The Live Event window for bidders is different than the live event window for other auctions. It has been streamlined to display only the information that is applicable to Dutch Auctions.

The most significant difference is that the submit bid area for each lot is in the Bid column of the lot list at the top of the page.

Event Rules Link

There is a new Event Rules link to the right of the header that shows some basic rules about Dutch auctions, intervals, and automatic bidding.

Lot List

The lot list includes the following information about each lot in the list:

• Status: Live Event Statuses are:

• Future: The lot has not yet opened.
• Prelim: Preliminary bids are currently being accepted for this lot.
• Open: An interval is currently open for the lot.
• Pending: The lot remains in "pending" mode for a user-defined amount of time to allow enough time to re-open the lot if any bidding problems are reported.
• Closed: The bidding intervals have concluded. No more bidding is allowed.

• Lot: The name of the lot.
• Current Bid Range: The range of bids that can be submitted in the currently open interval.
• Bid Status:  Submitted or Saved. Saved bids are only allowed if applicable if Proxy Bids are enabled.
• Current Bid: The last bid submitted by the bidder.
• Bid: Data entry box for entering a bid amount and a submit and delete button.
• Next Interval In: The time in minutes and seconds when the next interval opens.
• Time Interval: The duration of the interval in minutes and seconds. If the close type is set to "Immediate with Bid" the auction will end as soon as a bid is submitted by anyone participating in the auction regardless of whether the interval's time has expired.
• Close Type: Dutch Auctions generally encourage suppliers to bid quickly by closing auctions based on first bid submission rather than a specific time. They can be designated to end in three ways:

• Immediate with Bid: Auction ends when the first bid is posted
• End of Interval with Bid: Auction ends at the end of the interval containing the first posted bid.
• End of Final Interval: Auction remains open until the end of the last scheduled interval, regardless of when bids are placed.

Administrator Messages and Instant Messaging

An area for displaying Administrator Messages appears below the lot list. The messages posted here are broadcast to all auction participants. If Instant Messaging is enabled for the auction, the Message Center appears beside the Administrator Messages area. The Message Center is for you to send and receive instant messages to and from the project administrator during the live event. Instant Messages in the Message Center are not visible to other auction attendees.

»To submit a bid on a Dutch Auction lot

1. In the lot list at the top of the Live Event page, enter a value in the data entry box in the Bid column for the selected lot.
2. Click the submit button next to the data entry field.

NOTE: The delete button in the Bid column of the lot list removes any values that have been entered in the data entry field for that lot but it does not delete a bid that has been submitted.

Automatic Proxy Bidding

If Automatic Proxy Bidding has been enabled for the project, you will see "Automatic Proxy Bids: Enabled" in the upper right corner of the window. If enabled, bidders can enter bids that are not in range for the current interval. With automatic bidding, SmartSource asks bidders if they want to save the bid. If they choose yes, SmartSource automatically submits the bid for them if an interval opens up where the saved bid is in range. Bidders have no guarantee that a saved bid will be submitted as the auction could close at any time or the saved bid could be out of range of all intervals.