Placing and Managing Bids

This chapter provides an overview of bidding and discusses how to:

Click to jump to parent topicUnderstanding Bidding

When the created event is posted, bidders receive notification of the event. They can browse events based on various search and sort criteria, place bids based on the parameters that you have set for the event, and receive notifications about the status of the event. For bidders who enter their bids using fax or mail, you can enter the faxed or mailed bids online for them.

PeopleSoft Strategic Sourcing enforces the event rules that you set and maintains a bid history audit trail.

When a bidder posts a bid, PeopleSoft Strategic Sourcing:

Depending on the situation, other edits can occur when a bid is posted. Here are some of the possible scenarios and how posting is affected.

Auction Event

The system verifies that the posting is the best bid received so far:

Auction event options depend on the combination of several different settings on the Business Unit Definition page (Set Up Financials/Supply Chain, Business Unit Related, Sourcing).

See Specifying Event Settings and Options.

Event Extension Is Enabled

The system checks to see whether the posted bid is within the last bid received time frame and what number of extensions are set on the event:

Event Is a Sealed RFx

The calculated score is not visible to the bidder.

The event originator cannot view either bids or bid history until the event end date is reached.

Event Is an RFx But Not a Sealed Bid

The calculated score is not visible to the bidder.

The event originator can view the bid once it is posted.

RFI Events

When you bid on RFI events, you respond only to header bid factors; there are no line bid factors.

If the RFI is being scored, the calculated score is not visible to the bidder.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicBidding Using Automatic Proxy Bids

Bidders can submit bids for auction events by using the automatic proxy bidding feature. A proxy bid is a bid where the bidder preestablishes the best price for which he or she would supply or purchase the goods or services. Then the system makes bids automatically—as needed to take the lead—to the preset best offer. Thus, the bider gets the best possible deal while still winning the auction. In addition, the system emails the bidder if the best offer becomes outbid. This frees the bidder from having to monitor the auction "in-person" for its duration.

There are a few rules to keep in mind when using automatic proxy bidding:

To enable automatic proxy bidding, event creators can:

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicBidding on Behalf of Another Bidder

Internal users can save, post, and edit bids that they have entered on behalf of another bidder. They can also upload XML bids on behalf of other bidders.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicVendor Bidding

You can optionally register an existing vendor and allow the vendor to bid online. The vendor must be approved before posting the award.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicBidder Price Breaks

If bidding on an event that includes user-defined price breaks, bidders enter their bid prices based on the predefined tiers. Otherwise, if the event specifies bidder-defined price breaks, the bidders can define their own price tiers. When entering the price tier response, bidders indicate whether the tier pricing is adjusted based on a flat-dollar amount or based on a specified percentage. Alternately, the bidder can just enter the unit price for each tier and the system will automatically calculate the dollar and percent adjustment. If the bidder enters a negative amount that applies to the price tier, that amount is subtracted from the base price to determine the net bid price for the tier. If the bidder enters a negative percentage that applies to the price tier, the percentage is multiplied against the base price to determine the discount amount, and that amount is subtracted from the base price to determine the net bid price for the price tier. The discount percentage is automatically calculated and appears if the bidder enters a discount amount. In the same manner, the discount amount is automatically calculated and appears if the bidder enters a discount percentage. The bidder can enter the discount percentage or the discount amount.

The bidders can also specify whether the price terms are based on a quantity ordered to date or based on the current order quantity. If the bidders select quantity to date, the cost per item is based on a cumulative quantity ordered. If the event is awarded to a contract and there are multiple releases (orders) against the contract, the price is based on the cumulative ordered quantity of the orders related to the contract. If instead the bidders select current order quantity, the price is based on the quantity that relates to the specific release against the contract.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicEntering Bids with Optional Quantities

If an event line is marked as quantity optional, for example for a services type of request, bidders are not required to enter the quantity for that bid. An enterprise could solicit a bid for consulting and may decide that it wants bidders to quote a flat amount for the entire implementation, instead of offering consultants at a rate per hour. In this case, the bidders enter an amount, but not a quantity.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicAlternate Units of Measure

Event creators can indicate if alternate units of measure are allowed on a bidding event. The event creator can specify whether bidders can bid using any alternate unit of measure or only existing item/unit of measure relationships. If allowed, bidders may select a different unit of measure when bidding on a line. All line price and quantity details are converted to the bidder's selected unit of measure based on the specified conversion rate. During analysis, the bid prices are reflected based on the line item's unit of measure.

