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Using Multiple Tools to Enhance Competition in Public Procurement

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Well-functioning competitive procurement is essential to reach efficiency of public services and public spending. Drawing from the experience of the Autorit`a Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato, this paper argues that fostering competition in public procurement is most effective when employing a diverse range of tools. First, identifying the functioning of compensatory mechanisms that result in anomalous bidding behaviour, as well as diversifying the sources of information, is important for effectively prosecuting bid rigging ex post and helping contracting authorities detect anticompetitive conduct. Second, ex ante advocacy contributes to enhance the competence of public buyers, helping them design pro-competitive procurement processes. Third, adopting legality rating systems incentivizes compliance with competition law and also helps select the most efficient bidder. The paper makes these points whilst reviewing enforcement practice.

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  • Clara Calini & Alessandra Catenazzo & Elisabetta Iossa, 2025. "Using Multiple Tools to Enhance Competition in Public Procurement," CEIS Research Paper 594, Tor Vergata University, CEIS, revised 25 Feb 2025.
    • Handle: RePEc:rtv:ceisrp:594
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Antitrust; Advocacy; Bid rigging; Legality Rating; Public Procurement;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D44 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure, Pricing, and Design - - - Auctions
    • D73 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Bureaucracy; Administrative Processes in Public Organizations; Corruption
    • H57 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Procurement
    • K4 - Law and Economics - - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior
    • L4 - Industrial Organization - - Antitrust Issues and Policies

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