What is the Bidding System?

    This bidding system is designed to handle nominations (OTYs and positional bids) for campus, regional, and national bids. In addition, the system will allow registered users to upload files into the database and also give administrators the flexibility to configure settings for their particular group. Another feature is the ability to handle online voting.

I have an OTM Database System account, can I use it?

    Yes, both systems are comprised of the same database. All usersnames and passwords are interchangeable between the two systems.

How do I submit a Bid?

    To submit a bid, you must have an account.
  • Log into the system and click Nomination.
  • Follow the online prompts and submit the Nominee's Name.
  • Once nominated, click upload next to the nominee's name.
  • Hit Browse, select the file to upload. Hit submit.
  • Wait for the file to upload.

How do I create an account?

  • To create an account, go to the main page and click Create User Account
  • Fill out the requested information and hit submit.
  • Your campus administrators will be notified that a user request was submitted.
  • Once a campus administrator has activated the account, you will receive an e-mail confimation that your account is ready.

I forgot my password. What do I do?

  • To request a new password, go to the main page and click Forgot User Account
  • Fill out the requested information and hit submit.
  • After validating your username and e-mail address, the system will send you an e-mail with the new password.
  • If user validation fails, please contact your campus administrator for assistance.

How come when I search for a bid, I don't see the one I am looking for?

    Administrators have the ability to determine when bids can be viewed and searched for. Chances are, the bid you are looking for is not available for viewing.

How do I configure my organization?

    Configuring your organization is quite simple. In order for user to start making nominations and uploading bids, you must set up a submission group.

What is a submission group?

    A submission group is a way to categorize submissions. A new grouping should be created for each event that you want

How do I enable online judging?

    To enable online judging, you must edit your submission group and enable the online judging option. After saving the changes, you will see a new judging link for the submission group. By clicking on the link, you can add individual judges and configure them for the specific categories.

What does the status column mean?

    The status column is a way to inform you where the submission group is at in the process:
  • In progress - The submission group is currently in progress (ie: people are submitting, people are judging, etc.)
  • Close? - The status column will change to this after all deadlines have passed. Closing the submission group will prevent all future changes to the group. In addition, no one will be able to view the judging results.
  • Closed - No changes can be made to the submission group.

What is the difference between nomination deadline and submission deadline?

    Nomination deadline is the date in which someone can no longer add an additional nomination to the system. The submission deadline is the last date in which users can actually upload the bid for the nomination. Some organizations may require people to nominate people ahead of time in order to work logistical items. If there is no need for an early nomination period, set these two settings to the same date and time.

What does closing a submission group mean?

    Closing a submission group will prevent all any changes to it (ie: allowing an administrator to add bids, change award information, etc). In addition, it will also hide all judging information to prevent future administrators from having access to the information.

How do I prevent future administrators from seeing the voting results?

    Closing the submission group will be prevent any future administrators from see past judging results.

How do I request additional event or category options?

What are blurbs?

    Blurbs allow people to upload a short paragraph summarizing the bid. Organizations can use this option for how they see best to use it.

Who can view the uploaded pictures?

    Online administrators can view the pictures that have been uploaded.

Can I be an OTM administrator and BID Administrator at the same time?

    Yes. Privileges can be divided or combined.

What is the difference between nomination deadline and submission deadline?

    Nomination deadline is the date in which someone can no longer add an additional nomination to the system. The submission deadline is the last date in which users can actually upload the bid for the nomination. Some organizations may require people to nominate people ahead of time in order to work logistical items. If there is no need for an early nomination period, set these two settings to the same date and time.

How do I remove a nomination?

    If a bid has been uploaded, you must remove the bid and then remove the nominations. Only campus administrators or the original submitter can remove the bid.

What type of files can be uploaded?

    Any type of file can be uploaded. It is recommended that PDF files be uploaded in order for all viewers to be able to read the file.

How do I know the files uploaded correctly?

    If you can download the file after uploading it, it was uploaded correctly.