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Procurement with Unenforceable Contract Time and the Law of Liquidated Damages

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  • Cesare Dosi
  • Michele Moretto

Abstract

Time overruns are common in public projects and are not confined to inherently complex tasks. One explanation is that sellers can undergo changes in production costs which generate a value of waiting. Using the real-option approach, we examine the effects of the lack of incentives for on-time delivery on competitive bids for a fixed-price procurement contract. Next, we analyze the effects of liquidated damages aimed at protecting the buyer for the expected losses due to project delays. We show that when the expectation damage measure fails to discourage time overruns, a liquidated damages stipulation does not lead to a Pareto superior outcome. Although liquidated damages tend to make the seller better off, the buyer’s expected payoff is lower than when the contract does not provide for any damages for breach. (JEL C61, D44, D86, K12)

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  • Cesare Dosi & Michele Moretto, 2015. "Procurement with Unenforceable Contract Time and the Law of Liquidated Damages," The Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization, Oxford University Press, vol. 31(1), pages 160-186.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:jleorg:v:31:y:2015:i:1:p:160-186.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/jleo/ewt020
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    Cited by:

    1. Marco Buso & Cesare Dosi & Michele Moretto, 2021. "Do exit options increase the value for money of public–private partnerships?," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(4), pages 721-742, November.
    2. Marco Buso & Cesare Dosi & Michele Moretto, 2023. "Taxation of Public Franchises with Persistent Demand Shocks," "Marco Fanno" Working Papers 0306, Dipartimento di Scienze Economiche "Marco Fanno".
    3. Michal Plaček & Martin Schmidt & František Ochrana & Milan Půček, 2019. "Factors Affecting the Length of Procedure in Public Procurement: The Case of the Czech Republic," Prague Economic Papers, Prague University of Economics and Business, vol. 2019(3), pages 313-329.
    4. Di Corato, Luca & Dosi, Cesare & Moretto, Michele, 2018. "Multidimensional auctions for long-term procurement contracts with early-exit options: The case of conservation contracts," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 267(1), pages 368-380.
    5. Chiara D’Alpaos & Michele Moretto & Paola Valbonesi & Sergio Vergalli, 2013. "Time overruns as opportunistic behavior in public procurement," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 110(1), pages 25-43, September.
    6. Di Corato, Luca & Dosi, Cesare & Moretto, Michele, 2015. "Multidimensional auctions for long-term procurement contracts under the threat of early exit: the case of conservation auctions," Working Paper Series 2015:6, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department Economics.
    7. Cesare Dosi & Michele Moretto, 2017. "Cost Uncertainty and Time Overruns in Public Procurement: a Scoring Auction for a Contract with Delay Penalties," Working Papers 2017.02, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei.
    8. Marco Buso & Cesare Dosi & Michele Moretto, 2018. "Termination Fees and Contract Design in Public-Private Partnerships," "Marco Fanno" Working Papers 0227, Dipartimento di Scienze Economiche "Marco Fanno".
    9. Calogero Guccio & Domenico Lisi & Ilde Rizzo, 2019. "When the purchasing officer looks the other way: on the waste effects of debauched local environment in public works execution," Economics of Governance, Springer, vol. 20(3), pages 205-236, September.
    10. Marina Cavalieri & Calogero Guccio & Domenico Lisi & Ilde Rizzo, 2020. "Does Institutional Quality Matter for Infrastructure Provision? A Non-parametric Analysis for Italian Municipalities," Italian Economic Journal: A Continuation of Rivista Italiana degli Economisti and Giornale degli Economisti, Springer;Società Italiana degli Economisti (Italian Economic Association), vol. 6(3), pages 521-562, November.
    11. Cesare Dosi & Michele Moretto, 2017. "Cost Uncertainty and Time Overruns in Public Procurement: a Scoring Auction for a Contract with Delay Penalties," Working Papers 2017.02, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • C61 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Mathematical Methods; Programming Models; Mathematical and Simulation Modeling - - - Optimization Techniques; Programming Models; Dynamic Analysis
    • D44 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure, Pricing, and Design - - - Auctions
    • D86 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Economics of Contract Law
    • K12 - Law and Economics - - Basic Areas of Law - - - Contract Law

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