Addressing Pricing: Value Bidding for Engineers and Consultants
Publication: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 131, Issue 6
Abstract
This paper presents a unique treatment of competitive bidding theory as applied to pricing engineering services. Unlike low-bid procurement, the selection of engineers and design consultants is often based on several factors such as quality, availability, reputation, resume, and references, and these criteria may or may not include price. From preliminary interviews, the authors conclude that there is a need for a systematic method of evaluating potential job opportunities and determining fair market prices. This hybrid model, Value-Bidding, refocuses the competitive bidding model from a fee-based selection criteria to a value-based selection criteria. Value-Bidding utilizes an established marketing research methodology, conjoint analysis, to establish the probability of winning based on multiple factors. The resulting analytical model enables engineers to analyze market conditions, evaluate client priorities, systematically track competitors, and optimize proposals, while maximizing the probability of winning, maximizing profit, and optimizing price.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 131 • Issue 6 • June 2005
Pages: 621 - 630
Copyright
© 2005 ASCE.
History
Received: Nov 25, 2003
Accepted: Sep 2, 2004
Published online: Jun 1, 2005
Published in print: Jun 2005
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