Research Department, Social Insurance Institution of Finland, Helsinki, Finland.
Health Econ. 2022 May;31(5):820-835. doi: 10.1002/hec.4485. Epub 2022 Feb 20.
Inefficient practices and lack of competition are common problems in public procurements. In this study, I examine the effects of a procurement practice reform in the Finnish rehabilitation markets where providers are acquired in a repeated manner through competitive bidding scoring auctions. Until recently, the largest public procurer did not use any systematic criteria for accepting providers, and only a few providers did not receive a contract. After the reform, providers were systematically accepted based on their capacity and the local demand. I analyze the effects of the reform on prices in physio, speech and occupational therapy services with data that covers five subsequent procurements. I use the pre-reform differences in local competition within the markets in a difference-in-differences setting. The descriptive evidence shows that the reform slowed down the rapid increase of prices in all three services. The regression analysis indicates that effects are strongest in the most competitive local physiotherapy markets. This suggests that increasing entry and competition in the less competitive services and local markets would benefit the public procurer.
低效做法和缺乏竞争是公共采购中常见的问题。在本研究中，我考察了芬兰康复市场采购实践改革的效果，在该市场中，供应商通过竞争性投标评分拍卖方式被反复收购。直到最近，最大的公共采购商都没有使用任何系统的标准来接受供应商，只有少数供应商没有获得合同。改革后，根据供应商的能力和当地需求，系统地接受供应商。我使用涵盖五次后续采购的数据，在差异中的差异设定中分析了改革对物理治疗、言语治疗和职业治疗服务价格的影响。描述性证据表明，改革减缓了所有三种服务中价格的快速上涨。回归分析表明，在竞争最激烈的当地物理治疗市场中，效果最强。这表明，在竞争不那么激烈的服务和当地市场中增加进入和竞争将使公共采购商受益。
