Submitting Proposals

Whether you are eligible to apply for a publicly posted project depends on your profile’s membership level and skill category as well as the project’s Privacy Setting (Open to All or Subscribers Only).

	Project’s Skill Category	Privacy Setting
Guru Vendors
Guru
Basic

Additionally, you must have sufficient bids left to apply.

To apply for a project,

1. Find a project listed in search results, in your Project Matches and Project Invitations lists, or in your Watch List.
2. Click the “Apply” button.
3. Follow the on-page instructions to complete the process.

To view or update your proposal,

1. On the top navigation bar, click “Proposals.”
2. Find the project and select the “View proposal” option from the “Actions” menu.
3. Click the “Update Proposal” button to modify your proposal details.
4. Click “Attach Files” icon to add or update files (Subscribing members only.)

Notes:

• If you currently have an open Mediation or Arbitration case, you will not be able to modify your proposal.
• You can use the proposal templates to maintain and reuse the basic information about your services.
• The number of proposals you submit will affect your Customer Acquisition Rate (CAR) and, therefore, your Total Marketing Score. Your Total Marketing Score is used to sort your proposals for the Employers.
• We include your contact information with your proposal automatically. If you’d like to list it within the body of your proposal as well, you certainly can.
• If you are a subscribing member or an invited Basic member, you can attach files to your proposal. Basic members that have not been invited will not be able to attach files to proposals.

When you submit a proposal for a project you’re pitching your services to the Employer. You’re telling him or her what you can do, how long it will take, and how much it will cost. Use your Proposals page to track and follow up on the projects for which you’ve submitted a proposal.

Employers consider many factors when selecting Freelancers to work on their projects. A solid proposal convinces an Employer to hire you over your competition.

Your proposal, tailored to a project’s exact requirements, should include cost and time estimates, descriptions of your applicable skills and experience, implementation plans, and an hourly rate if needed.

Your cost and time estimates will likely be the first thing to get the Employer’s attention and get you short-listed. The body of your proposal and whether you have directly addressed the Employer’s needs can give you a further edge over your competitors. Finally, the details within your profile could completely tip the scales in your favor. Be sure to complete your profile before submitting proposals.

Determining Cost Estimates

There are several ways to determine how much to charge for project work.

• If you have completed similar work in the past, you can base your estimate on previous payments.
• Research the going rate for similar projects by checking with large firms, professional organizations, or colleagues who work in the same industry.
• Use your desired hourly rate to present your estimate by calculating the number of hours required to complete the project and multiplying that number by your hourly rate.
• Use the Employer’s estimated budget as a guide for determining your estimated total charge.

Handling Vague Requirements

Employers are encouraged to post detailed projects, but some Employers lack the knowledge and experience to spec out their requirements fully. Sometimes, the Employers look to the Freelancers to help them determine the full scope of the project.

There are several ways to submit a proposal when project requirements are vague.

• Submit your proposal using the available information, and make suggestions for additions or limitations to the project scope.
• Clearly state that your proposal may change when you learn more about the requirements.
• List similar projects and prices.
• Include questions in the proposal or post Project Questions prior to submitting your proposal.

For more information and tips from fellow Freelancers, please visit the blog article “Scarce Project Details“ as well as Guru Answers.

Guru and Guru Vendor members can spend additional bids to submit Premium proposals. It costs 6 bids to submit a Premium proposal versus 1 bid for a standard proposal.

When you submit a Premium proposal for a project, you:

• Increase the visibility of your proposal among the Employer’s list of quotes. Your Premium proposal is sorted at the top  (above Standard proposals) by default.
• Set your proposal apart from others by placing a higher value on it.
• Signal to the Employer your desire and commitment to work on the project. Employers will know that your Premium proposal cost you more to submit than a Standard proposal.

Bids

Bids are the currency used to apply for projects. You spend your bids each time you apply to a project. It costs 1 bid to submit a standard proposal and 6 bids to submit a Premium proposal. Only Guru and Guru Vendor members can submit Premium proposals.

Freelancers receive a limited number of bids with their membership. The bids are limited to ensure that Employers receive an optimal number of the most qualified proposals. If you have used up all of your allotted bids you can still apply for projects to which you are invited by the Employer. Your bid will, however, count toward your total and will be carried over to the next 30-day period.

• Guru and Guru Vendor profiles: 100 bids for each upgraded profile. Guru and Guru Vendor members can purchase Bid Pax to supplement their allotted number of bids.
• Basic profiles: 10 bids for all Basic profiles combined (only one Basic profile can be active at a time).

Any bids spent from your membership allowance are replenished again in 30 days. For example, if you use one bid today, you will gain one bid in 30 days.

To view the total number of bids you have left per profile,

1. On the top right of the page, click your name and click “View / Edit My Profiles.”
2. Find the profile and find the “Bids left” text. The orange number is the number of bids left for that profile.

To view your bid replenishment calendar,

1. On the top right of the page, click your name and click “View / Edit My Profiles.”
2. On your profile listing, find the “Bids left” text and click the orange number.
3. On the Bidding History and Availability tab, review the calendar and chart for your bids spent and replenish dates.

Bid Pax

Guru and Guru Vendor members can purchase extra bids in Bid Pax for use only with Guru or Guru Vendor profiles in the same user account. Bids that you spend from Bid Pax do not get automatically replenished after 30 days.

