Pre auctions are set up in exactly the same way as regular auctions, but the way they are conducted differs. Such types of auctions are suitable in auctions, in which purchase quantities need to be clarified, as well as materials and other details that are decisive for the successful conduct of the auction, but which the buyer is not well acquainted with. Bids in this auction can be made by sellers, and after its completion, all submitted bids become inactive, but visible in “History” for the buyer in the auction. Sellers have visibility only according to the visibility rules.
That is why the pre auction allows the buyer to change the initially set rules and IPS’s. The buyer has the ability to make changes to each parameter of the “Rules” step, as well as add or delete IPS’s, groups, sheets, and documents. The buyer can also change the set of companies in access control. Once the pre auction has started, changes that are not possible in a standard auction are done from the setting button:
When you select this button, the pre auction settings open and you should make the desired changes here. For certain changes, such as a change in visibility or the number of winners, if applied, all active bids will automatically disappear. The same will happen if, lets say, the pre-auction is Single wiiner, but you add an extra IPS. This is because the current bids will not cover the newly added IPS and terms, and when the auction is Single winner, the sellers should have submitted a price for all IPS’s. When you change a setting that will delete the bids, you will also receive a message warning you about that.
Once you have made the desired changes, they will only be saved if you select one of the buttons: Back to Auction, Step Back or Step Forward. Each time you press one of these buttons, the changes will be saved.
During the pre auction, the buyer also has the opportunity to delete all offers made by sellers for any reason he may deem necessary. This is possible by pressing the bin icon, here:
The pre auction can be turned into a standard price auction once the buyer is fully aware of how he wants to start it. To do this, select the setup icon (described above), set all the rules and IPS’s you want, and change the Auction Type from pre auction to auction in the “Auction Type” step. In this way, the Start button will appear in the last step “Preview”. By pressing it, the buyer will start a standard price auction and the prices given in the pre-auction by the sellers will appear, but a message will be shown that the offers needs to be confirmed.
The buyer can also “Copy and modify” the pre-auction from the button shown below. This means that the prices will not be included in the next set active auction.
