---
title: "Bidding Languages for Combinatorial Auctions"
authors:
  - "Craig Boutilier"
  - "Holger H. Hoos"
doi: ""
url: "https://ijcai.org/proceedings/2001/160"
pdf: "https://ijcai.org/proceedings/2001/0160.pdf"
venue: "Proceedings of the Seventeenth International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence"
year: 2001
pages: "1211-1216"
track: ""
keywords:
---

# Bidding Languages for Combinatorial Auctions

Craig Boutilier, Holger H. Hoos

*Proceedings of the Seventeenth International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence*, pages 1211-1216.

## Abstract

Combinatorial auctions provide a valuable mechanism for the allocation of goods in settings where buyer valuations exhibit complex structure with respect to substitutability and complementarity. Most algorithms are designed to work with explicit bids for concrete bundles of goods. However, logical bidding languages allow the expression of complex utility functions in a natural and concise way. We introduce a new, generalized language where bids are given by propositional formulae whose subformulae can be annotated with prices. This language allows bidder utilities to be formulated more naturally and concisely than existing languages. Furthermore, we outline a general algorithmic technique for winner determination for auctions that use this bidding language.