See Also

Alternate Unit of Measure Conversion

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicBid Factors

If the event creator used functional bid factors, and information already exists for a bidder, the response to the functional bid factor automatically populates on the response page. Bidders may not change responses that are automatically populated. If the information does not exist, the response isn't populated and therefore the bidder may enter the response.

Upon posting a bid, the system verifies that all required bid factors have been responded to, and alerts the bidder if a required bid factor was not answered. The system also verifies that the mandatory responses were provided for bid factors with an ideal response requirement, and alerts the bidder that their bid is disqualified if the ideal response is not provided. Bids that are disqualified are not eligible to be awarded.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicBid Rankings

PeopleSoft Strategic Sourcing ranks individual bids for auction events and provides the option to enable bidders to view their ranked bids. Bidders can see where their best-posted bids rank compared to the best bids from other bidders. For example, a bidder can view his or her bid ranking as fourth out of all the bids received. Whenever a new bid is posted, the system recalculates the rank.

Bidders can also view how many suppliers have bid at least once on an auction. A bidder can see that his or her best bid ranks fourth out of nine, thus indicating to the bidder that nine bidders have bid on the event thus far. In cases where bidders may view the bid history for an event, the system displays the rank on the bid history versus the price or score. Event creators can use ranking in situations where they don't want to reveal what the leading bid price is, but still must convey to the bidder where the bidder stands in the bidding process.

Note. Proxy-enabled auction events cannot be ranked.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicEvent Lots

If multiple auction events are linked together in lots, you must bid on them in order. After bidding on the first event, the system provides a link to the next event in the linked lot list on the Bid Confirmation page.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicBid Uploads

If the event has the option to download bids, the system creates an XML document and attaches it to the event. A bidder can detach the XML document and use Excel 2002 or later to open the document and view it in spreadsheet format. Once the bidder has created the bid response and is ready to upload, the bidder saves the spreadsheet as a XML document. The bidder then uploads the XML document into the PeopleSoft Strategic Sourcing and registers it as an incoming bid.

Internal users can upload bids when bidding on behalf of another bidder. It's the same process as entering a bid on behalf: the user selects to upload a bid instead of entering a new bid.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicMultiround Events

Bidders always bid on the most recent round and version of events. The system displays the round or version number on the Create Bid Response page.

If a new round is created for an event where you have already entered a bid, the system displays a Counter Event button on the Event Details page.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicInstant Messaging

To facilitate collaboration between event owners and bidders, PeopleSoft Strategic Sourcing provides chat or instant message capabilities between event creators and bidders. Bidders can initiate chats with an event owner, which enables bidders to receive immediate responses on questions or clarifications for a selected event. This is especially critical during auction events, which are often time sensitive.

Optionally, internal collaborators may also chat among themselves during the collaboration process. Multiple collaborators can participate in a single chat.

PeopleSoft Strategic Sourcing uses the PeopleTools MultiChannel Framework technology infrastructure to support multiple interaction channels for PeopleSoft users who must respond to incoming requests and notifications on these channels.

Click to jump to parent topicCommon Elements Used in This Chapter

Submit Bid

Click this button to submit the bid. Upon posting, a bidder receives a confirmation email containing the bid details.

Save for Later

Click this button to save the bid before posting it. This is helpful to protect data already entered, take a break from the work, or research the answer to a certain bid factor. To return to the bid and complete it, you must access the Search Event page to edit the particular bid.

Validate Entries

Click this button to validate the bid for errors prior to saving or posting a bid.

Recalculate Scores

Click this button after you have entered all of the bid information on an auction event. The system then calculates and displays the score. You can now can now analyze the bid, based on the score received, and change the price offered or answer a bid factor question differently to obtain a better score.

Note. This button appears only for score-based auction events.

