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Boost Your Proposal to the Top of List

kochubei_valeria
Community Member

Update 10/13: Our Boosted Proposals test has ended, for now, so we can study the results and learn. We sincerely appreciate all of the feedback you gave us during this test, and we’re taking time to review our data and plan some improvements with your input in mind. 

We will share more information about our plans for a re-launch of Boosted Proposals. So stay tuned!

 

Open auctions will run their course; however, no new boosts will be available.

Our goal remains to support the best outcomes for Talent and Clients and help you win more. We’re working to make this feature even better as part of that effort!

 



We are testing a new way to help you
make your proposals stand out to clients. We’re dropping the required price of proposals to 1 Connect and allowing talent to bid for a chance to boost their proposal to appear in one of three promoted slots at the top of the client’s proposal manager. With boosting, you can promote yourself to clients by signalling that you are highly interested in their job. You can use your Connects to boost your proposal and increase the chances of being among the first that’s noticed. When clients see “Highly Interested” next to a blue lightning bolt, they’ll know these proposals are from talent who paid to express their interest by investing extra Connects into their proposal.

 

 

How it works 

When you submit a proposal, you can choose to boost it by spending additional Connects — whatever amount you think it’s worth. If you bid high enough relative to the other bidders, we’ll boost your proposal to the top of the stack, so it’s one of the first proposals the client sees.

 

  • Decide. If you really value a job, choose to bid to be eligible to boost your proposal above others. 
  • Bid. Set the number of Connects you’re willing to use to outbid other freelancers. We encourage you to bid the amount you truly think the job is worth.
  • Submit. Your proposal will be boosted to the client if your bid is high enough. If another freelancer bids more than you and your proposal is not boosted, we will refund some of your Connects (if boosting did not result in an engagement with a client). You’ll be notified either way and your proposal will still show up for the client, even if you’re outbid. 
  • The auction will last up to 7 days. It starts when the job is posted, and it is cleared after 7 days, or sooner if the job is closed or a hire has been made. 
  • Using Connects. The value of a job is always up to you, and you never have to worry about wasting Connects if you over or underbid. 

 

  • For example, if a job post allows for 3 boosted proposals, the top 3 bids will win those slots, and the final cost will be set by the lowest of those 3 bids. 

  • So if you spent 7 Connects to boost a proposal, and the lowest of the top 3 bidders spent just 5 — you’re in! Plus, you’ll receive a refund of 2 Connects to match the cost of the lowest qualifying bid.

  • What if you had bid just 3 Connects instead of 5? No worries! Your proposal won’t be boosted, but it will still show up for the client just like a regular proposal, and you’ll be refunded all the additional Connects you spent to boost your proposal.



We know you put a lot of effort into developing quality proposals, especially for projects you’re excited about. That’s one of the reasons we created the option to bid to boost your proposal, so you have an even better chance of being seen by clients for projects you’re really passionate about. We see this as a way to express your level of interest while increasing the odds of being noticed. So, in cases where boosting your proposal results in an engagement with a client, you will be charged - even if you are outbid, since this exposure can often lead to future interactions. An engagement means one or more of the following was done by the client (in other words, the client engaged a freelancer in at least one of these ways): viewed your proposal, messaged you, shortlisted you, sent an offer, and/or archived or declined your proposal. It’s another way to make your Connects work for you!

 

Screenshot from September 8, 2021 9_20 AM.png

 

For more information about boosting your proposals so you’re more likely to land the work you really want, check out our help article.

 

Excited to try this out? We are eager to gather feedback while we’re testing this feature. Let us know your thoughts so we can continue to make the work marketplace even better for you.

629 Comments
claudiacezy
Community Member

Amanda L wrote:

 

2. Companies with federal contracts post jobs on Upwork. How will this impact what is supposed to be a fair and transparent RFP process? Are you aware that you may be driving clients off the site because of these practices that do not meet the procurement requirements of the OMB? 


Why it would violate the OMB rules about procurement? Can you be more specific? Ofcourse Upwork should try to make its services available to the different type of clients.


