Cell locking is a feature that allows users to prevent editing of certain cells based on specific conditions. For example, users can lock cells at the bidder lot level using a formula. This means that different bidders will see different locked cells on their bid sheets.
An example use case for cell locking is during a validation round after the initial bid round. In this scenario, any bid prices that are within 30% of the bid average (excluding outliers) can be locked, while outliers above and below that range remain unlocked. This ensures that bidders can only edit cells that are potentially outliers during the validation process. Another use case is during an Award Confirmation round, where bidders are asked to confirm their award by marking yes or no. In this case, all price cells can be locked to prevent bidders from making any changes.
An event does not need to be paused to add or disable a cell locking rule.
To create a rule:
- Navigate to Invite > Bidders
- Select Cell locking from the tab options
- Select Add a rule
- In Prevent bid change, select All lots for Lots
- Tick the radio boxes for the column you would like to be included in this rule
- In Target this rule at, select Bidders
- Select a Secondary cost calculation or Always apply this rule, in the Formula dropdown option under Apply this rule when.
- Select Save changes
The formula must be written in a Secondary Cost Calculation and must evaluate to "1" when a cell should be locked, anything else will be unlocked (for example 0).
The rule can now be toggled on and off from the Cell locking tab. To edit, disable or delete a rule, select the ellipsis button on the rule card.
If a cell in a required column is locked and left empty, an error message will appear indicating missing information/incomplete bid. If a Purchaser has set cell locking rules on mandatory bidder fields, Bidders will not be able to submit their offer unless partial bidding is enabled. However, if partial bidding is turned on, Bidders are advised to exercise caution as their partial bids may not always be taken into consideration during the evaluation and analysis process.