User Manual- Finding Your Next Job

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed in any mediumwithout prior written consent of BidClerk, Inc.
Copyright 2012 BidClerk, Inc. All rights reserved.

User Manual
Fi ndi ng Y our Next J ob




User Manual- Finding Your Next Job

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed in any mediumwithout prior written consent of BidClerk, Inc.
Copyright 2012 BidClerk, Inc. All rights reserved.
Table of Contents
Getting Started 3
Logging In 3
BidClerk Basics 3
Searches 5
Conducting a Project Advanced Search 5
Understanding Your Search Results 7
Conducting a Contact or Company Advanced Search 7
My BidClerk 8
My BidClerk 8
Advertising 9
My Folders 9
Bid Alerts 9
My Folder 10
My Folders 10
Appendix 11
Definitions 11
User Manual- Finding Your Next Job

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed in any mediumwithout prior written consent of BidClerk, Inc.
Copyright 2012 BidClerk, Inc. All rights reserved.
Getting Started
Logging In

Go to http://www.bidclerk.com and click Login at the upper right hand corner of the page.

At the login page, enter your username and password in the appropriate fields.

Click Log In.

BidClerk Basics
Once you are logged in to your BidClerk account, you will be directed to your My BidClerk page. You can learn
more about this area on page 8.

Above is the menu bar included on the top of every page on the BidClerk website.
Home
Clicking on the Home Tab will bring you to the BidClerk homepage. On this page, you can look for projects
according to state. These searches will yield broad results, but get you searching right away! The best way to search
for projects is by doing an advanced search, which we will cover on page 5.
Search
The Search Tab will bring you to the Project Advanced Search page. You will be able to find projects using our
various search parameters. On the Search page, you will also have the option to save your specified searches to
quickly run them again at your convenience.
Helpful Hint #1
If you forget your username or password at anytime, you can enter your email address at the bottom of the
Login page and your login information will be emailed to you.
User Manual- Finding Your Next Job

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed in any mediumwithout prior written consent of BidClerk, Inc.
Copyright 2012 BidClerk, Inc. All rights reserved.

My BidClerk
The My BidClerk Tab page is your one stop shop for your favorite BidClerk features. You can update your profile,
run a quick search, check your billing history, and run your saved searches. There are three drop down tabs on the
My BidClerk tab.
My Folder
By clicking on the My Folder tab, you can save projects, contacts, and companies for easy access later!
Account Administration
From this tab, you can update your billing information, and adjust your email notifications
Todays Leads
Todays Leads provide you with easy access to the projects youve viewed that day.

Whats New
On the Whats New page, youll find brief descriptions of our new functionalities designed to optimize your
BidClerk experience. If you have suggestions on new features, feel free to drop us a line at 877-737-6482 or email
us at support@bidclerk.com. You can also use Live Help button to contact us.
Contact US
Need help? Our Customer Service team is standing by! Click Live Help to open a live chat with one of our
representatives. Or visit our FAQ page to find some helpful answers to our most asked questions.






Helpful Hint #2
The boxes located throughout the site will provide explanations and helpful hints for the associated topic.
User Manual- Finding Your Next Job

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed in any mediumwithout prior written consent of BidClerk, Inc.
Copyright 2012 BidClerk, Inc. All rights reserved.
Searches
Conducting a Project Advanced Search
Click on the Search icon at the top of the page to access the Project Advanced Search page.

Attributes

Under this section, we have many key search parameters to help get you the best results. You will use different
criteria depending on whether you are a General Contractor, Subcontractor/Supplier, or Residential Contractor. For
Type and Status definitions, please see the appendix.






User Manual- Finding Your Next Job

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed in any mediumwithout prior written consent of BidClerk, Inc.
Copyright 2012 BidClerk, Inc. All rights reserved.
General Contractors
As a General Contractor, it is best to focus on Status. You may want to stick with Conceptual, Design, Pre-
Construction, and GC Bidding. Including these statuses in your search will allow you to monitor projects as
they approach bidding and/or construction phases.

Subcontractors/Suppliers
If you are a Subcontractor or Supplier, Trade and Status are important parameters. Select your trade
specialization first. Then choose Pre-Construction, GC Bidding, and Sub-Bidding under Status to yield the
best results.

Residential Contractors
Its important to select Single Family Residential Only under Usage, and Pre-Construction under Status.

Location

The best way to search for location is to enter your zip code and then select a radius of how far you would like to
travel. The Address section under Location refers to the address of a project. Do not put in your personal/company
address. Unless your home or office is the construction site, you will get no results!





Save This Search

Before you run the search, you may decide to save it. Simply type in the desired search name and click Search
Projects. You may also decide to save the search after you receive the results instead. To do this, press the Back
button on your browser to return to the Project Advanced Search page. All of your search criteria will be still
selected. Then type in the desired search name and click Search Projects again.

Your saved searches are easily accessible on the My BidClerk page and on the bottom of the Advanced Search
page.


Helpful Hint #3
When searching for projects, it is important to remember that less is more. The fewer criteria you select, the
more projects you will see in your results.
User Manual- Finding Your Next Job

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed in any mediumwithout prior written consent of BidClerk, Inc.
Copyright 2012 BidClerk, Inc. All rights reserved.
Understanding Your Search Results

To the left of each project ID is a plus or minus sign. Clicking on the plus or minus sign will expand or collapse the
project summary. The plus or minus signs are color coded for at-a-glance information: blue means the project is
new to the site or has not been viewed by your account before and red means you have already seen the project and
there is no new information available.

Sorting

You may sort your results by clicking on ID, Location, Status, Bid Date, Reported, or Docs. Clicking on any of the
columns again will reverse the order.

