Award

How effective is dynamic competition in the markets for digital platforms in delivering good economic outcomes, and what would be the effect of more intervention

UK SHARED BUSINESS SERVICES LIMITED

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

21 Mar 2018 at 14:45

Award Notice
Tender

18 Nov 2016 at 20:16

Tender Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The procurement process is undertaken by UK Shared Business Services Limited, focusing on research regarding the dynamics of competition within digital platforms. The tender titled "How effective is dynamic competition in the markets for digital platforms in delivering good economic outcomes, and what would be the effect of more intervention" falls under the industry category of market and economic research. This process is currently at the award stage, with the contract awarded to European Economic Research Limited on 19 February 2016, following an open procurement method. The contract period is from 18 February 2016 to 17 April 2016, with an award value of £39,575.

This tender presents opportunities for businesses specialising in market research, economic analysis, and consultancy services. Companies that can demonstrate expertise in competition law, innovation within digital markets, and familiarity with EU regulatory frameworks would be well-positioned to compete for future tenders in this space. The open nature of the procurement process encourages small and medium-sized enterprises to participate, particularly those with relevant research capabilities and experience in digital platform dynamics.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

How effective is dynamic competition in the markets for digital platforms in delivering good economic outcomes, and what would be the effect of more intervention

Notice Description

The high level aim of this project is to build the evidence to inform the UK's position on the EU consultation on online platforms. In particular, there are two questions that this research needs to address. 1. How much competition, and in particular dynamic competition and innovation, is there in the digital platforms industry? 2. Given the features of this market, is there a need to go beyond existing competition law and what would the likely effect be of additional ex ante regulation on innovation and dynamic competition? We have undertaken internal research to create a theoretical framework of 'how' and 'where' competition takes place in these industries. The first part of our internal research involved reviewing much of the theoretical literature on two-sided platforms and industries with significant network effects to come to an initial view on how these markets are working. The second part of this research involved testing these ideas with academic and other expert economists. We will share this research with the successful bidder. This research has enabled us to develop a number of hypotheses. We would now like to test the extent to which these hold in practice. The hypotheses we have developed as a result of this research are that: * Competition in these industries may be less obvious, but just as effective in terms of delivering positive consumer outcomes. In particular the use of innovation to enter and re-define the boundaries of markets, competition for the market, and stronger competition on one side of the market than on the other (in multi sided markets) may all be able to produce positive competitive outcomes. Furthermore it may be hard to define the boundaries of a market or of a sector if current and future competitive constraints on firms may come from sectors that may traditionally be thought of as not part of the same market. * Whilst network effects and tipping points may make market entry more difficult, they may also make the reward for a successful market entry greater, and encourage competition for the market. More generally, the large rewards on offer may encourage innovation and investment. Moves to lessen the impact of tipping points may reduce this incentive. BIS would be interested to see how the combination of risk and reward associated with entry compares with other industries. * The same practices employed by different firms may lead to very different competitive outcomes due to subtle differences in market characteristics. * Regulatory interventions may stifle innovation in one of two ways. Firstly, there is a risk of reducing the ability to innovate by increasing the direct cost of innovation or by mandating certain standards. Secondly, there is a risk of reducing the incentive to innovate by expropriating investments made in novel products, and allowing free riding. Additional information: As part of the strategic alliance between UK Shared Business Services Ltd (UK SBS) and Crown Commercial Service (CCS), UK SBS can use the CCS eSourcing Suite for future procurements. If you have not yet registered on the eSourcing Suite, this can be done online at https://gpsesourcing.cabinetoffice.gov.uk by following the link 'Register for CCS eSourcing'. Please note that, to register, you must have a valid DUNS number (as provided by Dun and Bradstreet) for the organisation which you are registering, who will be entering into a contract if invited to do so. Once you have registered on the eSourcing Suite, a registered user can express an interest for a specific procurement. This is done by emailing Expressionofinterest@crowncommercial.gov.uk Your email must clearly state: the name and reference for the procurement you wish to register for; the name of the registered Bidder; and the name and contact details for the registered individual sending the email. Crown Commercial Service will process the email and then enable the Bidder to access the procurement online via the e-Sourcing Suite. The registered user will receive a notification email to alert them once this has been done. The Sourcing documents can then be accessed on the eSourcing Suite at: https://gpsesourcing.cabinetoffice.gov.uk using the instructions detailed in the Specification documents within Contracts Finder. As a user of the e-Sourcing Suite you will have access to Emptoris email messaging service which facilitates all messages sent to you and from you in relation to any specific RFX event. Please note it is your responsibility to access these emails on a regular basis to ensure you have sight of all relevant information. For technical assistance on use of the e-Sourcing Suite please contact Crown Commercial Service Helpdesk : Telephone: 0345 010 3503 Training documents to support Bidders utilise Emptoris CCS eSourcing are available in the Contracts Finder Tender documents section.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-b5fd17-332fe0ec-adc9-11e6-9901-0019b9f3037b
Publication Source
Contracts Finder
Latest Notice
https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/ec188313-9741-438f-b9d6-4e825a7828a9
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure (below threshold)
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security

CPV Codes

73200000 - Research and development consultancy services

79300000 - Market and economic research; polling and statistics

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£40,000 Under £100K
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£39,575 Under £100K
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
21 Mar 20187 years ago
Submission Deadline
3 Feb 2016Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
19 Feb 201610 years ago
Contract Period
22 Feb 2016 - 17 Apr 2016 1-6 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Not Specified
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
UK SHARED BUSINESS SERVICES LIMITED
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
SWINDON
Postcode
SN2 1FF
Post Town
Swindon
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLK South West (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLK7 Gloucestershire and Wiltshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLK71 Swindon
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Swindon
Electoral Ward
Rodbourne Cheney
Westminster Constituency
Swindon North

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

EUROPEAN ECONOMIC RESEARCH

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts. 

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