Setting Price

Bid Pricing

Not all selling situations allow the marketer to have advanced knowledge of the prices offered by competitors.  While the Internet has made researching competitor pricing a relatively routine exercise, this is not the case in markets where bid pricing occurs.  Bid pricing typically requires a marketer to submit a price to a potential buyer that is sealed or unseen by competitors.  It is not until all bids are obtained and unsealed that the marketer is informed of the price listed by competitors.

Bid pricing occurs in several industries though it is a standard requirement when selling to local, national and international governments.  In these situations the marketer’s pricing strategy depends on the projected winning bid price, which is generally the lowest price.  However, price alone is only the deciding factor if the bidder meets certain qualifications.  The fact that marketers often operate in the dark in terms of available competitor research, makes this type pricing one of the most challenging of all pricing setting methods.