Dawood, N N (1995) An integrated bidding management expert system for the make-to-order precast industry. Construction Management and Economics, 13(2), pp. 115-125. ISSN 01446193
Abstract
Bidding decisions, including the estimation of optimal mark-up on price, represent major decision problems for companies formulating a successful business strategy. The objective of this research was to develop an integrated bidding management expert system to assess the suitability of incoming enquiries for a particular company and suggest a 'bid/no bid' decision. If a decision to bid is taken then the expert system should provide advice on the optimal mark-up to maximize the chance of winning potential contracts. The system developed in this paper is composed of an information system that integrates design, estimation and production planning, and a knowledge base to provide abstracted information and advice to managers in charge of bidding. The information system analyses the records of previous contracts, and present managers with vital information that minimizes the risk of poor decisions associated with bidding. The knowledge base is composed of intelligent rules which were elicited from previous contract records and experienced managers in charge of bidding. They are designed to advise managers on two major issues: bid/no bid and estimation of optimal tender price. A number of factors that affect bidding strategies were identified by reviewing previous bidding methodologies and surveying eight major companies in the UK by means of semi-structured interviews.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | bidding; expert systems; information systems; precasting |
| Index terms: | production planning, business strategy, tender price, strategy, surveying, manager, knowledge base, interview, mark-up, bidding, bid/no-bid, information system, suitability, expert system, methodology, decision to bid, estimation |
| Subjects: | data management, design criteria, information systems, price determination, management, research methods, tendering, bidding, financial and cost management, project delivery, health monitoring assessment and metrics, data collection methods, business, practitioner |
| Topics: | Procurement, Roles and Professions, Research Practice, Project Management, Health and Safety, Cost Management, Business Strategy, Digital Applications, Design Practice |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTE |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here