Q: How much does it cost to post a project on Freelance-Accountants.com?

It is absolutely free for service buyers.

Q: Can anybody register on Freelance-Accountants.com?

Membership is only open to individuals and entities who can form legally binding contracts under Applicable Law. Without limiting the foregoing, Membership is not available to anyone under 18 years of age. Individuals must register in their own right (i.e., not on someone else's behalf), and registration of legal entities other than individuals must be made by an authorized representative of the entity.

Q: Can I change my username?

No. We encourage our users to build a brand/reputation around their username.

Q: How much does it cost to post a project to the website?

Freelance-Accounants.com allows service buyers to post, solicit bids and award projects to service providers without being charged a registration fee or charged for project commissions.

Q: How do I write a good project post?

A well-written and thoughtfully crafted project escription is a great way to attract the best candidates who have the right skills and expertise for your project. We recommend that you take some time to plan out exactly what you need done. The more specific you are, the more likely you are to find a provider who will meet your needs.

Q: Are project descriptions visible publicly?

All project posted on the Freelance-Accountants.com website are posted with a public URL and accessible to search engines such as Google, Yahoo! or Bing, making your job searchable from oursite our website. If you want your project to be searchable only within the Freelance-Accountants.com website, you can specify that during the posting process.

Q: What is a Featured Post?

Featured Posts get extra attention and stand out to high-quality providers. Featuring your project post is a great way to attract high quality proposals from the most experienced providers on Freelance-Accountants.com. There is a cost associated with Featured Posts.

Q: What is a Sealed vs. Open Posting?

When posting a project, you have the option to allow service providers to view each others' proposals or keep them hidden by "Sealing" the proposals. Sealing the proposal process helps ensure you receive customized proposals from each provider with details visible only to you.

Q: What is an "Invite-Only" job?

Invite-Only allows buyer to chose who they want to bid. Sometimes a project poster may be familiar with a service provider's work, or see a profile they like, and want to limit their project's proposals to only these service providers. Only invited providers may submit proposals on this type of project. At any time, the employer can change the project status and open it to proposals from all service providers.

Q: How do I determine the right price for my project?

Depending on the type of project and your situation, there are several options. Among these: You may know what you have paid for the same project before; You can leverage a quote which you have already received; You might have a budget which you cannot or do not want to exceed. You could calculate your estimate for time to deliver and multiply with an industry-standard hourly rate. Alternatively, you do not have to select a budget for your project.

Q: How credible are the service providers bidding on my job?

Freelance-Accountants.com recognizes that credibility of service providers is key. Therefore, we have put a rigorous profiling system in place. Every member has a Profile section which displays: Feedback ratings from other members based on previous transactions, Portfolio Samples, Certification page listing content provided by the member which Freelance-Accountants.com verifies upon receipt of supporting documentation like, e.g., the member's certification, license, qualifications, etc.; Company Profile/About page which allows each member to write about their business, e.g., company history, testimonials, references, etc.

Q: I only want to deal with fully qualified service providers

Just make your expectations clearly known in the project description. If a service provider bids on your project but does not meet your defined expectations, then this bid is invalid. You can select or reject any bids.

Q: How do I contact providers?

The service provider's contact information (name, address, telephone, email, ect.) is only provided after you have awarded the project to the provider. However, after initially posting your project you can either invite providers to bid on your project by using the Private Message Board, or you can wait for providers to bid on your project and communicate with them through the Public or Private Message Board, but direct contact information (name, address, telephone, email, ect.) will not be supplied to either party (service buyer or service provider) until the project has been awarded.

Q: How to evaluate proposals received

When reviewing the proposals received, keep in mind the amount is only part of the proposal. Be sure to consider the provider's profile, portfolio, feedback left by other service buyers for previous projects and their communication. You may also interview the providers using the Public or Private Message Board.

Q: How do I select a service provider?

We suggest interviewing several providers and only awarding the project to a provider with whom you feel comfortable. Once you aware the project, we always recommend setting frequent milestones and constantly measuring performance.

Q: Nobody bid on my Project. What can I do?

Freelance-Accountants.com gives you the option to re-list your project. We allow you to re-list it at no charge.

Q: How to manage a project

To help ensure successful completion of your project, ask your service provider to set milestones and send you a regular status report through Freelance-Accountants.com. Managing projects on Freelance-Accountants.com is similar to managing any professional services engagement: communicate often, provide prompt feedback, pay when agreed and submit objective feedback.

Q: What should happen before I award a project to a service provider?

