地方自治体の公共調達のあり方についての一考察——地域要件の再検討——

抄録

In general, local government tenders are based on the principle of open bidding. To promote regional economy, industries and employment, regional requirements such as the location of the headquarters and the offices may be introduced as an eligibility condition for a bid to qualify in tender participation. This is being adopted across Japan in many local government tenders even though it may obstruct the participation of external enterprises in the tender.
Currently, companies in the regional construction industry often declare bankruptcy due to the long-term recession. Although many previous studies have discussed the introduction of regional requirements in tender qualifications and effects on the regional construction industry, our study considers improvements in the welfare of a “ Resident” and examines the significance of regional requirements for local governments that execute public purchases on behalf of the Resident.
The procurement costs of local governments may increase with a decrease in competition (an increase in the bid rates) once the tender mandates the regional requirements, even though it may contribute to the regional economy. In contrast, when regional requirements are not introduced (a decrease in the bid rates) , the procurement costs may fall but contributions of the procurement to the regional economy may become limited despite ensuring competition.
In such circumstances, should competition or promotion of the regional economy be prioritized in the tender ? Our study values the competition from the perspective of the “ Resident” and the local government and insists that securing the economy should be given priority. Competition can lead to promotion of the regional construction industry and “ Value for Money” by a public purchase.
On the basis of the above observations, we conclude that local governments should phase out mandating regional requirements in tenders.

JEL Classification: H57, K23, L78