Commercial · Residential · Industrial
Post it. Bid it.
Build it. Get paid.
TradeToBuild is where general contractors and trade subs run a job end to end — one place for the scope, the bids, the award, the progress, the invoice and the review.
Write the scope once. Compare real bids from licensed trade crews side by side, award the work, then run the job to completion — progress, documents, invoices and all.
- Post a scope in minutes — trades, budget range, timeline, drawings
- Read every bid in one place, with licences and insurance already attached
- Award, track progress, and settle the invoice without leaving the job
Free to start — one live project on Starter. No card required.
Tenant fit-out · 14,000 sq ft
Austin, TX · bidding closes in 6 days
3 bids received
- $184,500Electrical4.99 wks
- $142,000HVAC4.87 wks
- $96,750Drywall4.75 wks
How a job runs
One thread from posted to paid
Most tools cover one step of this and hand you off for the rest. This is the whole run, on one record, for both sides of it.
Step 01
Post the scope
The GC lists trades, budget range, timeline and drawings.
Step 02
Bids arrive
Subs working that trade find it, save it, and price it.
Step 03
Award the work
Shortlist, accept one bid, and the job opens automatically.
Step 04
Build it
Status, tasks and percent complete update as work happens.
Step 05
Invoice & pay
Bill flat or by progress draw. The GC pays by card.
Step 06
Review both ways
Each side rates the other once the job is finished.
Two sides, one job
Whichever end of the contract you're on
Every trade on the site
Twelve trades, one directory
Pick a trade to see the scopes that get bid, what to check before awarding one, and what makes a bid win it.
Why anyone should trust the other side
Accountability is the product
A marketplace is only worth using if the person on the other end is real, and the record of what was agreed survives the argument.
Straight dealing
Four promises about the money
The terms are the same for everyone on the platform, and they don't change once you've won the work.
You keep the whole contract
The invoice settles straight from the GC to the sub. We don't take a percentage of the job.
Your place in the results is earned
Search orders by verification and rating. There is no position to buy, at any price.
Your number stays yours
Your bid goes to the GC who posted the work. Competing bidders see how many proposals came in — never what anyone bid.
The plan is the whole cost
No fee for an introduction, none per bid you send, and no commission at the end of it.
Before you sign up
The questions everyone asks
Including the two answers that aren't a sales pitch.
- Does TradeToBuild take a percentage of the job?
- No. The invoice settles straight from the general contractor to the subcontractor, and the platform takes nothing out of it. There is no fee for an introduction, none per bid, and no commission at the end of the job. The subscription is the whole cost.
- What does TradeToBuild cost?
- An account is free on either side. A free general contractor account runs one live project listing at a time; a free subcontractor account submits ten proposals a month. Paid plans lift those caps, add team seats and remove the daily limit on messaging companies you have no history with.
- How do subcontractors get paid?
- The subcontractor invoices from the job — either a flat invoice or progress draws with retainage held back — and the general contractor pays by card through Stripe. The money goes to the subcontractor's own connected Stripe account. TradeToBuild never takes custody of it.
- Does TradeToBuild hold funds in escrow?
- No, and that is deliberate. Holding a general contractor's money until work is verified can constitute money transmission, which is a licensed activity in most US states. Payments settle to the contractor through Stripe instead, so Stripe is the money transmitter and TradeToBuild never holds your funds.
- How are contractors verified?
- A company applies for verification by uploading a current licence and proof of insurance, and a person reviews the documents before the badge is granted. It is not a box a company ticks at signup, and it is available on the free plan — paywalling a trust signal in a marketplace built on trust would defeat the point.
- Can reviews be left by anyone?
- No. A rating can only be left by the other party on a job that actually completed, and both sides rate each other. There is no way to review a company you never worked with, and no way to buy placement in search results — ordering is by verification and rating.
- What happens if a general contractor disputes an invoice?
- Raising a dispute holds payment on that invoice while it is open. An operator reviews it and can uphold it with a partial or full refund, which reverses the transfer, or let the invoice stand. Card chargebacks raised at Stripe land in the same queue, so nothing goes unanswered.
- Can one company work as both a general contractor and a sub?
- Not on a single login today. Every company is either a general contractor or a subcontractor, chosen at signup, so a firm that both subs work out and takes lower-tier work needs two accounts with two email addresses. Supporting both roles behind one login is a known gap we intend to close.
Something not answered here? Ask us directly.
Start with one job. See how it runs.
Free to open an account, on either side. Post a scope or put a bid in today — no card, no sales call.
Already have an account? Log in · or see what the paid plans add