Love me tender

Hi John, just trying to find out a bit more about iPost. What can your website do for contractors?

Put simply, iPost is an online tendering service which brings contractors and suppliers together without the paperwork.

iPost scans, names and uploads users’ contract documents. Using the internet to host tender information saves firms the time and expense of burning CDs, mailing or making countless phone calls.

On some jobs, we’ve had enquiries that would take five days using traditional methods dealt with in a matter of hours.

But aren’t a lot of people already making use of the internet by sending documents via email?

Most people can email up to about 15 Mb, but drawings are about 2 Mb each, so it can be a long, drawn-out process. It makes no sense to email 500 Mb to about 50 different companies. With iPost, supply chain companies can access the project info online. It’s a no-brainer, really.

So, how exactly does the process work?

Estimators can search for appropriate suppliers by company name or category and then invite them to tender. The majority of categories are represented, covering electrical, mechanical and building sectors.

If any of the suppliers that contractors have in mind are not part of the database, they can invite them to register via email.

Contractors’ documents will appear online within 24 hours and suppliers are able to download the relevant parts. Supply chain companies then upload quotations back to the iPost project folder.

Email notifications, including the project description and the contractors’ details, are also sent to the parties.

All of this takes place in a password-protected environment. It’s a win-win solution for both contractors and suppliers.

And it helps to lessen contractual risks as well?

Yes. The company’s terms and conditions are included in every project. This mitigates the risks posed by merely referencing a document to incorporate it into a contract – an option often taken to save time.

Once the terms and conditions are received by the site, they are uploaded to every tender. iPost has a folder specifically dedicated to terms and conditions, which can be viewed and downloaded by the recipient of the tender enquiry. There are two further folders for the project contract and health and safety documents.

Sounds good. But is there any support available for those who are new to the system?

It’s pretty intuitive, really. If you can use email, you can use iPost. But we’re happy to guide contractors through the process over the phone.

New users receive two project credits for the price of one, as we appreciate that the online tendering process is a learning curve.

You’re not providing this service out of the goodness of your heart, then?

Well, the standard rate for contractors is £350 per project, but ECA and HVCA members receive a 10% discount. The cost covers each project for a period of six months and up to 500 Mb of downloads. Contractors must buy at least one project credit in order to register. Members can then top up their credit swiftly and easily via Paypal.

We allow supply chain companies and subcontractors to register free of charge.

And how’s business doing at the moment?

We’ve had about 150 projects on it, and we’ve distributed over 5000 enquiries. There are 520 supply chain companies subscribed along with 60 contractors. It’s an up and coming service and we haven’t spent a lot on marketing as of yet.

Any plans for enhancing the service in the near future?

We’re adding a global quote request feature to the site. It allows contractors to launch an email SOS to suppliers on the iPost database, whether they’ve prepared a quote for the project or not. It’s ideal if you’re short on time.