The client runs silent auctions that operate in both in-person and online formats simultaneously — a hybrid auction model. The Ultimate Auction Pro plugin currently supports only online bidding by logged-in users. Admins cannot place bids on behalf of other users, and there is no mechanism to record in-person bids from the live event within the system.
The goal of this project is to build a custom Offline Bid Entry feature within the WooCommerce admin, allowing staff to record in-person bids after the live event. Once all offline bids are entered, the system will compare them against online bids and automatically determine the overall winner — the highest bid across both channels.
Timeline Note: The client has flagged this as an urgent requirement ahead of a silent auction event on Saturday 26th April 2026. Please confirm payment promptly so we can assess our pipeline and prioritise accordingly. Delivery dates are subject to our development pipeline availability at the time of payment.
The following end-to-end workflow describes exactly how the hybrid auction will operate from auction setup through to winner declaration. This is based on the agreed requirements and the assumptions listed in Section 3.
Phase 1 — Before & During the Event
Step 1: Admin Creates the Auction (Online)
Admin creates the auction product in WooCommerce as usual — sets starting price, auction type (Silent), start date, and end date. The auction goes live on the website and is open to online bidders.
Step 2: Online Bidding Begins
Registered users on the website place their bids online in real time through the auction product page. All online bids are recorded by the plugin as normal.
Step 3: In-Person Event Runs Simultaneously
At the same time, staff run the in-person silent auction event. In-person bidders submit their bids on physical bid sheets — capturing their First Name, Last Name, Email, Phone Number, and Bid Amount.
Phase 2 — After the Event
Step 4: Auction Expires (or Admin Ends the Auction)
The online auction ends either automatically at the set end date/time, or the admin manually closes it. At this point, online bidding is closed. The system holds the final online bid results.
Step 5: Admin Enters Offline Bids
After the in-person event, staff go to the WooCommerce admin → Edit Auction Product page. A new “Offline Bids” section is available on this page. Staff enter each in-person bid one by one using the offline bid entry form: First Name, Last Name, Email, Phone Number, and Bid Amount. Multiple offline bids can be entered for the same auction.
Step 6: Admin Reviews All Bids
The admin can view a combined list of all offline bids entered, along with the existing online bid history. The admin can edit or delete any offline bid entry if a correction is needed before declaring the winner.
Phase 3 — Winner Declaration
Step 7: Admin Triggers Winner Determination
Once all offline bids are entered and verified, the admin clicks a “Determine Winner” button. The system compares ALL online bids and ALL offline bids for that auction and identifies the single highest bid across both channels.
Step 8: System Declares the Winner
The system automatically: • Marks the highest bidder (online or offline) as the auction winner • Updates the auction status to “Sold” • If the winner is an offline bidder: looks up their email in WordPress — creates a new customer account if not found • Creates the WooCommerce order for the winning bidder • Sends the winner notification email to the winning bidder
Step 9: Winner Completes Payment
The winning bidder (online or offline) receives the winner notification email with a link to complete payment. They log in (or use the account created for them) and complete the checkout process as normal.
The following assumptions have been made in scoping and designing this solution. Please review and confirm these before development begins. If any assumption is incorrect, it may affect the scope or timeline.
A1. Auctions are created as Silent Bid type in Ultimate Auction Pro. This proposal is scoped for silent auctions only. Other auction types (Simple, Proxy) are out of scope unless agreed separately.
A2. The online auction and the in-person event run during the same period. The online auction closes at the end of the event or is manually closed by the admin.
A3. The admin will manually close the auction before entering offline bids. Offline bids will not be entered while the auction is still live.
B1. Offline bids are entered manually by admin staff after the in-person event. There is no import (CSV or otherwise) of offline bids — entry is done one by one via the admin form.
B2. The offline bid form requires at minimum: First Name, Last Name, Email, and Bid Amount. Phone Number is optional.
B3. The admin is responsible for the accuracy of offline bid data entered. The system will not validate bid amounts against any reserve price during offline entry.
B4. Multiple offline bids per auction are supported — one entry per in-person bidder.
C1. If an offline winning bidder already has a WordPress/WooCommerce account with the same email address, that existing account will be used.
C2. If no matching account exists, the system will automatically create a new WooCommerce customer account using the email, first name, and last name provided. A password reset email will be sent to the new user so they can access their account.
C3. Non-winning offline bidders will NOT have accounts created automatically — only the winning offline bidder.
D1. Winner is determined by the highest bid amount across all online and offline bids combined.
D2. In the event of a tie (identical bid amount from an online and offline bidder), the online bid will take precedence. This can be adjusted if required.
D3. Winner determination is triggered manually by the admin — the system does not auto-declare a winner when the auction expires in this hybrid flow.
D4. Once the winner is declared, the auction status changes to “Sold” and the result cannot be automatically reversed. Any corrections must be handled manually by the admin.
E1. A winner notification email will be sent to the winning bidder (online or offline) upon winner declaration.
E2. No notification will be sent to non-winning bidders as part of this scope. This can be added as a future enhancement if required.
E3. Notification emails will use the existing Ultimate Auction Pro winner email template.
F1. CSV or bulk import of offline bids is out of scope.
F2. A public-facing offline bid submission form (for bidders to submit their own offline bids) is out of scope.
F3. Real-time bid merging or live display of offline bids during the event is out of scope.
F4. Reporting or analytics on hybrid auction results is out of scope.
Staff must be able to enter in-person bids for any auction product from the WooCommerce admin. Each offline bid must capture:
| Field | Details |
| First Name | Text input — required |
| Last Name | Text input — required |
| Email Address | Text input — required (used to match existing user or create new) |
| Phone Number | Text input — optional |
| Bid Amount | Numeric input — required |
We will build a custom WordPress plugin extension that adds offline bid management to the WooCommerce admin without modifying the Ultimate Auction Pro plugin core. All offline bid data will be stored in a custom database table linked to the auction product ID.
5.1 Offline Bid Entry Form (Admin)
5.2 Offline Bids List & Management
5.3 Combined Winner Determination
6.1 Offline Bid Entry Form — Admin
Estimated effort: 5 hours
6.2 Offline Bids List & Management
Estimated effort: 4 hours
6.3 Combined Winner Determination Logic
Estimated effort: 4 hours
6.4 Notifications
Estimated effort: 2 hours
6.5 Testing
Estimated effort: 2 hours
| Deliverable | Hours |
| Offline Bid Entry Form — Admin (per auction product) | 5 |
| Offline Bids List & Management — Admin | 4 |
| Combined Winner Determination Logic (Online + Offline) | 4 |
| Winner Notifications | 2 |
| Testing | 2 |
| TOTAL ESTIMATED HOURS | 17 |
The following deliverables will be provided as part of this task:
Project Cost