SC - Bidding for Feast

[Decker, Terry D.]

> The winning bid was to feed about 16 more people for $25 less.  Her menu
> used essentially the same ingredients as mine. 
> 
What was the menu?  How many people total were to be fed?  What were the
cost estimates?  What was actually bid by all particiapants?

> A friend of mine did a feast for the same group a couple of years ago.
> She
> complained to me about her out-of-pocket expenses.  I never did hear if
> she
> was reimbursed.  I cannot personally afford to foot any expenses other
> than
> site and travel.
> 
Groups can provide front money.  I commonly get a $300 front after a
successful bid, then provide a running accounting and receipts when I go
back for more after I spent it.  I expect to be reimbursed up to the upper
limit budgeted in my bid.

I have never had an overage.  If I did, I would expect to be reimbursed if
the feast showed a profit.

> What I am trying to determine is how important the bid price is in the
> bidding process.  I could have underestimated pricing knowing the group
> would bail me out.
> 
A precisely budgeted bid, with menu, planned expenses and cost recovery
information is the only way to fly.  If you know what you are going to do,
how you are going to do it and how you are going to work the finances, put
it up front.  Deliberately lowballing a bid is bad form.

In most cases the bid price is the least of the consideration.  They just
want to know if you can do the job and not go in the hole.

> This confused me.  If they say $5 per head, and you plan for 80 paying
> feasters and 8 royalty, is your budget $400 or $440?  I planned with $400,
> so I used some simpler dishes to keep the price down. I also planned for
> larger portions, because the main event draw was for fighters.
> 
Budget $440.  With a feast fee of $5.50, you break even at 100% capacity.
At $6 per plate, break even is just under 74%.  And at $7 per plate, break
even is just under 67%.

Bear