Worst, Best, and Ideal

Indicates the range of preferred responses to the bid factor. Bidders who respond with the worst responses receive the lowest scores, while bidders who respond with the best responses receive the highest scores. In some cases, bidders are required to respond with the ideal response in order for their bids to be considered for awards. If a bidder is unable to respond with the ideal response, the bid can be posted but is disqualified and not available for award.

Click to jump to parent topicUsing PeopleSoft Strategic Sourcing Pagelets

This section discusses the supplier-facing pagelets that bidders see when they log in to view and bid on events:

Pagelets appear whether the bidder is a vendor, bidder, or customer.

See Also

Registering and Maintaining Bidders

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicPages Used to View Strategic Sourcing Events

Page Name

Definition Name

Navigation

Usage

My Sell Events (external)

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Opens on login.

View events to which the bidder has been specifically invited to bid, or which are open to all bidders.

The bidder clicks the Event Name to access the Event Details page, on which the bidder can enter or update his or her bid.

The events on the My Sell Events pagelet are the event creator's buy events; the events are for items and services to buy from an individual or organization

My Buy Events (external)

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Opens on login.

View events to which the bidder has been specifically invited to bid, or which are open to all bidders.

The bidder clicks the Event Name to access the Event Details page, on which the bidder can enter or update his or her bid.

The events on the My Buy Events page are the event creator's sell events; the events are for items and services to sell to an individual or organization.

Event Discussions (external)

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Opens on login.

View discussion for events to which the bidder is invited.

My Event Activity (external)

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Manage Events and Place Bids, My Event Activity

Bidders can view their bidding activity.

Click to jump to parent topicPlacing Bids

To create price adjustments, use the Price Adjustments (PRICE_ADJUSTMENT) component.

This section discusses how to:

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicPages Used to Place Bids

Page Name

Definition Name

Navigation

Usage

<Bidder Name> Bidding Home Page

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Manage Events and Place Bids, Bidding Home Page

View the bidder homepage and inquire on events, manage your profile, or view events to which you have been invited.

View Events and Place Bids

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Manage Events and Place Bids, View Events and Place Bids

Bidder search for events on which to bid.

Manage Saved Searches

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Click the Manage Saved Searches link on the View Events and Place Bids page.

Note. You can access this page only if there are saved searches.

Delete saved searches.

Save Search Criteria

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Click the Save Search Criteria link on the View Events and Place Bids page.

Save search criteria.

Event Discussion

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Click the Discuss link for an event on the View Events and Place Bids page.

Participate in a discussion.

Event Details

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Select an event from the View Events and Place Bids page.

View a summary of the sourcing event. From this page, bidders can choose to enter bids or review counter offers, upload bids, accept or decline event invitations, view bid history for the event, or view the bidder's entire bidding activity across all events.

Create Bid Response

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Click the Bid on Event button on the Event Details page.

Enter a bid response for RFI events.

Create Bid Response

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  • Click the Bid on Event or Counter Bid button on the Event Details page.

  • Sourcing, Event Responses, Create Bidder Response

Respond to header bid factors for auction and RFx events.

Question Comments and Attachments

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Click the Response Line Comments button on the Create Bid Response - Event Details page.

View or add comments and attachments about the question.

Note. To improve performance for auction events, the comments button will always display with dots if there are comments or not. For RFX events, the comment button will display without the dots if comments are not present.

Search Bidder Activity

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Sourcing, Event Responses, Search Bidder Activity

Internal users can view the bidding activities for a selected bidder.

General Comments and Attachments

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Click the Add General Comments and Attachments link on the Create Bid Response - Event Details page.

View or add general comments and attachments about the event.

Note. To improve performance for auction events, the comments button will always display with dots if there are comments or not. For RFX events, the comment button will display without the dots if comments are not present.

Event Bid Factor List

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Click the Bid Factor List link on the Create Bid Response - Event Details page.

Bidders can select responses for header multiselect list bid factors.

Cancel Bid

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Click the Cancel Bid button on the Create Bid Response - Event Details page.

Bidders can cancel saved bids or cancel posted bids for RFx and RFI events.

Create Bid Response - Line

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Click the Bid link on the Create Bid Response - Event Details page.

Respond to bid factors for each line item.

Unit of Measure Conversion

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Click the Select a Different UOM link for the line item on the Create Bid Response - Event Details page.