Conducting a Contact or Company Advanced Search
You can also search for contacts and companies. You may save your search by entering a name in the Save This
Search box and by clicking Search Contacts or Search Companies.

User Manual- Finding Your Next Job

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed in any mediumwithout prior written consent of BidClerk, Inc.
Copyright 2012 BidClerk, Inc. All rights reserved.
My BidClerk
My BidClerk
There are many ways to make the most of your BidClerk account. Your BidClerk account is a networking tool used
to connect you with other contractors and organizations. This section will help familiarize you with your My
BidClerk page.

Profile Information
Entering your profile information allows you to be a part of the Bidders Directory. To enter your profile data, click
the Complete Your Profile link in this section.

User Manual- Finding Your Next Job

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed in any mediumwithout prior written consent of BidClerk, Inc.
Copyright 2012 BidClerk, Inc. All rights reserved.
Saved Items
In this section, you may access your previously saved projects, contacts, and companies. Clicking Manage Your
Saved Data will allow you to run, edit, or delete your saved items.
Viewed Recently
This list shows all the projects that you have viewed most recently for easy access and reference. You may also
choose to see recently viewed contacts and companies by clicking on the appropriate tab.
Saved Search
Easily access your saved searches here. Refer to the previous chapter on how to save your searches.
Advertising
At BidClerk, we offer advertising as a service to our subscribers for an additional fee. Advertisements are listed to
directly above the Project Contacts on a project page. Want to advertise to the residential market? We send them to
homeowners in your area when they submit their projects.
Banner ads are also available! Contact us today for more details!
My Folders
Please refer to the next chapter for more information on this section.
Bid Alerts
Bid Alerts are custom alerts that will be sent to your email to keep you informed on what you want to know!
Email Alerts
To discontinue any email alerts, click the circle next to Inactive in the left column. To learn more about each alert,
click View Details on the right.
Custom Bid Alerts
Set up a Custom Bid Alert for daily email updates based on the results of your saved searches. To set up these
alerts, click on the Active button next to your desired saved search. Clicking on Details gives a description of
the alerts and allows you to edit the criteria for that search.

User Manual- Finding Your Next Job

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed in any mediumwithout prior written consent of BidClerk, Inc.
Copyright 2012 BidClerk, Inc. All rights reserved.
My Folder
My Folders
My Folder is used to keep all your saved items. You can access it from the BidClerk menu bar, as well as the My
BidClerk page.
Project Tab
You may organize your saved projects according to any of the fields listed (ID, Name, Location, Status, Bid Date,
Last Updated, Docs, or Notes). You can do this by clicking on the appropriate name in the gray bar above your
projects.
To remove a project from your saved projects, simply click the folder icon or click the check box at the right
and click Choose Action and Remove Project.
Sub Folders
Want to organize the items in your folder? Select the check box next to each project you want and then select
Choose Action and click Manage Folders. On the Folder Management page, enter the name for the sub folder
and click Add New Folder. Thats it!
Printing Projects
To print your saved projects, click the check box next to each project you want to print. Then select Choose
Action and click Print Selected.
Contact/Company Tabs
In My Folder, you can also access your saved contacts and companies. You can view them by clicking on the
Contacts or Company tab above your saved projects.
User Manual- Finding Your Next Job

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed in any mediumwithout prior written consent of BidClerk, Inc.
Copyright 2012 BidClerk, Inc. All rights reserved.
Appendix
Definitions
Some terms used on BidClerk may not mean the same thing for everyone. Below is a list of words you will come
across when searching for projects and how they are used on the BidClerk site.
Type of Project

Refers to the type of work being done: Addition, Demolition, New Construction, Remodeling, Renovation, Site
Work, Outdoor Lighting, Paving, Environmental Remediation, Asbestos Abatement, and LEED Certification.
Renovation vs. Remodeling
Typically, Renovation is used to describe work other than site work and/or new construction on an
existing building that is not a Single Family Residential structure. Remodeling is refers to work on
Single Family Residential buildings only.
Status of Project
Refers to the stage of development of the project: Conceptual, Design, Pre-Construction, GC Bidding, Sub-bidding,
Under Construction, Award, Occupancy, Post-Bid, Bid Results, Research.
Conceptual
The project is in the preliminary planning stages and may have only conceptual drawings and
(roughly 10+months until construction).
Design
An architect has been selected and is in the process of developing plans and specifications for the
projects (roughly 2-9 months until construction).
Final Planning
An architect has completed the construction documents. The Planning Commission/Government agency
approvals have been received. General Contractor bidding has yet to commence. Permits may be being
obtained. (roughly 2-3 months until construction).
Pre-Construction / Negotiated
Completed plans are awaiting owner review/approval. A General Contractor/Construction
Manager/Design-Builder has negotiated the job. Subcontractor bidding has yet to commence.
(roughly 1-2 months until construction).
User Manual- Finding Your Next Job

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed in any mediumwithout prior written consent of BidClerk, Inc.
Copyright 2012 BidClerk, Inc. All rights reserved.
GC Bidding
The contracts administrator is actively accepting bid from general contractors (roughly 1 month until
construction).
Sub-bidding
The negotiated or awarded general contractor is actively accepting bids from subcontractors
(roughly 1 month until construction).
Post-Bid
All bidding for the project is complete until further notice by the owner or awarded/negotiated
general contractor.
Award
A general contractor or subcontractor has been awarded and all trades have been let.
Bid Results
The bid tabulation has been announced and the lowest bidder has been named. Projects in Bid
Results status may also include bid line item and/or bid summary dollar totals.