Uploading Your Bids

After using the Bid List Editor to build your bid list, you can upload your bid choices in one of two ways: by using the Save/Upload Bids button on the Bid List Editor, or manually using the Upload menu item on the menu bar at the top of the program window. Either way, you must use the Bid List Editor to build a formatted bid file first, and then upload to the Crew Portal.

Before uploading, make sure that the bid round matches the appropriate bid period, i.e., if you’re submitting a standard line bid, then you should be bidding in round one as shown in the screen shot below. If you are submitting a reserve bid, you should have round 2 selected. Note that the Bid Meister!/FAM! automatically selects the bid round based on the current system date, however, you should verify the bid round in case your system date is not correct.

If you have an improper bid round selected, the program will not allow a bid submittal and if your computer system’s date is wrong, and the bid does get submitted,  the Crew Portal will not accept the bid.

Save/Upload Bids

Having finished building your bid list using the Bid List Editor, you can save the bid list to a formatted file suitable for uploading to the Crew Portal bid area.

Save/Upload Bids

Clicking on the Save/Upload Bids button as show above will command The Bid Meister! to save your bid selections to a file. After saving your bid choices, you will be prompted to upload your bids to the Crew Portal. You are not required to upload your bid file at this time, however, you are able to submit as many bids as you like (only the last submitted bid will be considered) so it’s recommended that you go ahead and upload. It’s much better to have at least one bid in, then no bids in at all! 

The bid upload prompt will display several items that are of great importance to you and you should check them carefully each time you submit a bid:

Always ensure your employee number is correct!

Rule number 1: always ensure the employee number is correct! Although this should always remain the same for a licensed user, it’s best to get in the habit of verifying it before you upload. If you have purchased the extended license to upload bids for other employees, you’ll want to confirm at this time that you are uploading the correct bid for the intended employee; otherwise, you could be in for some heartache and/or grief when the bids are closed and posted! 

Also, if you have entered a list of avoidance employee numbers, you should verify these at this time as well. Entering a wrong avoidance bid employee number could cause you to inadvertently subjugate your seniority. 

Clicking ‘Yes’ will bring up a confirmation dialog, then the standard Crew Portal login dialog box will be displayed:

Don’t forget the leading ‘e’ when logging in!

After uploading, The Bid Meister! will display a message box stating whether or not the bid was successfully uploaded. Upon successful upload, you’ll be prompted to view the receipt. You should always check this receipt for accuracy and completeness, including the time/date stamp at the bottom of the receipt (shown below) indicating a bid that has been received at the crew portal. Note that this stamp may differ from the time/date showing on your system. This is the actual time/date that the Crew Portal has put on your bid.

Always ensure the time/date stamp is at the bottom of the receipt

Using the Print button on the bid receipt display will allow you to print a formatted bid receipt for your records.

Uploading Your Bids Manually

You can choose not to upload your bid at the time you click on the Save/Upload bids while in the Bid List Editor and then upload at a later time. The bids are saved to a formatted file in the data directory. To upload your bids at a later time, simply start The Bid Meister! program, then click on then Upload menu item. Currently, there is only one menu item under this to choose from, Line Bids to Crew Portal.

After selecting this menu item, you will go through the same dialog prompts as outlined above and the last bid that you saved will be uploaded to the Crew Portal.

Remember! – The LAST bid you saved will be uploaded, so make SURE it’s the bid you want to submit! Check the bid receipt for accuracy!