The third party contractor that administers the auction is called CWSAMS. 

Currently we are relying on the partner to find the deals through his network of wholesalers and auctions but he is not jumping at the opportunity to share those contacts with us since that is a large portion of the value that he's bringing to the table.My questions are as follows:-Is it worth it to set up a funnel similar to a wholesaler to find direct deals for flipping?

I get all my furniture and appliances from estate auctions. 

It was an REO I bought at auction.

Those properties are then put up for auction and sold at bargain prices since there are so many of them (worse than 2008-10). 

We purchased at auction.

This letter has left a bad taste in my mouth, and 7 hours after receiving this letter, dream house #1 gets listed on an auction site.

I had that very same idea in 1980 when I met an elderly gentleman at a public auctions, introduce myself and asked if he'd help me learn how to make serious money in real estate, he agreed to tell all, how to flip, buy at auction, creative financing and he'd give me all of his contacts ---- oh, under one condition I HAD TO MARRY HIS DAUGHTER!

My question is if I let the property go to auction can I or my associate then bid on the property in my RE company name?

The auction is in 2 weeks so I’m doing my due Diligence with, I call the title company and ask for title reports to see if there are any mortgages/liens attached to the property.