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Gamma Construction Company has been asked to bid on the construction of 20 light

ID: 342562 • Letter: G

Question

Gamma Construction Company has been asked to bid on the construction of 20 lighted tennis courts for State University. Each court will cost $20,000 in construction costs, and, in addition, there will be a fixed expense of $10,000 to cover the preparation and submittal of the bid. Gamma is considering five different bid levels. Each level involves a different profit margin, calculated as a percentage above total construction cost (TCC). Fixed expenses are excluded from this calculation, but they are relevant for profitability. Based on previous experience, Gamma’s management is able to estimate the probability that it will win the bid at each level being considered. The bids and the probabilities are summarized in the following table:

Bid Number

Amount of Bid

Probability of Winning

1

TCC+5%

0.80

2

TCC+10%

0.70

3

TCC+15%

0.50

4

TCC+20%

0.30

5

TCC+25%

0.20

Gamma’s objective is to select the bid that maximizes its expected profit.

a. What is the optimal bid for Gamma to make? (3 points)

b. What is the expected profit associated with the optimal bid in part (a)? (1 points)

Bid Number

Amount of Bid

Probability of Winning

1

TCC+5%

0.80

2

TCC+10%

0.70

3

TCC+15%

0.50

4

TCC+20%

0.30

5

TCC+25%

0.20

Explanation / Answer

a) Total construction cost of 20 lighted tennis courts = 20*20000 = $ 400000

EMV of bid #1 = 400000*5%*0.8 - 10000 = 6000

EMV of bid #2 = 400000*10%*0.7 - 10000 = 18000

EMV of bid #3 = 400000*15%*0.5 - 10000 = 20000

EMV of bid #4 = 400000*20%*0.3 - 10000 = 14000

EMV of bid #5 = 400000*25%*0.2 - 10000 = 10000

The maximum EMV pertains to bid #3 . Therefore the optimal bid for Gamma is TCC+15%

b) Expected profit associated with the optimal bid = $ 20,000. (as calculated in part a)