The successful bidder has to put down a 10% deposit, and contracts are exchanged immediately.
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He said he believed the successful bidder was from Sutton Coldfield but did not know their name.
The Department for Transport will choose the successful bidder and the new franchise will start on 1 April.
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"We have made sure that the successful bidder is going to work with the local community, " said Mr Wheelhouse.
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Instead they will now have to produce a "solemn declaration", with only the successful bidder being required to produce relevant paperwork.
Typically, calculates Mr Gibbs, when the bid is contested, a successful bidder has to pay a premium of 50-60%, compared with 40% in Britain.
The successful bidder will also get the tools de Weldon used to build the statue, plus the sculptor's drawings, sketches and photos of the monument.
Newhouse, the successful bidder for "Orange Marilyn, " won't have as much fun, but the purchase isn't likely to put him in bankruptcy court -- as "Irises" helped do to Alan Bond.
The successful bidder, GoalControl, believes that one of its strengths is the fact that neither the ball nor goal structure need to be changed for the system to work -- with referees receiving a vibration and optical signal in their watches to inform them of a successful score.
The basic point is that although there are powerful arguments for awarding longer term contracts, so that the successful bidder has an incentive to spend serious money on the best kit, a healthy scepticism needs to be attached to forecasts of the health of the economy and of the relevant public service over a time period as long as three parliaments.
Only the winning bidder and the amount of the successful bid will be announced publicly at the end of the auction.
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Suitable bureaucratic regulations could put an end to pernicious practices such as players selling their skills to the highest bidder, or managers buying the best players in order to make their businesses more successful.
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