Ok, we admit it - we develop software. Pretty high end though (with patents and the lot!) Our main customers are Government organizations wanting to create markets where in the past there weren’t any (think carbon) or where the market is not exactly a glowing example of great commercial outcomes. It works for heaps of commodities (grain, ores etc.) but (we tip our hats!) Governments bodies have been more innovative here than private companies.
Oh, we almost forgot - our software covers the whole process from making sure buyers are legitimate (bidder qualification), the event itself (we call them combinatorial auctions) and everything to do with the contracts afterwards.
Now, you may think of auctions as a way to wring every last penny out of buyers and suppliers. Now, that’s not what our combinatorial auctions are about.
Has anyone noticed that governments are starting to think and act a bit like businesses (even before the credit crisis)? As an example, Governments are discovering technology to get a better return on all the things they sell.
Take the sale of mobile phone frequencies (its called ‘spectrum’). Boring? Not really, if you know that it raises billions of dollars per year for the tax payer (you!) through auction technology. It worked well, so some smart people started saying, “what about all those other things the Government tries to sell - carbon permits, land , mining rights, timber, port slots, gambling rights... let’s auction the lot!”
Most of these commodities are pretty complex and have a lot of ifs and buts ... Normally good reasons why not to run an auction. Until those combinatorial auctions came along...
You have to give it to the guys who came up with combinatorial auctions, the idea is quite revolutionary. Combine the competitive pressure of an online auction with the flexibility of a negotiation. In other words, create good revenue and happy customers. Great idea. And it stayed just that, until the technology caught up and that’s where we come in.
Still lost? Try this five step recipe (proven in our kitchens):
Then go back to (3.) and (4.), until every one has fine-tuned their offer and the deal is locked in.
Got it? Our smart markets find the optimal result through sheer market forces.
time for a real life example?
How do you turn an industry on its head? Do what the Victorian State Government did in 2005 and get rid of the good old tender box. We were selected in a global tender (correct, we are proud of this) to design and implement a timber sales platform.
So what? The platform deals with price and non-price factors (that’s the softer stuff like loyalty, quality, freight etc.) . The latter are translated into dollars and all of a sudden even your many years of loyalty can have a financial value!
More than that (and the geeks love this) , if there are mills asking for very different combinations of price, volume, species, grades, freight components and even bundles of products… you end up with literally millions of combinations. But which one combination is revenue optimal? You guessed it - our technology tells you. In real time. Why does that matter? Because buyers can respond and adjust their bids.
Words, words. But does it work? You bet. Initial revenue uplift of over 40%, 16% over the longer term (we sell 10 years forward!). And another surprise: Buyers would not want to buy their timber any other way.
We are obviously talking about carbon permits or allowances here. Ever heard of an Emissions Trading Scheme? Governments have a pretty big challenge at hand - to start a market for a new commodity is one thing. To get the carbon price right, not too low (as it wouldn’t trigger anything other than noise) and not too high (we want change, not chaos). Here is an idea if you don’t really know where the right price is: -let the market decide. That’s basically what carbon auctions do.
Australia has – since ratifying the Kyoto Protocol - taken big steps forward. We know this because we are fortunate enough to be the only technology provider on the Emissions Trading Advisory Panel of the Department of Climate Change.
And just by the by, we have a working carbon permit auction system with all the bells and whistles – we’re talking ascending clock, intra-round bidding, credit and volume limits, rationing, you name it. Happy to demo.
We also have some great software that helps you to determine when its worth it for you to bid and when its best to let the others battle it out. Ask us more.
The Australian Government has moved pretty quickly over the past 12 months to put the wheels in motion for Australia’s very own national carbon market.
Australia has decided to auction the carbon permits to companies – tradeslot has helped the Department of Climate Change (DCC) with the auction design. Watch this space - in late November 2008 a White Paper will confirm the details.
Having said that, companies need to find out whether they will have to buy permits in auctions… or not. Tradeslot can help out here as well – check out CarbonNavigator.
tradeslot ‘s role in carbon permit auctions
We should also let you know that while we have helped the Australian Government out with some of their questions around auction design, nothing we say on this website represents the Australian Government’s position. If you want to know more about the official Australian Government position, please contact them directly.
By now you should have figured out that we know a thing or two about auction design – and we have the technology to see it the ideas through as well. That’s probably what got us on the ETS advisory panel for the Department of Climate Change.
By helping the Australian Government design world-leading carbon permit auctions , tradeslot is now looking pretty for other governments thinking about carbon permit auctions.
We should also let you know that while we have helped the Australian Government out with some of their questions around auction design, nothing we say on this website represents the Australian Government’s position. If you want to know more about the official Australian Government position, please contact them directly.
