---
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"
ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-332fe0ec-adc9-11e6-9901-0019b9f3037b"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-332fe0ec-adc9-11e6-9901-0019b9f3037b"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-332fe0ec-adc9-11e6-9901-0019b9f3037b.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-332fe0ec-adc9-11e6-9901-0019b9f3037b.json"
source: "Contracts Finder"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "UK SHARED BUSINESS SERVICES LIMITED"
published: "2018-03-21"
---

# 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

Buyer: UK SHARED BUSINESS SERVICES LIMITED  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-b5fd17-332fe0ec-adc9-11e6-9901-0019b9f3037b

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## Summary

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.

## Notice

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.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Contracts Finder |
| Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/ec188313-9741-438f-b9d6-4e825a7828a9 |
| 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 |
| All stages | Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 21 Mar 2018 |
| Submission deadline | 3 Feb 2016 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 19 Feb 2016 |
| Contract period | 22 Feb 2016 - 17 Apr 2016 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £40,000 |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £39,575 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Not specified |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | UK SHARED BUSINESS SERVICES LIMITED |
| Locality | SWINDON |
| Post town | Swindon |
| Postcode | SN2 1FF |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLK South West (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLK7 Gloucestershire and Wiltshire |
| ITL 3 | TLK71 Swindon |
| Local authority | Swindon |
| Electoral ward | Rodbourne Cheney |
| Westminster constituency | Swindon North |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | EUROPEAN ECONOMIC RESEARCH |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services
- 79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security

### Codes

- 73200000 - Research and development consultancy services
- 79300000 - Market and economic research; polling and statistics

## Release History

- 21 Mar 2018 at 14:45 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/ec188313-9741-438f-b9d6-4e825a7828a9
- 18 Nov 2016 at 20:16 - Tender - Tender Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/391cd929-170b-4d8c-b86a-67b1f412111a

## Documents

- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/ec188313-9741-438f-b9d6-4e825a7828a9
  21st March 2018 - Awarded contract notice on Contracts Finder
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/391cd929-170b-4d8c-b86a-67b1f412111a
  18th January 2016 - Opportunity notice on Contracts Finder
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/3a8bc670-0979-41bb-ae81-3197abf8cd2f
  Bidder Training
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/ee04a2a6-89b8-44b7-8f70-e292ced7f295
  AW5.2 Price Schedule
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/cca8efb9-5b82-47af-98ec-f97da1e1ce92
  Login to Emptoris
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/df33c6e9-848b-4910-bdc7-2ade1f48884c
  ITQ Document
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/c1b90859-b180-4da3-b8fe-b4a2ff9cc5ad
  Terms and Conditions
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/d2d2f797-22a5-4048-8e65-95de722f5dae
  Bidder Training
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/eceaee21-20e6-4ffb-b563-b52d913a3a8b
  AW5.2 Price Schedule
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/283f31e2-48d2-4d47-8449-38ef0a4ca991
  Login to Emptoris
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/4fe3577e-45f2-4af5-99a9-eb83f7e64885
  ITQ Document
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/1ef52372-d2fb-4cb2-9630-7c4eb4892a37
  Terms and Conditions

## Notice URLs

- https://gpsesourcing.cabinetoffice.gov.uk

## Provenance

This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-332fe0ec-adc9-11e6-9901-0019b9f3037b. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-332fe0ec-adc9-11e6-9901-0019b9f3037b.json.