This paper investigates a hybrid procurement mechanism that combines a reverse auction with flexible noncompetitive contracts. A buyer adopts such mechanism to procure multiple units of a product from a group of potential suppliers. Specifically, the buyer first offers contracts to some...

Problem definition: This article investigates the optimal combination of financing schemes (bank finance versus buyer finance) and outsourcing structures (consignment versus turnkey) in a three-tier supply chain composed of a capital-constrained quality-uncertain component supplier (SP), a...