Enter the bid quantity using an alternate unit of measure than was originally requested on the event.

View Associated Terms

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  • Click the View Associated Terms link on the Event Bid Factors page.

  • Click the View Associated Terms link on the Line Bid Factors page.

View the bid factor questions and any associated clauses with the bid factor.

Note. This link and page are available only if there are associated clauses to the bid factor.

Line Comments and Attachments

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Click the Add/View Question, Comments and Attachments button on the Create Bid Response - Event Details page.

Add or view questions, comments, and attachments for bid lines.

Note. To improve performance for auction events, the comments button will always display with dots if there are comments or not. For RFX events, the comment button will display without the dots if comments are not present.

Price Component Breakouts

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Click the Enter Price Components link on the Create Bid Response Line Details page.

Use to enter all components of the bid price, such as cost, profit, shipping, tax, and so on.

Price Breaks

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Click the Enter Price Break Discounts link on the Create Bid Response Line Details page.

Enter price breaks based on volume for each line.

Shipping Address

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Click the Ship to or Ship From Address button on the Create Bid Response Line Details page.

View the shipping address.

Decline Invitation

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Click the Decline Invitation link on the Event Details page.

Select a reason for declining the event and optionally enter additional comments.

Upload Bid

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Click the Upload XML Bid Response link on the Event Details page.

Upload a previously created bid response in Excel or XML.

Bid Confirmation

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Appears after you have submitted a bid.

Displays confirmation that the bid has been submitted. If bidding on event linked in lots, this is where you access the next event in the lot.

Event Header Comments and Attachments

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Click the Download XML Bid Packet link on the Event Details page.

View or add XML attachments to the event.

View, Edit or copy from Saved Bids

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Click the View, Edit or Copy From Saved Bids link on the Event Details page.

Note. This page is available only if you have saved or posted bids.

Bidders can edit a saved bid or cancel a saved bid for any event type (RFI, RFx, Auction). Bidders can edit a previously posted bid for RFI or RFx events if the allow edit of posted responses is selected on the Event Settings and Options page.

Event Activity

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  • Manage Events and Place Bids, My Event Activity

  • Click the View Event Activity link on the View Events and Place Bids - Event Details page.

Bidders can view their personal bidding activities for only events to which they have been invited.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicViewing the Bidding Home Page

Access the <Bidder Name> Bidding Home Page (Manage Events and Place Bids, Bidding Home Page).

This page lists links for frequently used bidder links. Only tasks that you have access to are available for selection.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicSearching for Sourcing Events

Access the View Events and Place Bids page (Manage Events and Place Bids, View Events and Place Bids).

Note. Bidders can view only events to which they have been invited.

Enter search criteria using any of these fields:

Use Saved Search

Select a previously saved search.

Event Type

Select the type of event on which you want to search. Values are Auction or RFx. If you want to search for all sourcing events, leave the field blank.

Event Status

Select a specific event status. Values are Awarded, Cancelled, Not Awarded, Pending Award, and Posted. Leave the field blank if you want to search on all event statuses.

Include Declined Invitations

Deselect this option if you do not want to include declined invitations in the search.

Results Should Include

Select any of these options to be included in the search:

  • Sell Event

  • Purchase Event

  • Request for Information

Manage Saved Searches

Click to delete saved searches.

Save Search Criteria

Click to save the search criteria.

Advanced Search Criteria

Click to search using advanced search fields such as item descriptions, categories, or start and end dates.

Search Results

Event ID

Click a link for the event to access the Event Details page.

Discuss

Click a link for the event to access the Event Discussion page.

See Using Discussion Forums.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicAccessing Event Details

Access the Event Details page (select an event from the View Events and Place Bids page).

Accept Invitation

Accepts the invitation to bid on this event. Use this if bidders are not ready to prepare their bids, but want to indicate their intentions to participate in the event. Bidders are not required to accept the invitation before preparing their bids. After you accept the invitation, you are returned to the Strategic Sourcing Events search page. You must return to Event Details page and click the Bid on Event button to enter the bid. You can accept event participation when bidding on behalf of another bidder.

Decline Invitation

Select to decline the invitation to bid on this event. You can decline event participation when bidding on behalf of another bidder. If you decline the event, you enter a reason code.

