Links I Liked [Public Procurement]

1. One more PPP episode is out. This time with Marta Andrecka from Aarhus University where we talk at length about framework agreements and how they are being used in the UK and Denmark. This is episode 8 of 20 and as usual, many thanks to the British Academy Rising Star Engagement Award for making it possible. By the way, the 2016 call is now open.

2. Albert fired a broadside against my arguments in favour of public contract registries. He remains unconvinced by my arguments and has provide further food for thought. I need a few days to prepare my re-rebuttal, but my argument of price arbitrage does not refer to a single price only for each good/service being acquired (which is impossible to achieve in public procurement) but to a reduction in the current arbitrage levels enabled by the lack of price transparency. In other words, whereas achieving the single price is impossible, extracting more efficiency by reducing arbitrage does not look to me as farfetched.

3. Navarra regional Government has a plan (in Spanish). To help SMEs that is. You will see nothing but good words on my part about standardisation of procedures as long as they are done by the minimum common denominator (i.e., basic) instead of full of complexity as it appears to be the traditional approach. On the negative side, Navarra claims that environmental and social policies will help SMEs and my money is on the opposite: the more complexity that is introduced into a system the more difficult life is for smaller companies.

4. Why Can't Startup Companies Get US Government Contracts? Another of my pet peeves. Great to see an outlet like VICE covering procurement. Directly connected with one my next research projects.

5. How the car industry hid its software behind the DMCA. Not directly about procurement, but ever more relevant and cautionary as more and more software permeates goods and services bought by public bodies. I partially regret having pushed so hard against IP staying in the public sector hands in the run up to Directive 2014/24/EU. Blogpost on this should follow on the next couple of days. More here.