Congratulations on being invited to a Reverse Auction!

In some cases, you may want to draft your bid before an Auction begins. Submitting a pre-bid is how your Sourcing Manager will gather initial bids and is a great way to familiarize yourself with Scout before the real-time Auction begins.

Here, we will explain when you are able to submit pre-bids and how to submit them.

Can I Submit a Pre-Bid?

When a Sourcing Manager sets up a Reverse Auction, they may decide to set the start time for a day/time in the future. In this case, you will receive your invitations before the Auction begins and will be able to submit a pre-bid.

How will you know if you've accessed the Auction early? 

Check the timer! The timer will tell you if the Auction is live yet or when it is scheduled to begin. 

We recommend using the time before the Auction starts to:

• Create your Scout account and familiarize yourself with the tool
• Read any Auction Notes provided by the sourcing manager
• Prepare and submit a pre-bid

Enter those line-by-line prices now so you don’t have to spend valuable time entering data when the Auction is live!

How to Submit a Pre-Bid 

To enter a pre-bid, simply enter your initial price offerings for each item, your bids will auto save into the Scout System:

Setting a pre-bid sets your initial bid and uses it as a starting point for your participation in the Auction.

If you set a pre-bid, the prices you've entered will be saved for you, and you will be able to focus on competing in the Auction rather then entering data once the Auction goes live!

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