Multi-attribute auction

A multi-attribute auction is a type of auction in which the bids have multiple parts.[1][2] Multi-attribute auctions allow agents to sell and purchase goods and services, taking into account more attributes than just price (e.g. service time, tolerances, qualities, etc.).

History

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The earliest research paper about a multi-attribute auction appeared in a 1994 discussion on construction contracts.[3] In 1997, they were discussed in the context of long-term electricity contracts.[4]

Attributes

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The structural elements of a bid are called designated attributes. Attributes may be verifiable, unverifiable, or auctioneer-provided.[5] If bids include a single quality, such as price, the auction is referred to as a single-attribute auction. Generally, bids are prices in English auctions, and confirmations in Dutch and Japanese auctions. In Brazilian auctions, they refer to the numbers of units being traded.

A scoring, or utility function, is essential for multi-attribute auctions, as it calculates a single number from multiple attributes, making bids that vary in multiple ways comparable.[4] This scoring function is announced by the auctioneer to the bidders before the start of the auction.[6]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Pla, Albert; López, Beatriz; Murillo, Javier; Maudet, Nicolas (August 2014). "Multi-attribute auctions with different types of attributes: Enacting properties in multi-attribute auctions". Expert Systems with Applications. 41 (10): 4829–4843. doi:10.1016/j.eswa.2014.02.023. hdl:10256/9601.
  2. ^ Huang, He; Liu, Liming; Parker, Geoffrey; Tan, Yinliang (Ricky); Xu, Hongyan (26 December 2018). "Multi-Attribute Procurement Auctions in the Presence of Satisfaction Risk". Production and Operations Management. 28 (5): 1206–1221. doi:10.1111/poms.12979.
  3. ^ Huijun, Feng (1994). "The Application of Multi-objective Optimization to Bid Decision". Systems Engineering --- Theory & Practice. 1994–12.
  4. ^ a b Cameron, Lisa J.; Cramton, Peter; Wilson, Robert (December 1997). "Using auctions to divest generation assets" (PDF). The Electricity Journal. 10 (10): 22–31. doi:10.1016/S1040-6190(97)80317-X. hdl:1903/7076.
  5. ^ Pla, Albert; López, Beatriz; Murillo, Javier; Maudet, Nicolas (1 August 2014). "Multi-attribute auctions with different types of attributes: Enacting properties in multi-attribute auctions". Expert Systems with Applications. 41 (10): 4829–4843. doi:10.1016/j.eswa.2014.02.023. hdl:10256/9601.
  6. ^ David, Esther; Azoulay-Schwartz, Rina; Kraus, Sarit (15 July 2002). "Protocols and strategies for automated multi-attribute auctions". Proceedings of the first international joint conference on Autonomous agents and multiagent systems part 1 - AAMAS '02. Association for Computing Machinery. pp. 77–85. doi:10.1145/544741.544761. ISBN 1581134800. S2CID 14576728. Retrieved 25 April 2021.