Someone is auctioning what someone else has budget to buy

A seven-step play for a used-equipment broker. It starts from BidNet Direct, stacks IronPlanet, Firecrawl and HiBid on top, and ends in a message to the purchasing officer that is useful before anyone replies.

Deploy in Glider

Installs this workflow, five project tables and a draft campaign. Source access and any external outputs are checked before research.

Category: Trade, logistics and hardware
Sources: 4
Steps: 7

The workflow

TriggerBidNet DirectLive public purchasing requirements
Evidence
IronPlanetEquipment being liquidated, with specs and closing dates FirecrawlManufacturer documentation for the model HiBidMore auction listings and closing dates
Artifact
What you hand overA specification comparison between the requirement and the auction unit, the gaps to verify, and an estimated delivered cost.
Contact
GliderFinds the purchasing officer, with a verified work email and a phone
Message
Send itFrom your own mailboxes, evidence attached

Why it earns attention

A public buyer with a published requirement rarely watches equipment auctions. A broker who finds a matching unit nearby offers a cheaper option they would never see.

The play in seven steps

01
Find a live requirement
BidNet Direct
What you pull
Open solicitations for used or new equipment in one class: the buyer, required capacity and configuration, budget if listed, and due date.
Why it matters
This is a buyer with budget and a spec. Everything else is matching to it.
Example
County public works · wheel loader, 3 cubic yard bucket, cab with AC · responses due Dec 1
02
Find a unit at auction
IronPlanet
What you pull
Auction listings in the same class: model, hours, location, inspection report and closing date. HiBid adds local auctions.
Why it matters
Auction equipment often sells below dealer prices. The closing date is the deadline for both sides.
Example
Wheel loader · 2018 · 4,100 hours · 90 miles away · closes Nov 20
03
Check the spec
Firecrawl
What you pull
The maker's spec sheet for that model: bucket capacity, operating weight, cab options and emissions tier.
Why it matters
A spec comparison against the requirement is what makes this a fit instead of a guess.
Example
3.0 cubic yard bucket · enclosed cab with AC · Tier 4 Final
04
Build the comparison
Your artifact
What you build
The requirement line by line against the unit, the gaps to verify, and an estimated delivered cost including buyer premium and transport.
Why it works
The purchasing officer can see in a minute whether it is worth pursuing under their rules.
Example
9 of 10 requirements met · warranty gap · estimated delivered cost about 40% below new
05
Check before you send
Public purchasing rules may not allow buying at auction, or may require warranties. Check condition, accepted equivalents and the buyer's rules before calling it a fit.
06
Find the purchasing officer in Glider
Glider
Search for
Purchasing officerFleet managerPublic works directorProcurement manager
Why them
Purchasing knows what the rules allow. The fleet manager wrote the spec and judges whether the unit fits.
What you get
A work email and a direct phone, with the email verified before it goes into a sequence.
07
Send the evidence, then run the first test
To: the purchasing officerEvery line comes from a step above
Your solicitation calls for a wheel loader with a 3-yard bucket and an air-conditioned cab, due December 1.¹ A 2018 unit with 4,100 hours goes to auction 90 miles from you on November 20,² and its spec meets your bucket, cab and emissions requirements.³ I put together the comparison, the gaps to verify, and an estimated delivered cost about 40% below new.⁴ Is used equipment allowed under this one?
- Facts from the data (the number is the step)
- What you built for them
- One small ask
Why it works
It answers their published requirement with a specific unit and a price, and the question is easy to answer either way.
First test
Ten open requirements in one equipment class.
Success looks like
Two purchases out of ten open requirements.