Sometimes they thought they would lose advantage if they made the first offer. Other times they did not have the skill to accurately evaluate their cases. The new rocket docket incorporates mediation into the process. The parties are forced to sit down with each other, flesh out the issues, and see if they can resolve the dispute. This is prior to the complaint even being filed.
Mediation is effective.
I started my legal career as a judicial clerk in DC Superior Court on a rocket docket. We had 600 cases filed in the year I was there. Ten percent went to trial. The rest were either dismissed or settled. Litigation is expensive.