ABC Company currently produces a single product the Widget. The company is considering producing a second product called the Fidget. ABC Company has already paid a consulting firm $50,000 to identify two possible project scenarios available to ABC Company in order to get into the Fidget business. Assume that ABC Company can sell all of the Widgets and Fidgets it produces at current market prices, and that Widgets and Fidgets sell for the same price.

Project #1 is the construction of a new factory to exclusively produce Fidgets. This new factory would be located on a piece of land that ABC Company currently owns and was planning to sell for $900,000.

Project #2 is a partial renovation of the existing Widget factory in order to create a new production line to produce fidgets. The renovation would mean a decline in the ability of the company to produce as many Widgets as it has in the part, but overall, production capabilities would increase.

The initial cost of both Project #1 and Project #2 are approximately the same. The weighted average cost of capital (WACC) for ABC Company is 8%. However, the company makes an adjustment to the WACC for the purpose of computing NPV Based upon the perceived risk of the project. Information regarding the two projects is presented below:

Measure	Project #1	Project #2
IRR	11%	8%
NPV	$140,000	$175,000
Payback Period	6.4 years	6.8 years
Risk Level	High	Low

1. If ABC company had paid $125,000 to the consulting firm, would this have an impact on the NPV of the project and why?
   1. It would have no effect on the NPV of the projects, because the consulting fees do not reflect an incremental cash flow.
   2. It would have no effect on the NPV of the projects, because the higher consulting fees would be offset by better future performance.
   3. It would increase the NPV of both projects because the consultants would have identified better solutions.
   4. It would decrease the NPV of both projects because of the higher cost.