Overview

The module is designed to introduce students to the fundamental economic ideas applied to the processes of public procurement. Specifically, the focus is put on the concepts of centralization, auctions, contracting methods, best value for money and scoring systems.
Additionally, students will acquire knowledge on how to quantify savings and the effectiveness of public procurement processes through real-world case studies and examples and illustrations. In this way, the class is introduced to the fundamental guidelines for structuring a selection procedure in public procurement with the goal of reducing the danger of tacit or explicit collusion. 

Objectives of the Module

• Centralization;
• Auctions vs. negotiations;
• Contracting strategies and incentives;
• Auction formats;
• Best value for money;
• Scoring rules;
• Division in lots;
• Collusion and corruption;
• Dynamic procurement. 

Methodology

Material

The main reference will be the slides presented in class by the lecturers, based on the “Handbook of Procurement” (Dimitri, Piga, Spagnolo eds) (2006) Cambridge University Press. Other references will be indicated by the teacher during the course. 

Lecturers

• Nicola Dimitri
• Adriano Di Domenicantonio