Now there may be some of you who believe that the reasons for the failure of the West Coast Line bid process are so highly complex that mere BGAFD forumites like us couldn't possibly get our heads round the technical stuff.
Err, apparently not. The main reasons for the cockup were:
1. They didn't take into account inflation. No probs if it is a 6 month franchise. A bit more of a issue if it is for the next 13 years.
2. There was some double counting!
3. The computer model used was designed for this round of renewals i.e. this was its first test in a real life scenario. There were mistakes.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19851926
Never mind.