Bulk Bidding File

This feature allows a Flexibility Service Provider (FSP) to bid in bulk via a downloadable bulk bidding file.

Please visit Piclo Academy for a module specifically on bulk bid submission

Download the Bulk Bids File

1. Go to Manage > Bids > Bulk Bids Submission
2. Select the 'download' button within the download bidding template box

Input Bidding Data

1. Once the bulk bid file has downloaded, open it and read the ‘READ ME’ section on tab 1 before starting to fill in data.
2. Use column I, ‘Pricing Data Required’, as instructions for which columns needs to be completed per service window
3. Input bids in the ‘bid submission tab’ (tab 2) within the ‘Bid Data’ columns (columns D-H). Each row is one bid and the competition reference in column C is the identifier for the competition and service window. Only service windows which you are able to bid into will appear within this file.
4. The ‘Open Competition Data’ tab (tab 3) shows all of the competition data for each competition and service window that can be bid into. Use this tab as a guide as you input the bidding data into tab 2.

Upload Bulk Bids File

When all the required bids have been input into the file, go to Manage > Bids > Bulk Bids Submission and upload that file via the ‘choose file’ button. Once the file has finished processing (this can take a few minutes), a new row will appear in the file history table.

Within this row there are two columns to pay particular attention to; bids submitted’, and ‘bids with errors’. The number of bids you've submitted should match with the number shown in the 'bids submitted' column.

Troubleshooting Errors

• If the number of 'bids submitted' doesn't match the number you expected to see, check the number of ‘bids with errors’. Click the ‘view’ button to see details about what has caused the error(s) in the given row(s) in the bulk bid file.
• Follow any suggestions presented where errors have occurred. This will require returning to the file that you have just uploaded to cross reference the current bid data to the ‘bid row’ number which identifies which bid had an error.
• Once all errors have been addressed and corrected, save the file and reload it to the account using the upload bulk bids file process.
• If errors persist or it’s not clear what the solution is, do contact support@picloflex.com for support.

How to Edit a Bid

Once a bid has been uploaded and submitted, it can be edited up until the competition close deadline set by the System Operator. There are two ways to edit a bid:

1. Edit via the browser - Navigate to Manage > Bids > Edit Active Bids. All bids that can be edited are listed by competition. Select 'view' next to the bid you wish to edit, make the relevant changes and submit the edited bid(s) once ready by clicking the ‘submit your bid’ tick box at the bottom of the page.
2. Deleting Bids - For instructions on how to delete a bid, please see the Submitting a Bid article. Once the relevant bids have been deleted, re-upload the edited bid(s). This can be done via the bulk bids file again or via the browser.

Top Tips for using the Bulk Bidding File

• Once the bulk bid file has been downloaded, we recommend that you delete any ‘Bid Upload iD’ rows within the bid submission tab which you do not plan to bid into.
• When inputting your bids into the bulk bidding file, try to add in all of the bids you wish to submit at once. If you submit a bid to one service window of a competition, but not all available service windows, this competition will no longer appear in the bulk bids file if you re-download the file. Should this happen to you and you wish to submit a bid for a service window that no longer appears within the file, you can submit this bid via the UI browser.
• Bids are submitted by competition, not by service window. Therefore if any competition has an error within one service window, all of the bids for that competition will not be uploaded until the error is resolved.
• Asset Specific Bids and Split Bids have to be completed via the browser - the bulk bids file does not support this as of yet.