​​​​Actually, the group, as a whole, did not know there would be that contingent vacancy when the AE closed so they might not have bid for it, unlike a category vacancy where the whole seniority list is presumed to know there is a vacancy because that vacancy has been posted.

Again, this seems to follow with 22.E.10 which states, "If no pilot bids on a First Officer category vacancy, the Company may assign an entry level pilot to fill the vacancy." No mention is made of a contingent vacancy. If that unfilled contingent.vacancy remains, the Company can (and likely will) post it on the next AE...unless they are trying to shrink a category and then it vaporizes.