If a bidder was invited to an event and declines the event invitation, the bidder can continue receiving updates on the event. Also, if a bidder declines the event invitation, the bidder can accept the invitation later and enter a bid for that event.

Bid on Event

Click to enter a bid response.

Bidding Shortcuts

Click any of these links to access other pages to view details regarding the event or bidder:

  • View Event Activity: Access the Event Activity page, where you can view all events related to a specific bidder.

    See Reviewing Bidder Activity.

  • Download XML Bid Packet: Access the Event Header Comments and Attachments page, where you can download the XML or PDF version of the event.

  • Upload XML Bid Response: Access the Upload Bid page if you have used the XML file to complete the bid response. The responses from the XML file is uploaded into the bid response pages.

    See Uploading Bids.

Edit Bid

Click to modify or view an existing bid for the event.

Note. Bidders can edit a saved bid or cancel a saved bid for any event type (RFI, RFx, Auction). Bidders can edit a previously posted bid for RFI or RFx events if the editing posted responses is permitted on the Event Settings and Options page.

Discuss Event in Forum

Click to enter the event discussion forums.

Award Details

Click to view information about the event award.

Request Live Chat

Click to chat with the event creator.

See Also

Using Discussion Forums

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicDownloading XML Bid Packets

Access the Event Header Comments and Attachments page (click the View Event Package link on the Event Details page).

Attachment File

Displays the name of the attached file.

Attachment Description

Displays the description of the attached file.

Click the View button to view or download the XML file.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicEntering Bid Responses

Access the Create Bid Response page (click the Bid on Event button on the Event Details page).

Discuss Event in Forum

Click to access discussion forums to discuss the event with other users.

Request Live Chat

Click to initiate chat with the event creator using the Multichannel Framework.

Response

Bidder enter their answer to the bid factor.

Add Comments

Enter any comments related to the bid factor response.

View Associated Terms

Click to view any contract agreement terms or clauses.

Enter Line Bid Responses

Item ID

The vendor's Item ID appears in the Lines grid after clicking the Bid on Event button on the Event Details page. If the vendor's Item ID has not been added on the Purchasing Attributes - Item Vendor page (Items, Define Items and Attributes, Purchasing Attributes, Item Vendor), the Item ID defaults to the system value.

See PeopleSoft Purchasing PeopleBook, "Defining Purchasing Item Information," Defining Purchasing Item Attributes

Your Bid Quantity

Enter your bid quantity for the line. If the requested quantity is required, the quantity will automatically be populated with the requested line quantity and cannot be changed.

Your Unit Bid Price

Enter the unit bid price for this line item.

No Bid

This check box is enabled when a bid is not required for an event line.

Bid

Click to access the Create Bid Response - Line Details page for the line.

See Also

Price Adjustments

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicEntering Bids Beyond Award Requested Quantities

Access the Create Bid Response - Event Details page, and click the Bid link for the line.

No Bid

This check box is enabled when a bid is not required for an event line.

Select a Different UOM

Click this link if you want to submit a bid using a different unit of measure. This link is available only if the event allows bidders to submit bids in alternate units of measure.

Your Max Bid Quantity

Enter your maximum bid quantity for the original unit of measure for the event.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicSelecting a Different Unit of Measure

Access the Unit of Measure Conversion page (click the Select a Different UOM link for the line item on the Create Bid Response - Event Details page).

Bid Unit of Measure

Select a different unit of measure for the line item.

Conversion Rate

This display-only field indicates the conversion rate used for the new unit of measure.

Your Unit Bid of Measure

Quantity, Max Quantity, and Min Quantity

The system calculates and displays the quantity requested for the original requested UOM using your new UOM.

Your Bid Quantity

Enter numerical values for the quantity and minimum bid quantity for the line using your new UOM.

Note. In cases where the requested quantity is required, or the bidder may bid up to the specified quantity, the bidder will be allowed to bid over the maximum quantity up to the next whole number in the bidder's unit of measure. For example, if 100 pens were requested with a unit of measure of each, but the bidder bid in boxes of 15 each, the requested quantity in boxes is 6.66. The bidder will be allowed to bid up to 7 boxes in this example.