Bid Pax pricing:

To purchase Bid Pax,

1. On the top right of the page, click your name and click “View / Edit My Profiles.”
2. Within one of your Guru or Guru Vendor profiles, find and select the “Buy Bid Pax” link.
3. Select the Bid Pax you want to buy from the drop-down menu and click the “Continue” button.
4. Select an available payment method (credit card, direct deposit, PayPal or cash account funds) and click the “Continue” button to complete your transaction.

Notes:

• Bid Pax purchases are non-refundable and non-transferable.
• Bid Pax do not expire. If your Guru or Guru Vendor profile expires, the Bid Pax are disabled until at least one profile is renewed or upgraded.
• Only Freelancers with confirmed direct deposit accounts can pay for membership using this method.
• PayPal payments funded with a bank account or transactions that are investigated by PayPal may be delayed by up to three business days while the payment clears or while PayPal completes their investigation.

You can use proposal templates to maintain and reuse the basic information about your services. However, you’ll still want to tailor each proposal to each Employer’s specific needs. Do not use the templates to spam Employers. The number of proposals you submit will affect your Customer Acquisition Rate (CAR) and, therefore, your Total Marketing Score. Your Total Marketing Score is used to sort your proposals for the Employers. The more you spam Employers, the lower in the list your quote will be displayed.

You can create up to 10 proposal templates.

To create a proposal template,

1. On the Dashboard page, click Proposals.
2. On the Proposals page, click “Proposal Template Manager.”
3. Click the “Create New” button.
4. Complete the form and click the “Save” button.

To update or delete a proposal template,

1. On the Dashboard page, click Proposals.
2. On the Proposals page, click “Proposal Template Manager.”
3. Click the appropriate action button; Create New, Edit or Delete.
4. Click the “Select Default Templates” tab to assign your templates to your profiles.
5. From the drop-down menu in a profile record, select the default template for that profile.
6. Always click the “Save” button after making changes.

To apply using templates,

1. From your project search results, Project Matches, Project Invitations or Watch List, click the project’s title.
2. Click the “Apply” button.
3. Select the profile to associate with the proposal.
4. Enter your Total Cost Estimate.
5. Select a template from the “Templates” drop-down menu.
6. Follow remaining instructions to complete the process.

We notify the Employer of new proposals in two ways:

1. On the Quotes tab of the Employer’s Work Room
   The moment you submit your proposal, the Employer can sign into his or her account and view your proposal as well as your full profile and all of its components, such as contact information, Resume page or Company page and Work Samples. If you update your proposal, we dynamically update your changes in the Employer’s quotes viewing area. Employers will see Premium proposals at the top of the list. Proposals are then sorted by Total Marketing Score.
2. Via the “View New Quotes” email
   Once every 24 hours we send the Employer a “View New Quotes” email. The email includes the direct contact information and a link to the profile of each Freelancer that meets one of the following criteria:
• The Freelancer has been invited to submit a proposal.
• The Freelancer resides inside the Project’s specified location. If the project was not limited to a specific location, the email will include all proposals submitted.

Information regarding all of the projects for which you’ve applied is listed with your proposal on the Proposals page of your account. To access your Proposals, on the top navigation bar, click “Proposals.”

Every project will list a status, which signals whether or not you can apply for the project, whether the project has been awarded to you or to another Freelancer, whether the project is closed, etc. Check your status against the following list:

Information about other Freelancers who have applied to the project will be listed under the Applicants section of the Project Details page.

You can view each Freelancer’s proposal type (Premium or standard), screen name (which is also a link to his or her profile), location, earnings (year), and feedback (year). Additionally, each proposal is listed in order by Recommendation number. The Recommendation number is based on the Total Marketing Score. The higher your Total Marketing Score, the higher your proposal will be listed.

The record of the Freelancers selected to complete the work will be highlighted and will have an “Awarded” date.

You will not see the bid amounts or the details of the proposal submitted by other Freelancers. We use the closed-bidding approach so as to encourage Freelancers to submit proposals that are based on the quality of their own skills and not on the bid amount or proposal submitted by another user. The intent is to provide Employers with more accurate pricing rather than facilitating price wars.

Some Employers may ask for samples and some may ask for mock-ups. If an Employer asks for “samples,” you can assume he is asking for samples of previously completed work. If you are a Guru or Guru Vendor member, you can attach samples to your proposal in addition to uploading Work Samples to your profile. If you are a Basic member, you can upload samples to the Work Samples section of your profile and, in your proposal, refer the Employer to the sample.

If an Employer is asking you to develop a sample specific to his project, he’s asking for a mock-up. While we do not allow requests for mock-ups to be made publicly via project postings or Project Q&A, we have no control over private conversations or agreements between Employers and Freelancers.

If in a private conversation, an Employer asks you to provide free mock-ups it is up to you to decide if you will provide the requested mock-up. Freelancers who choose to provide free mock-ups do so at their own risk.

Make sure your proposal and price meet the project’s specifications.

Unless you are awarded the project; your proposal details, files uploaded with your proposal, Project Messages, and files uploaded with the Messages are automatically deleted from the Proposals page 90 days after the project closes. The project details, however, are not deleted.