You don’t want to get this wrong. In Australia they are estimating 6-9 billion dollars being raised through permit auctions per year. And there is quite a bit to consider…
| Ascending Clock | ![]() |
Mechanism | ![]() |
Price Factors | ![]() |
Discounts | ||
| Proxy Bidding | ![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Payment Terms | ||||
| Bidder Feedback | ![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Sector / Industry | |||
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Geography | |||||
| Spot | ![]() |
Time Horizons | ![]() |
![]() |
||||
| Forward | ![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Constraints | ![]() |
Volume | ||
| Multi-Vintage | ![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Value | |||
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Budget | |||||
| Private(pre-qualified) | ![]() |
Bidders | ![]() |
![]() |
Cross-vintage | |||
| Public | ![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Geography | ||||
| Standard vs. Powerusers | ![]() |
![]() |
Market Share |
Needless to say, our carbon permit auction platform can deal with all these factors. If you are a government interested in setting up your carbon market right – give us a call.
tradeslot is a Melbourne, Australia based technology company. We combine our technical expertise with a powerful network of international thought leaders in strategy, market design and auction theory. tradeslot has been awarded a series of US and Australian patents and works across a variety of industries and geographies.
Key Executives:
|
Jesco d’Alquen (CEO)
Jesco d’Alquen is the CEO of tradeslot Pty Ltd. Jesco has over 13 years of experience in Executive in-house roles and consulting (Accenture, Deloitte, General Motors), delivering large scale strategy and technology projects in Europe, the US and Australia. Jesco has been the driving force behind tradeslot’s growth in the carbon space (e.g. CarbonNavigator.com) and the success story of establishing Private Electronic Markets in commodity trading from timber to grain and water. As a leader in allocation mechanisms and market simulation tradeslot has recently been appointed to assist the Department of Climate Change in the design and implementation of the Australian Emissions Trading Scheme. Jesco holds a Master of Business and Cultural Studies from the University of Passau (Germany) and a Master of Advanced European Studies from the University of Basel (Switzerland). |
|
Anthony Du Preez (CTO)
Anthony Du Preez is the co-founder of tradeslot and has implemented over 200 multi-dimensional high value Private Electronic Markets with an aggregate value of over $1b. Anthony combines expertise in economic game theory, auction theory, market design, legal frameworks as well as mathematical allocation algorithms. |
|
Andrew Barlow (CHAIRMAN)
Andrew Barlow is a Founder of one of Australia’s most successful technology companies, Hitwise (hitwise.com.au), which sold recently to UK listed Experian Group Limited for approximately $A300 million. As Chairman and Joint-Managing Director of Hitwise from 1997 to 2000, Andrew was responsible for all aspects of the business’s development. Now a global business Hitwise operates across 6 countries. Mr. Barlow is also a co-Founder of Oxia (oxia.com). Oxia is the world leader in personal bottled oxygen, selling canisters in the US and Canada through high-end boutique hotel chains and retail stores. Online super fund max Super (maxsuper.com.au), is a company he founded with his brother David, a former Merrill Lynch analyst, in 2005. max Super quickly became recognised for the youthful, helpful and innovative approach used to engage Australian’s in their super. Mr Barlow sees his professional role expanding into what he calls a ‘mentor capitalist’. Barlow expertise in raising capital and building innovative businesses has been well documented through the success of Hitwise, max Super and Oxia. He believes the typical structure and management style of venture capital within Australia is ripe for innovation. |
| August 24-26, 2009 | Jesco d’Alquen speaks at Point Carbon’s Climate Change & Business Conference, Melbourne Convention Centre. Hosted by the Climate Change and Business Centre. |
| June 16, 2009 | Tradeslot presents at the AIIA Sustainability Innovation Forum |
| June 12, 2009 | The Rust Report names Tradeslot as one of the ‘Aussies worth watching’ for 2009. |
| June 1, 2009 | Tradeslot talks Carbon Permit Auctions, hosted by PACIA and the Victorian State Government (DIIRD). |
| May 30, 2009 | CarbonNavigator on show at the Melbourne Museum as part of INNOVICs ‘Next Big Thing’ Award exhibition. Exhibition open until July 12. |
| May 27, 2009 | CarbonNavigator wins National AIIA iAward for Sustainability/GreenIT. Watch Jesco d’Alquen discuss the iAwards. |
| May 15-16, 2009 | tradeslot CEO Jesco d’Alquen delivers a key note presentation at the Australian Computer Society Victorian Branch 2009 Conference “Greening ICT towards Sustainability”, Creswick, Victoria. |
| May 14, 2009 | Gartner names CarbonNavigator as one of twelve companies globally that enterprises should evaluate when seeking Carbon solutions. |