Line Unit of Measure

The system displays the original quantities requested using the event line UOM.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicEntering Bids Using Automatic Proxy Bidding

Access the Create Bid Response - Event Details page (select an event from the View Events and Place Bids page).

If you are using automatic proxy bidding, complete these fields:

Bid All Lines as Proxy Bid

Select this check box to indicate that all lines will be using automatic proxy bidding.

Your Unit Bid Price

Enter your unit bid price.

If you are entering a flat bid, then enter the exact amount of the bid for the item.

If you are entering a proxy bid, then enter your proxy unit bid price. The system enters the minimum (if a buy event) or maximum (if a sell event) required bid price to enable your bid to be the winning bid up to this specified bid price.

Proxy Bid

Select this check box if the price entered in the Your Unit Bid Price field is to be used as your proxy bid price for this line. You can also indicate if this bid is a proxy bid on the Line Detail page.

No Bid

This check box is enabled when a bid is not required for an event line.

Line Detail

Click this link to access the page where you can view other details for the line. You can also view or enter your bid information on this page.

Submitting Proxy Bids for Line Items

To submit proxy bids for line items:

  1. Click the Line Detail link on the Create Bid Response - Event Details page.

  2. Enter a numerical value in the Your Unit Bid Price field.

  3. Select the Is Proxy Bid check box.

Note. The use of this page is optional. You can enter your bid information on the Create Bid Response - Event Details page as previously mentioned.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicEntering Price Components

Access the Price Components page (click the Enter Price Components link on the Create Bid Response Line Details page).

For each designated component, enter the best unit price, component quantity, and the system calculates the component price.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicEntering Price Adjustments

Access the Price Breaks page (click the Enter Price Break Discounts link on the Create Bid Response Line Details page).

OK

Click to return to the Create Bid Response page. Clicking OK does not submit the bid; the bidder must click the Submit button on the Create Bid Response page.

Cumulative Order Quantity

Displays the price adjustments which are based on the total quantity for the awarded contract.

Individual Order Quantity

Displays the price adjustments which are based on a specific order released from a contract.

Ignore Errors

Click this button to ignore calculation errors when saving. Errors must be fixed before posting a bid.

See Bidder Price Breaks.

Line Detail Group Box

Bid Quantity

Enter the quantity of items on which you are bidding. This field is edited again with the minimum and maximum bid quantity fields entered during event creation.

If the requested line quantity required is selected on the Event Settings and Options page, the system automatically populates the line quantity in the bid quantity.

See Defining Basic Event Information.

Line Weight

Indicates the relative importance of the line item to the overall event. If the event creator does not set specific weightings, each line is weighted equally.

Total Line Score

Indicates the sum of the bidder's scores for the bid factor responses for this line.

Note. This is applicable only for auction events.

Your Score

Indicates the bidder's score for this line item; the line weighting multiplied by the total line score.

Note. This is applicable only for auction events.

Current Winning Score

Indicates the best score that any bidder has achieved for this line item.

Note. This is applicable only for auction events.

Line Response Group Box

Worst

If an auction event has bid price as the only bid factor, and a bid increment was set by the event creator, the Worst field displays the current required bid. This current required bid is the last posted bid amount plus or minus (depending on whether the event is a sell or a buy) the bid increment. Any new bid, if it is for the entire event quantity, must be equal to or better than the amount in the Worst field.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicUploading Bids

Access the Event Details page (select an event from the View Events and Place Bids page).

Upload XML Bid Response

If you have downloaded a bid package XML file and have used the bid package to enter the bid, click to upload the completed XML bid file into PeopleSoft Strategic Sourcing. This accesses the Upload Bid page.

File Selection

Access the Upload Bid page (click the Upload XML Bid Response link on the Event Details page).

To upload a bid:

  1. Open the Excel version of the event with which you have been working.

  2. Select File, Save as, and save the spreadsheet as an XML spreadsheet type.

  3. Click the Select XML File button, and select the XML Spreadsheet that was just saved.

  4. Verify that the path is correct and click the Upload button.

See Also

Bidder Downloads

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicBidding on Linked Events

Access the Bid Confirmation page by submitting a bid.

