A forward/reverse auction algorithm for asymmetric assignment problems

In this paper we consider the asymmetric assignment problem and we propose a new auction algorithm for its solution. The algorithm uses in a novel way the recently proposed idea of reverse auction, where, in addition to persons bidding for objects by raising their prices, we also have objects competing for persons by essentially offering discounts. In practice, the new algorithm apparently deals better with price wars than the currently existing auction algorithms. As a result, it tends to terminate substantially (and often dramatically) faster than its competitors.