Auction Practice

Stanford University Professor Paul Milgrom is known for his path-breaking research in auction theory and pioneering contributions to the practice of auction design. According to accounts by the National Science Foundation (America’s Investment in the Future) and the National Academy of Sciences (Beyond Discovery), Milgrom was the main academic contributor to the original FCC spectrum auction design – the simultaneous ascending auction. Developed by Milgrom with colleagues Robert Wilson and Preston McAfee, this auction design has been copied and adapted worldwide for auctions of radio spectrum, electricity, natural gas, etc. involving hundreds of billion dollars.

Auction Consulting

Milgrom’s advice has been widely sought both by both buyers and sellers in auctions. He has advised Google on its IPO auction of shares, Yahoo! on the design of its advertising marketplace, Microsoft Networks on sponsored search auctions, spectrum regulators in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Germany, and Mexico on sales of radio spectrum, the Oregon Public Utilities Commission on sales of electrical generating assets, and Mexico on privatization auctions of state-owned assets. He has also advised bidders in several major auctions, including helping SpectrumCo to save over $1 billion in US spectrum auction #66. He assembles teams of experts as needed for larger auction projects.

Contact Information

Email: pmilgrom@gmail.com.

Phone and fax messages: 419-791-8545.