If the auction event that you bid on is linked to one or more other auction events in a lot, you must bid on them in order. The system provides a link to the next event in the linked lot list on the Bid Confirmation page. The end date and time of the first event is the start date and time of the second event, and so on.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicEntering Bids for RFI Events

Access the Strategic Sourcing Events search page (Manage Events and Place Bids, View Events and Place Bids).

Select the Request for Informationcheck box and search for RFI events. Select an RFI event to access the Event Details page. Click the Bid on Event button to enter an RFI response. RFI events display only event header information and header bid factors because there are no lines in RFIs.

Bid on Event

Click this button to access the Create Bid Response page, where you can enter RFI responses.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicEntering a Bid During Preview Period

If an event has a preview period, a bidder can enter and save a bid even though it cannot be posted. Responses are ready for posting as soon as the start time for the event is reached.

  1. The bidder enters the bid but clicks the Save button, not the Post button (which is unavailable during preview).

  2. When the start time arrives, the bidder accesses the bid for that event and clicks the Post button to post the event.

Note. Saved bids are not automatically posted when the start time arrives. The bidder must access the bid and post it.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicSaving a Bid

The bidder can click the Save for Later button at any time to save his bid before posting it. This is helpful to protect data already entered, take a break from the work, or research the answer to a certain bid factor.

To return to the bid and complete it, the bidder must access the Search Event page to edit the particular bid.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicUpdating a Bid

How a bidder, after entering a first bid on any event, updates his or her bid depends on the event type:

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicCanceling a Bid

To cancel a bid for an event, the bidder accesses the Search Events page, clicks the Edit button for the specific event, then clicks the Cancel button.

You cannot cancel posted bids for auction events.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicViewing Rankings and Scores

Depending on the settings that the event creator selected for the auction event, you can view rankings and scores on the Create Bid Response page. Define these settings on the Event Settings and Options page.

Bidders can optionally view:

Bidder Display Options

The event creator sets up bidder display options on the Event Settings and Options page in the Creating Events component.

See Defining Basic Event Information.

Beating Own Bid or Best Bid

The system displays whether a bidder must beat his or her best bid price or score or the winning bid price or score based on the Event Settings and Options page.

If Display Start Price to Bidders option is not selected on the Event Settings and Options page, and the bidder must beat his or her own bid, then each bidder sets his or her own start price based on the bidder's initial bid price.

Bids Required on All Lines

If you selected the Bidders Compete at Event Level option, and the bidder must beat his or her own previous bid, the system compares the total score/price from the best previous bid to the current bid and ensures that the current score/price is better than the previous score/price. In this case, it's possible for a bidder to bid higher on one or more line items on the subsequent bid as long as the overall total bid price/score is better than the previous bid. If the current bid does not beat the previous bid, the system issues an error and does not allow the bidder to post the bid.

If bid decrements are entered during event creation, apply the bid decrements to the bidder's previous bid on each line that has a decrement. This applies only if you selected the Bidders Compete at Line Level and Based on Price options on the Event Settings and Options page.

See Defining Basic Event Information.

If the system is not set to display the start price and the bidder must beat his or her own bid, then each bidder sets his or her own start price based on the initial bid price. So if a line has a price of $2,000, one bidder may enter an initial bid price of $2,500, and another bidder may enter an initial bid price of $3,000. From that point forward, each bidder must beat his or her previous bid price.

If the bidder must beat the current winning bid, compare the total score/price from the winning bidder to the current score/price for the bidder and ensure that the bidder's current total score/price beats the current winning total score.

Bids Not Required on All Lines

If you selected Bidders Compete at Line Level, and the bidder must beat his or her own previous bid, the system compares the line score/price from the bidder's best previous bid to the current bid and ensures that the current line score/price is better than the previous line score/price for each line bid on.

If the current bid does not beat the bidder's previous bid, the system issues an error and does not allow the bidder to post the bid. Any defined bid decrements must be applied to the bidder's previous best bid for each line. The bid decrement is applied to the maximum unit bid price. Therefore, if a bidder entered an initial unit bid price of $2,000, and the bid decrement is $200, the maximum unit bid price is updated to reflect $1,800 ($2,000 - $200) on the subsequent bid.

