This Tool Saves Drafters & Engineers Time
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So, you’ve set up your account on Drafting Marketplace and now you’re ready to start exploring the platform. We’re just as excited as you are! One of the most important features of Drafting Marketplace is the Project Details page for each project that’s uploaded to the website. In this blog post, we’re going to be breaking down how to view project detail pages as well as the type of information they feature.
Posting a Project as a Glazing Contractor
As a glazing contractor, you have the ability to post projects to Drafting Marketplace through your dashboard. You can do this by logging in to your account and clicking the Post a Project menu item on the navigation bar on the left hand side of your screen.
Once you click the Post a Project button, you’ll be taken to a form where you’ll be prompted to fill out the details about your project, including the following information:
- Project Name
- Architect Name
- Product Info (you may upload a product quote or fill out this part manually)
- Product Type
- Special Instructions
- Upload Project Files
- Set Project Visibility (you may opt to set your project as public so that any drafter may view it, or you can mark it as private and invite specific drafters to bid on it)
Once you’ve entered all of the information requested, you may either save the project to be posted at a later time, or click the Post This Project button to post the project immediately.
Once the project is submitted, a Project Details page will be created.
Viewing Project Details as a Glazing Contractor
Glazing contractors may find the Project Details page for the project that was just submitted by clicking the Dashboard button on the left side navigation. This will take users back to the main dashboard screen.
Click the Receiving Bids tab and you’ll see the project you have marked as public that is open for bids from drafters.
Click on the name of the project you want to view, and you’ll be taken to the Project Details page.
At the top of the Project Details page, you’ll see your profile picture, the name of the project, your company name, and the rating of your company. On the top right hand side, you’ll also see the option to edit your Project Details page, as well as the bidding status and a button that gives the option for glazing contractors to manage the bidders on the project.
On the middle of the page, glazing contractors will see a section with two tabs that say Description and Activity Feed.
The Description tab allows users to view the information that was submitted through the Post a Project form, including the due date, architect name, and the specifics about the project.
The Activity Feed is where you can track activity on your project. This feed is where glazing contractors will see the following:
- Bid activity
- Bid acceptance activity
- Project submissions
- Messages
- Project acceptance
- Project status changes
- Invoice updates
- Review status
On the right hand side of the screen, next to the project Description and Activity Feed, users will find a Files center.
Here, you have the ability to download files that have been uploaded to the project, delete files, or upload more files.
At the bottom of the Project Details page, glazing contractors will find a Messaging feature, which allows glazing contractors and drafters to message one another about the project.
Viewing Project Details as a Drafter
When it comes to drafters, there are two different ways to view a Project Details page. For one, when it’s time to search for a project, drafters can either click on the Find a Project navigation item on the left hand side of the main dashboard...
...or hover over the Find a… navigation item on the top of the screen.
When the Find a… item is clicked, a dropdown menu appears with the option to find a project, drafter, or glazing contractor. Click on the Project option. Either of these methods will take users to the same Available Projects page.
Once on the Available Projects page, scroll through and find a project you’d like to view. Click on the project to see the Project Description page. Here, you’ll see main details such as the name of the Glazing Contractor, their profile photo, the name of their project, their company rating, specific details about the project description, and the project due date. On the right hand side of the screen, drafters have the ability to place a bid on the project or send a message.
Once a bid is placed and accepted, drafters can view the Project Details page that’s shared with the glazing contractor. This can be viewed by clicking the Dashboard button on the left hand navigation on the screen.
Then, click the Open Projects tab and select the project you want to view.
Click on the project and you’ll be taken to the Project Details page. This Project Details page is the same as the Project Details page that was described earlier in this blog for glazing contractors.
