Exact and heuristic approaches for the set cover with pairs problem

This work deals with the Set Cover with Pairs Problem (SCPP) which is a generalization of the Set Cover Problem (SCP). In the SCPP the elements have to be covered by specific pairs of objects, instead of a single object. We propose a new mathematical formulation using extended variables that is capable of consistently solve instances with up to 500 elements and 500 objects. We also developed an ILS heuristic which was capable of finding better solutions for several tested instances in less computational time.