How does a competitive sale of bonds work?

In a competitive bond sale, the issuer invites multiple underwriters (often investment banks) to bid on underwriting the bond issue. Each underwriting group proposes terms—commonly including the interest cost to the issuer (true interest cost or net interest cost), pricing, and underwriting spread. The issuer then selects the bid that provides the most favorable overall financing terms, typically the lowest borrowing cost for the desired structure and risk profile. This process is designed to create market competition among underwriters, which can reduce underwriting costs and improve pricing efficiency—especially when the issuer is well-known and the bond issue is relatively standard. This differs from a negotiated sale (option A), where the issuer works directly with a chosen underwriter to set terms through discussion rather than competitive bidding. Option C describes how an issuer might choose firms to participate, but it is not the defining mechanism of a competitive sale. Option D is incorrect because governments do not set fixed rates for corporate bond underwriting; pricing is determined by market conditions, issuer credit risk, investor demand, and the competitive bidding process itself.