Submitting a Bid

When a competition opens for bidding, an email notification is sent to all Flexibility Service Providers (FSPs) that have qualified assets with an invite to submit bids. This can be achieved via the Piclo UI for each competition, or via a bulk upload from a file.

Bids are always submitted against the service window for a competition, and it is the FSP's responsibility to adhere to any additional requirements set by the system operator (SO) via their competition documentation.

Bidding Data

Exactly what data points are requested when submitting a bid depends on how the competition was created by the SO.

• Capacity (MW) - confirm the amount of MW the bid is for. 
  • This value can not be above the lowest of either the qualified capacity value or the amount needed by the buyer.
  • Please note: From September 2023, Piclo requires assets to upload capacity using four fields, which are then summed to two directions used during bidding, 'Active Import' and 'Active Export'. Please review this article for further information.
• Maximum Runtime (D HH:MM:SS) - confirm the time that the submitted capacity can run for.
  • This can be any value according to the technical capability of the asset(s) making up the bid.
• Availability (£/MW/h) - A price for being available during the service window hours
  • or pre-determined if price is fixed by SO. Dependent on type of competition.
• Utilisation (£/MWh) - a price for dispatching the capacity on receiving a dispatch notification
  • or pre-determined if price is fixed by SO. Dependent on type of competition.
• Service (£/MW) - a single, flat fee for providing the capacity submitted across the whole service window.
  • or pre-determined if price is fixed by SO. Dependent on type of competition. 

Please note that all of the competitions currently live on Piclo are ‘pay as bid’.

Submitting Bids Individually

For those with one or two competitions to submit bids for, it is suggested to enter those bids directly via the UI (competition by competition). 

1. To submit bids individually, go to Manage > Bids > Submit New Bids.
2. A list of the competitions that are available to bid into will then appear.
3. Select the ‘bid’ button on the competition you wish to bid into.
4. Complete all required data fields.
5. Take care when entering the value of a bid (bids can be edited up until competition close, but not after that time).
6. Once ready, select the tick box to confirm that you have adhered to the competition rules, and select the ‘submit’ button.
7. A window will open confirming that the bid has been submitted successfully.

Advanced Bidding Features

Piclo has provided some tools that FSPs can use to construct bids according to individual requirements:

• Advanced Bidding: Split Bids
• Advanced Bidding: Asset Specific Bids

Here's a quick and clear summary of the process:

How to Delete a Bid

All bids that have been submitted to open competitions can still be edited until the competition closes.

1. Go to Manage > Bids > Edit Active Bids.
2. All bids that can be edited are listed by competition.
3. To delete all bids within a competition, select the delete button (bin icon) next to the competition name.
4. A pop up will then appear to confirm that you wish to delete the bids selected.

Bidding via File

For any FSP submitting bids for a large number of competitions simultaneously, navigate to Manage > Bulk Bid Submission > Download Bidding Template. Be sure to review the 'READ ME' tab before completing the relevant fields. Once the fields are populated, save the file and re-upload it.

Bidding via API

Bidding is available via API. Please consult docs.picloflex.com or the Bidding Integration Tutorial for more information.

Please contact us on support@piclo.energy if you have any questions or require additional support.