Q: How much does it cost to Post a Project?

A: FREE, There is no cost to post a project on MONTANABID.COM. The purpose of the Plans Exchange is to provide as many bidding opportunities to our members as we can. We don't charge for posting projects to our network, however in order to keep our costs down to our members we also cannot pay to obtain bidding documents. We in turn are providing advertisement of your documents to over 2,500 members in Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, North and South Dakota.

Q: What happens when I Post a Project to MONTANABID.COM?

A: When you upload documents to MONTANABID.COM via our upload tool the documents are not directly posted to our members. The Documents are sent electronically to The Independent Montana Plans Exchanges. Your documents then are processed by Exchange staff to make them compatible with our Tools for viewing and estimating on our website. Our websites have advanced viewers that allow our members to view, print, download and even perform Take-off's directly on the computer. In order for these tools to work we must prepare the documents before they are posted. The documents then are accessible by our members behind a password protected website. We call this website the Online Planroom.

Q: What Format should I send the documents to you in?

Montanabid.com requests documents in one of the following document formats:
(PDF,DWF or TIFF)

Best Practices include:
Unlocked PDF files with One (1) PDF file for Drawings and One (1) PDF file for Specifications.
(Please zip all files locally on your hard drive before upload)See how to Zip your files.

Q: How do I post changes to my Projects? (Addenda, Memo, Etc.)

You can send changes via E-mail to all Exchanges in our network: montanabid@gmail.com
Or
You can use the File Upload tool just like when you Post a Project. We will then add the changes to the project online. We will send out a notice to bidders via e-mail to notify them of the changes to the project.

Q: Why does MONTANABID request unlocked PDF Files?

A: Bidders can view documents and use integrated viewers from: On-Screen Takeoff, Planswift and QuickEye. These viewers on our website work best with the .tif files. The .tif files are image files. The PDF format has become very complicated and can contain embedded layers and fonts and other variables that Builders Exchange cannot control. Builder's Exchange will take the PDF files sent to us and convert them into .tif files for viewing by our members in a consistent format that allows our members to use our integrated Take-off tools.

Q: Who can access documents posted to montanabid.com?

A: Your documents that are uploaded to MONTANABID.COM will be advertised on a secure password protected members only website. This website allows members of participating MONTANABID.COM Plans Exchanges to access your projects to help facilitate the bidding process.