Project requirements, milestones and payment terms should be clear up front before work begin on the project to avoid any miscommunication or delays down the road. However, you or the provider are free to update the Terms at any time during the job.

Q: How to communicate with a provider

This is up to you. Service buyers and service providers may communicate publicly via the Project Q&A section, or privately through the Private Message Board. You can also communicate directly with the service provider, however Freelance-Accountants.com recommends that you use the website to manage your project and keep all communications centralized to maintain a time-stamped, unalterable record of all clarifications and agreements around scope, deliverables, milestones, timeframes, etc. In the event of a dispute, the project communications board will be the only record of communication that is referenceable for resolution of the dispute.

Q: Are there file size restrictions?

For large and multiple related files, we strongly recommend the use of compressed or zipped files. You may also use third party file sharing. Just be sure to reference any external file sharing within your project management board.

Q: What file types can I upload?

We allow the upload of most common file types. Image formats include jpg, jpeg, gif, png. Explanatory documents include doc, txt, pdf, .dwg, odf, zip, rar, ppt, jpg, jpeg, gif, png. We will not allow the upload of programs or any content which is potentially harmful to the operation of Freelance-Accountants.com servers. Please contact us if there is a specific file type you want us to include.

Q: Does Freelance-Accountants.com guarantee the quality of work?

We do everything that we can to ensure successful results, but ultimately, there is no way that we can *guarantee* the quality of work. We believe the buyer and the provider have a shared responsibility to work toward a successful outcome and our role is to provide all the tools and support possible to help.

Q: How does Freelance-Accountants.com protect intellectual property (IP)?

Per our Terms and Conditions, Freelance-Accountants.com is not liable and is not party to services delivered. But we acknowledge the right for member's to protect their property. Every registered member in the Freelance-Accountants.com network is encouraged to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) with the parties they engage business with. You may send your own NDA directly to any provider.

Q: How do I cancel a project?

You can cancel the project before a provider has been awarded the project or afterwards, if the provider agrees.

Q: When do I have to pay?

Freelance-Accountants.com is not involved in the financial transaction between the service buyer and service provider. Generally, you pay at the end of each accepted milestone as determined in your terms with the provider. Most providers will also request a percentage retainer to begin the project. The exact nature of payment schedules are determined by you and the provider prior to the project being completed. Providers are responsible for reporting their earnings to the appropriate tax agencies.

Q: Why should I leave feedback?

Leaving feedback helps other members of the Freelance-Accountants.com community to properly evaluate each other when considering to engage in a project, and by using Freelance-Accountants.com you agree to also leave feedback about the service provider on our system. When giving feedback, consider the impact that your comments and rating will have on the reputation of the service provider: be fair and objective.

Q: What if there's a Dispute?

It's rare, but sometimes there are disagreements between buyers and providers, which is why Freelance-Accountants.com recommends that you use the website to manage your project and keep all communications centralized to maintain a time-stamped, unalterable record of all clarifications and agreements around scope, deliverables, milestones, timeframes, etc. In the event of a dispute, the project communications board will be the only record of communication that is referenceable for resolution of the dispute.

Q: How much does it cost to join Freelance-Accountants.com as a service provider?

We have various discounted monthly, quarterly, semi-annual and annual subscription plans available. Please see our subscription plan matrix for pricing and website permissions.

Q: Can anybody register on Freelance-Accountants.com?

Membership is only open to individuals and entities who can form legally binding contracts under Applicable Law. Without limiting the foregoing, Membership is not available to anyone under 18 years of age. Individuals must register in their own right (i.e., not on someone else's behalf), and registration of legal entities other than individuals must be made by an authorized representative of the entity.

Q: Can I change my username?

No. We encourage our users to build a brand/reputation around their username.

Q: How do I verify my credentials?

Email or Fax Freelance-Accountants.com copies of relevant documentation. Once received, we'll update your status from Pending to Verified. Please make sure that you send one certificate per page (do not send copies of several certificates on one page). There is a small fee associated with verifications.

Placing a Bid:

Q: What kind of buyers are here?

Buyers on Freelance-Accountants.com range from individuals to small to medium-sized businesses that are looking for providers for everything from small fixed-price projects to long-term relationships.

Q: How credible is the buyer?

In the same way as buyers can view profiles of bidders, providers can access the buyer's profile via the project view. This allows any potential bidder to understand the history and credibility of the buyer on Freelance-Accountants.com before placing a bid. We encourage providers to ensure that there is a good fit during the interview process.

Q: Is there more to bidding than price?

