[1][2] Multi-attribute auctions allow agents to sell and purchase goods and services, taking into account more attributes than just price (e.g. service time, tolerances, qualities, etc.).
The earliest research paper about a multi-attribute auction appeared in a 1994 discussion on construction contracts.
[4] The structural elements of a bid are called designated attributes.
In Brazilian auctions, they refer to the numbers of units being traded.
A scoring, or utility function, is essential for multi-attribute auctions, as it calculates a single number from multiple attributes, making bids that vary in multiple ways comparable.