If the bidder must beat the current winning bid, the system compares each line score/price from the winning bidders to the current line score/price for the bidder and ensures that the bidder's current line score/price beats the current winning line score/price for each line bid on.

If the current bid does not beat the current winning bid for all lines bid on, the system issues an error. Again, apply the bid decrement to the current winning bid for each line.

Price Only Events

If the event is price-only and bids are not required on all lines, the system compares the unit bid price of each line to determine whether the bid beats the last bid or current winning bid. If the event is price-only and bids are required on all lines, the system compares the total bid price to determine whether the bid beats the last bid or current winning bid. If the event is not price-only, the system compares the score to determine whether the bid beat the last bid or the current winning bid.

Display Winning Bid

If you did not select the Display Winning Bid check box, theBidders Must Beat field value must be Own Bid, because you can't beat the winning bid if you don't know what it is.

Click to jump to parent topicCreating Bidder Responses

If you receive bids by mail, fax, or phone, you can enter the information into PeopleSoft Strategic Sourcing on behalf of the bidder. The bidder must be a registered and invited bidder and is treated by the system as any other bidder.

To create a bidder response:

  1. Collect the bid information from the bidder.

  2. Access the Search Criteria page from the Create Bidder Response menu.

  3. To find the correct event and bidder, enter an Event ID or select an Event Format, Event Type, Event Name, or Bidder Type.

  4. Click the Search button.

    The system displays the event information, including version and round, as well as the name of the bidder, customer, or vendor.

  5. Click the Event ID link for the bidder.

  6. Click the Enter a New Bid button to manually enter the bid, or click the Upload Bid button to upload a bid from Excel or XML.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicPages Used to Create Bidder Responses

Page Name

Definition Name

Navigation

Usage

Create Bidder Response

AUC_RESP_OBO_SRCH

Sourcing, Event Responses, Create Bidder Response

Search for the event on which the bidder wants to place a bid.

Enter Bid on Behalf of

AUC_RESP_OBO_SEL

Click the Event ID link for the specific event.

Link to the Create Bid Response page, where you can enter the bidder's bid factor responses.

Upload Bid

AUC_BP_UPLOAD

Click the Upload XML Bid Response link on the Event Details page.

Upload a previously created bid response in Excel or XML.

Click to jump to parent topicReviewing Bids

This section discusses how to review bidder activity.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicPages Used to Review the Bid Activity of a Bidder

Page Name

Definition Name

Navigation

Usage

Search Bidder Activity

AUC_BID_ACT_SRCH

Sourcing, Event Responses, Search Bidder Activity

Search for bidders' responses to events.

Bid Activities

AUC_BID_ACT_PG

Sourcing, Event Responses, Search Bidder Activity

Click a Bidder Name link on the Search Bidder Activity page.

Review events that a bidder has been invited to, has bid on, and has been awarded.

Create Bid Response

AUC_RESP_BID_NUHD

Expand the appropriate event ID on the Bidder Activity page, and then click the View Details button next to the appropriate bid.

Review the details of a bid that the bidder entered.

My Event Activity (external)

AUC_BID_ACT_PG

Manage Events and Place Bids, My Event Activity

Bidders use this page to view their own bidding activity. Bidders can access only the events to which they have been invited.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicReviewing Bidder Activity

To review bidding on an event by a specific bidder:

  1. Enter a business unit, bidder type, or ID on the Search Bid Activities page.

  2. Access the Bid Activities page by clicking the name of the company whose bidding activity you want to review.

  3. Click one of the categories in the Search Events group box to populate the Events group box with specific events.

    You can view the number of events that a bidder was invited to or awarded or upon which the bidder bid. The system displays bids for the bidder across all sourcing business units.

  4. In the Events group box, expand the event line to view the details of the invitation, bid, and award.

    If the award is for a consolidated requisition, the system displays an award for each purchase order that is created to the awarded bidder.

Here is an example of the Bid Activities page:

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicBidders Reviewing Their Bids

Access the My Event Activity page (Manage Events and Place Bids, My Event Activity).

Bidders can use this page to view their own bidding activities. This page includes the same information for each bidder as the Bidder Activity page, except that bidders can see only their own bids.

Bidders can view their event status and navigate to events by clicking the linked event ID.