Yes. This is why the buyer of a service doesn't have to choose the cheapest bid-the buyer can accept ANY bidder's bid. And Freelance-Accountants.com provides a platform which allows every service provider to publicly display their profile so that a buyer can make an informed decision based on your portfolio, feedback, listed credentials, and overall profile. The more comprehensive your profile, the better you will fair.

Q: I am interested in this project- but the buyer's budget is unrealistic

You can make the buyer aware of your interest, concerns and ideas before placing a bid.You can contact the buyer by using the Private Message Board.A buyer can make changes to a project, including the price, until the first bid arrives.

Q: How do I get awarded a project?

A couple of things we recommend:First, post a profile and fill in your past experience and skills. Include as many certifications and skills as possible, upload work samples to your portfolio, include a portrait or logo, and spend time editing and refining the text in your profile. Start applying for project! Try out small projects first to accrue feedback and then go after the bigger fish.

Q: How long does it take to get a project?

The first project is always the hardest, it can take some time and persistence to build an impressive profile and acquire your first project. Write detailed custom messages with your bids and you should be able to ge a project relatively fast.

Q: What is a Pre-Bid?

Service providers who need clarification about the project description in order to submit an accurate proposal, may place a Prebid. A Prebid will not include the proposal amount or comments. Instead, when a Prebid is submitted, the Private Messages will be initiated, and the parties may discuss the project details. Once the details are confirmed, the provider may submit a completed proposal.

Q: What are Sealed proposals?

If the project is posted as sealed, only the service buyer and the owner of the proposal can see the proposal amount, comments and attachments. All other users on the site will see the proposal as "Sealed". To see the view other users see, logout of your account and view the project.

Q: I won the bid! Now what?

You can either check for a message from the buyer, or wait to receive an e-mail from Freelance-Accountants.com notifying you how you can contact your buyer. Freelance-Accountants.com does not facilitate the buyer/provider transaction. Make you your payment terms are well specified.

Q: How to communicate with your client?

During the selection and interview process buyers and service providers may communicate publicly via the Public Messages or privately through the Private Messages.You can also communicate directly, however we recommend that you use the Freelance-Accountants.com Private Message Board to manage your project and keep all communications in the message board to maintain a time-stamped, unalterable record of all clarifications and agreements around scope, deliverables, milestones, timeframes, etc.

Q: Are there file size restrictions?

For large and multiple related files, we strongly recommend the use of compressed or zipped files.You may also use third party file sharing.Just be sure to reference any external file sharing within your message board communications.

Q: What file types can I upload?

We differentiate between images and explanatory documents.We allow the upload of most common file types. Image formats include jpg, jpeg, gif, png. Explanatory documents include doc, txt, pdf, .dwg, odf, zip, rar, ppt, jpg, jpeg, gif, png. We will not allow the upload of programs or any content which is potentially harmful to the operation of Freelance-Accountants.com servers. Please contact us if there is a specific file type you want us to include.

Q: How does Freelance-Accountants.com protect intellectual property (IP)?

Per our Terms and Conditions, Freelance-Accountants.com is not liable and is not party to services delivered, but we acknowledge the right for member's to protect their property. Every registered member in the Freelance-Accountants.com network is encouraged to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) with the parties they engage business with. You may send your own NDA directly to any buyer.

Q: How to cancel a project

If the buyer and provider agree to cancel a project after the provider is awarded the project, either party can initate the cancellation process.

Getting Paid:

Q: How to get paid by your client

Freelance-Accountants.com is not involved in the financial transaction between the service buyer and service provider. Generally, the buyer pays you at the end of each accepted milestone as determined in your terms with the provider. Most providers will also request a percentage retainer to begin the project. The exact nature of payment schedules are determined by you and the buyer prior to the project being completed. Providers are responsible for reporting their earnings to the appropriate tax agencies.

Q: Is it possible to get feedback removed or reset?

In order to maintain the integrity of the feedback system, only feedback that violates Freelance-Accountants.com Terms and Conditions will be removed.

Q: Should I rate my client?

Absolutely.This ensures that buyers are held up to the same standards as you are. Your review will not only help other providers but also allow you to think about working for the particular buyer again.

Disputes:

Q: What if there's a Dispute?

It's rare, but sometimes there are disagreements between buyers and providers, which is why Freelance-Accountants.com recommends that you use the website to manage your project and keep all communications centralized to maintain a time-stamped, unalterable record of all clarifications and agreements around scope, deliverables, milestones, timeframes, etc. In the event of a dispute, the project communications board will be the only record of communication that is referenceable for resolution of the dispute.