1.   In choosing Allied, county officials said the company offered more money up front at closing than the other bidders.

2.   The other bidders submitted fine proposals that could be revived if the Allied deal fell apart, Horn said.

3.   Among the other bidders is MCI, whose business unit is based in Atlanta.

4.   Auction rules provide for the use of five waivers for each of the three bidders.

5.   But the other bidders argued that it was additional evidence of the special consideration they say Global Crossing received from its carefully cultivated Washington connections.

6.   It has been bruited about that Donald Trump is one of the other bidders.

7.   Its water rate was less than half what the other bidders proposed.

8.   Neither it nor Wal-Mart would say who the other bidders are.

9.   One of the other bidders was a subsidiary of mainland Chinese company Guangzhou Investment Co. Ltd.

10.   One of the executives said the primary function of that round was to determine how serious the various bidders were.