In this policy brief, we review the main trade-offs associated with joint procurement, or procurement “centralization”, as identified by procurement scholars. We then focus on the specific case of natural gas. Finally, we compare the procurement of natural gas to that of COVID-19 vaccines,...

Policymakers have been discussing various potential measures to cushion the impact of skyrocketing gas prices and prevent supply shortages. On 10 October 2022 an expert commission in Germany proposed a plan to keep natural gas affordable while also preventing shortages. The main element of the...