| April 23, 2009 | Tradeslot talks Carbon Permit Auctions with Victorian industry, hosted by the Victorian State Government (DIIRD). |
| April 9, 2009 | Fujitsu Australia promotes CarbonNavigator at the Palamedia Exchange conference in Sydney. |
| April 8, 2009 | Jesco d'Alquen says “there is unlikely to be a 'right time' to introduce a carbon pricing scheme” on EVO TV. |
| April 8, 2009 | Tradeslot is featured in Techworld “Microsoft backs local carbon emission scheme tenderer” |
| April 7, 2009 | Tradeslot is featured in Computerworld “Microsoft backs local carbon emission scheme tenderer” |
| April 7, 2009 | CarbonNavigator wins the 2009 Victorian iAward for Sustainability/Green IT. |
| April 6, 2009 | CarbonNavigator announced as a finalist for INNOVIC’s 2009 ‘Next Big Thing Award’. |
| March 31 - April 2, 2009 | Tradeslot is exhibiting at the Australian Carbon Reduction & Trading Expo (stand AB22 “CarbonNavigator”) |
| March 30 - April 3, 2009 | Jesco d’Alquen and Anthony du Preez are featured as keynote speakers at the MOSS Sustainability Series, hosted by Minter Ellison. |
| March 20, 2009 | Tradeslot Chief Executive, Jesco d’Alquen, quoted in the AFR : “Suppliers called for ETS projects”. |
| February 10, 2009 | Microsoft nominates tradeslot Pty Ltd for the Australian 2009 iAward |
| Jan 16, 2009 | tradeslot CEO, Jesco d’Alquen, provides guest commentary regarding carbon permit auctions under a CPRS in PointCarbon. |
| Jan 9, 2009 | tradeslot is featured in Sustainability: Australia’s Future. |
| December 15, 2008 | tradeslot is named in the CPRS White Paper ‘Australia’s Low Pollution Future’ as an expert adviser on auction design to the Dept Climate Change. |
| November 14, 2008 | AGL and tradeslot strike a deal to offer CarbonNavigator as part of AGL’s carbon management services. |
| October 15, 2008 | tradeslot's CarbonNavigator platform is presented in ClimateChangeCorp (Climate News for Business). |
| October 9-10, 2008 | tradeslot CEO Jesco d’Alquen participates in the Roundtable Discussion at the Carbon Solutions Forum in Sydney “examining the likely impacts and opportunities of emerging climate change legislation for Australian business”. tradeslot, are Silver Sponsors at this event, showcasing CarbonNavigator. |
| October 9, 2008 | Western Australian Business News reports on CarbonNavigator. |
| October 7, 2008 | tradeslot CEO Jesco d’Alquen talks about “Key Green ICT competencies and skill sets” at the Sustainable Futures Forum (Sofitel, Melbourne) |
| September 24, 2008 | tradeslot’s CarbonNavigator.com is reviewed in global report: “Smart Vendors: Carbon Management Software” by Verdantix. |
| September 22-23, 2008 | tradeslot CEO Jesco d’Alquen participates in the Roundtable Discussion at the Carbon Solutions Forum in Melbourne “examining the likely impacts and opportunities of emerging climate change legislation for Australian business”. tradeslot, are Silver Sponsors at this event, showcasing CarbonNavigator. |
| September 12, 2008 | tradeslot CEO Jesco d’Alquen is featured (with tradeslot director Anthony Du Preez) in the Australian Financial Review Boss magazine article Carbonated Commerce |
| September 5, 2008 | tradeslot is honoured with the Australian Business Award for E-Business (Lic No. ABALN.COM/2008/178). |
| July 30, 2008 | Jesco d’Alquen presents at the AIIA event "Climate Change: The Carbon Future” |
| July 18, 2008 | tradeslot is shortlisted for the Australian Business Award for its leading carbon management software "CarbonNavigator" |
| July 15, 2008 | Monique Buyer discusses the ETS and CarbonNavigator on 3CR Radio |
| July 4, 2008 | The Rust Report (News and views of the action in Australasia's IT sector) reviews tradeslot Pty Ltd |
| June 25, 2008 | Financial Standard reports: “Fujitsu and tradeslot sign carbon mgmt deal” |
| June 5-8, 2008 | CarbonNavigator exhibits at Green ICT innovation Zone at Going Green Expo 2008 |
| June 5, 2008 | CarbonNavigator mentioned by Minister for Information and Communication Technology Media Release |
| June 5, 2008 | tradeslot attends AIIA Sustainability and IT Forum |
| May 26–27, 2008 | tradeslot CEO Jesco d’Alquen is chairing the 3rd Annual Best Practice Sustainability Reporting conference |
| May 11–13, 2008 | tradeslot CEO Jesco d’Alquen is nominated to attend the Future Summit of the Australian Davos Connection (Executive Chairman Michael Roux) |
| May 7-8, 2008 | tradeslot attends "Kyoto - Policy in Practice - What will be the price of going green" |
| April 29–May 1, 2008 | tradeslot is launching CarbonNavigator.com at the Australian Carbon Trading Expo |
| April 22, 2008 | tradeslot features in "The Sustainable Enterprise" (KyotoPlanet) |
| April 1, 2008 | tradeslot becomes a member of the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) advisory panel of the Australian Department of Climate Change |
tradeslot is growing. You can grow with us! As a niche player we are looking for specialists in market design and auction theory – preferably with practical experience gained in high end consulting or industry strategy roles.
To submit your interest please mail a brief outline of your expertise and career goals to: careers@tradeslot.com