitfalls in the application of PPPs in transport infrastructure in Portugal," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 90-99.
    8. Sarmento, Joaquim Miranda & Renneboog, Luc, 2021. "Renegotiating public-private partnerships," Journal of Multinational Financial Management, Elsevier, vol. 59(C).
    9. N. Carbonara & N. Costantino & L. Gunnigan & R. Pellegrino, 2015. "Risk Management in Motorway PPP Projects: Empirical-based Guidelines," Transport Reviews, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 35(2), pages 162-182, March.
    10. S.J. Rassenti & V.L. Smith & R.L. Bulfin, 1982. "A Combinatorial Auction Mechanism for Airport Time Slot Allocation," Bell Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 13(2), pages 402-417, Autumn.
    11. Dennis Clerck & Erik Demeulemeester, 2016. "A sequential procurement model for a PPP project pipeline," OR Spectrum: Quantitative Approaches in Management, Springer;Gesellschaft für Operations Research e.V., vol. 38(2), pages 427-457, March.
    12. Välilä, Timo, 2020. "An overview of economic theory and evidence of public-private partnerships in the procurement of (transport) infrastructure," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    13. Jin, Hongyu & Liu, Shijing & Sun, Jide & Liu, Chunlu, 2021. "Determining concession periods and minimum revenue guarantees in public-private-partnership agreements," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 291(2), pages 512-524.
    14. Chou, Jui-Sheng & Ping Tserng, H. & Lin, Chieh & Yeh, Chun-Pin, 2012. "Critical factors and risk allocation for PPP policy: Comparison between HSR and general infrastructure projects," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 22(C), pages 36-48.
    15. Garrido, Laura & Gomez, Juan & Baeza, María de los Ángeles & Vassallo, José Manuel, 2017. "Is EU financial support enhancing the economic performance of PPP projects? An empirical analysis on the case of spanish road infrastructure," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 19-28.
    16. Kerf, M. & Gray, R.D. & Irwin, T. & Levesque, C. & Taylor, R.R. & Klein, M., 1998. "Concessions for Infrastructure. A Guide to their Design and Award," Papers 399, World Bank - Technical Papers.
    17. Claudio Cioffi-Revilla, 2010. "A Methodology for Complex Social Simulations," Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation, Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation, vol. 13(1), pages 1-7.
    18. Regan, A C & Song, Jiongjiong, 2003. "Combinatorial Auctions for Transportation Service Procurement: The Carrier Perspective," University of California Transportation Center, Working Papers qt7sq003mj, University of California Transportation Center.
    19. Athena Roumboutsos, 2015. "Public Private Partnerships in Transport Infrastructure: An International Review," Transport Reviews, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 35(2), pages 111-117, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Corazzini, Luca & Galavotti, Stefano & Valbonesi, Paola, 2019. "An experimental study on sequential auctions with privately known capacities," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 117(C), pages 289-315.
    2. Saini, Viplav, 2010. "Reserve prices in a dynamic auction when bidders are capacity-constrained," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 108(3), pages 303-306, September.
    3. Dennis Clerck & Erik Demeulemeester, 2016. "A sequential procurement model for a PPP project pipeline," OR Spectrum: Quantitative Approaches in Management, Springer;Gesellschaft für Operations Research e.V., vol. 38(2), pages 427-457, March.
    4. Somogyi, Robert & Vergote, Wouter & Virag, Gabor, 2023. "Price competition with capacity uncertainty - feasting on leftovers," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 140(C), pages 253-271.
    5. Carlos Oliveira Cruz & Joaquim Miranda Sarmento, 2017. "Reforming traditional PPP models to cope with the challenges of smart cities," Competition and Regulation in Network Industries, , vol. 18(1-2), pages 94-114, March.
    6. Isaac Akomea-Frimpong & Xiaohua Jin & Robert Osei-Kyei, 2022. "Mapping Studies on Sustainability in the Performance Measurement of Public-Private Partnership Projects: A Systematic Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-20, June.
    7. Song, Jiongjiong & Regan, A C, 2003. "Approximation Algorithms for the Bid Construction Problem in Combinatorial Auctions for the Procurement of Freight Transportation Contracts," University of California Transportation Center, Working Papers qt3j7034z2, University of California Transportation Center.
    8. Marzouk, Mohamed & Ali, Mohamed, 2018. "Mitigating risks in wastewater treatment plant PPPs using minimum revenue guarantee and real options," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 121-133.
    9. Fernanda Nakano Kazama & Aluizio Fausto Ribeiro Araujo & Paulo Barros Correia & Elaine Guerrero-Peña, 2021. "Constraint-guided evolutionary algorithm for solving the winner determination problem," Journal of Heuristics, Springer, vol. 27(6), pages 1111-1150, December.
    10. Committee, Nobel Prize, 2020. "Improvements to auction theory and inventions of new auction formats," Nobel Prize in Economics documents 2020-2, Nobel Prize Committee.
    11. Zhao, Jianfeng & Liu, Henry J. & Love, Peter E.D. & Greenwood, David J. & Sing, Michael C.P., 2022. "Public-private partnerships: A dynamic discrete choice model for road projects," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 82(PA).
    12. Wang, Nannan & Gong, Zheng & Liu, Yunfei & Thomson, Craig, 2020. "The influence of governance on the implementation of Public-Private Partnerships in the United Kingdom and China: A systematic comparison," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    13. Vergara-Novoa, Cristian & Sepúlveda-Rojas, Juan Pedro & Alfaro, Miguel D. & Soto, Pablo & Benitez-Fuentes, Paulo Andrés, 2020. "Analysis of revenues, costs and average costs of highway concessions in Chile," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 114-123.
    14. Pittawat Ueasangkomsate & Manoj Lohatepanont, 2012. "Bidding Strategies for Carrier in Combinatorial Transportation Auction," International Journal of Business Research and Management (IJBRM), Computer Science Journals (CSC Journals), vol. 3(1), pages 1-17, February.
    15. Xinhua Mao & Jiahua Gan & Xilong Zhao, 2019. "Debt Risk Evaluation of Toll Freeways in Mainland China Using the Grey Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-17, March.
    16. De Silva, Dakshina G. & Jeitschko, Thomas D. & Kosmopoulou, Georgia, 2005. "Stochastic synergies in sequential auctions," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 23(3-4), pages 183-201, April.
    17. De Silva, Dakshina G. & Hubbard, Timothy P. & Kosmopoulou, Georgia, 2020. "An evaluation of a bidder training program," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    18. Babatunde, Solomon Olusola & Perera, Srinath, 2017. "Analysis of traffic revenue risk factors in BOT road projects in developing countries," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 41-49.
    19. Dakshina De Silva & Thomas Jeitschko & Georgia Kosmopoulou, 2009. "Entry and Bidding in Common and Private Value Auctions with an Unknown Number of Rivals," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 35(1), pages 73-93, September.
    20. Taisuke Otsu & Martin Pesendorfer & Yuya Sasaki & Yuya Takahashi, 2022. "Estimation Of (Static Or Dynamic) Games Under Equilibrium Multiplicity," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 63(3), pages 1165-1188, August.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:trapol:v:117:y:2022:i:c:p:23-39. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/30473/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.