Bundling for B2B procurement auctions: current state and best practices

This study provides an overview of the current state of practice in bundling multiple items together for B2B procurement auctions. On the basis of insight obtained from 30 case study firms and an exploratory survey, the paper presents conditions, uses and contents of bundles and discusses the benefits and challenges of bundling. Successful approaches are illustrated from participating firms. For the interested practitioner, the paper outlines how this activity should be integrated into the firm's strategic procurement process. Furthermore, a proposed framework views bundling in the context of applicability and suggests generalisations. In addition, a scoring model is proposed, which provides guidance for the practicing professional in answering the question whether to bundle items together or not.