It depends on the state statutes, federal regulations, the department, the scope ... not sure if related (can you link to the act that regulates this?) but found this Checklist for Fairness and Transparency of the Bid Process https://das.iowa.gov/sites/default/files/procurement/pdf/checklistfortranparency.pdf

 

You said companies with federal contracts ... not a federal agency right? I don't know what is that act but it may be regulations the "federal agencies" have to respect, possibly not requirements extending to the companies that are contracted by the federal agency.

mahmud_hasan_ag
Community Member

The conclusion:

  1. The top 3 payees (bidders) will be at the top of the proposals. And the client will see a "highly interested" badge with the proposal.
  2. If anyone bid more than any of the top 3 bidders the last of the list will be back to the general proposal, and the extra paid connects will be refunded. But if the proposal is already interacted by the client the connects won't be refunded.
  3. Currently, it is not available for each job but is being tested on few jobs.
a_lipsey
Community Member

Claudia Z wrote:

Amanda L wrote:

 

2. Companies with federal contracts post jobs on Upwork. How will this impact what is supposed to be a fair and transparent RFP process? Are you aware that you may be driving clients off the site because of these practices that do not meet the procurement requirements of the OMB? 


Why it would violate the OMB rules about procurement? Can you be more specific? Ofcourse Upwork should try to make its services available to the different type of clients.


It depends on the state statutes, federal regulations, the department, the scope ... not sure if related (can you link to the act that regulates this?) but found this Checklist for Fairness and Transparency of the Bid Process https://das.iowa.gov/sites/default/files/procurement/pdf/checklistfortranparency.pdf

 

You said companies with federal contracts ... not a federal agency right? I don't know what is that act but it may be regulations the "federal agencies" have to respect, possibly not requirements extending to the companies that are contracted by the federal agency.


No, organizations that have federal contracts are obliged to follow the procurement rules under the OMB (which is nothing to do with the State of Iowa) about procurement, which means it has to be an open process. Allowing certain freelancers to boost their proposals violates the OMB rules for procurement because it means money exchanges hands to give an unfair advantage. 

 

I really am not going to sit here and educate you on something you aren't aware of. I work with federal contractors daily and advise on the rules around federal procurement policies, since they cover every grant and every contract. If the funds come from a state agency but are a pass through of federal requirements, then they are also covered by these rules. Additionally, most states have statutes following the same rules as well. 

 

If you're interested in learning more then sign up with one of the many agencies that give education on contracting with the federal government and the extensive rules that surround it. 

claudiacezy
Community Member

Christine A wrote:


I guess you missed the very next sentence in that paragraph, which was, "Clients have also told us they are often overwhelmed with the number of proposals they receive, especially when many of the freelancers may not meet their project requirements. This can lead to a frustrating and unproductive experience for all parties."

 


I didn't miss it, that was client feedback ... they listened, they tested something.


That spam bidding term is something freelancers keep repeating when there is any change about connects. When you keep repeating something it becomes the usual talk.


I'm not saying, things are perfect... it's just when you look at other websites, bigger then Upwork, that has less or no protections in place...


When I was a child I had this neighbor, a friend of my parents. He had lots of stories, some seemed like real or they were just stories. Once I hear him talking about this experience he had when he went to an office to get some paperwork done, and there was a long line, he should have waited several hours to make it to the counter. So after staying a little while he goes at the back of the line and whisper to a lady 'look someone in the front said this and this', then he goes along the line and tells other people 'look someone there said this and that'. So, the people started arguing, commenting on whatever was said ... while the people were arguing he sneaks in the front without people noticing he did that.


Sometimes, it's just like this some are arguing while others will just keep the sight on the front place.

claudiacezy
Community Member

Amanda L wrote:


Allowing certain freelancers to boost their proposals violates the OMB rules for procurement because it means money exchanges hands to give an unfair advantage. 

 


Are the money we pay for connects going to the client? If this is a requirement, and the freelancers pay for connects to submit a bid, even if 1 connect, then it violates the rule, you don't have to use the boosting to violate it. And it's not Upwork violating the rule, it's not a liability for them ... the companies hiring should follow the rules, I guess?

 

Also, I think that possibly such companies would choose some kind of plan offered by Upwork, like the Enterprise ... to have access to a service tailored to their needs.

claudiacezy
Community Member

Amanda L wrote:


Additionally, most states have statutes following the same rules as well. 

 


The states statutes don't follow the same rules on the whole. Usually there is an act model and the states enact it following the model act, they can choose alternative a,  b or whatever, they can refuse some rules. Maybe it's the same for this specific matter but I don't know exaclty what is this act, time consuming to look further....

webdev7847
Community Member

Hello Valeria K

I have a question. Currently this new rule has been applied for few job posting only. When it will be applied for all job posting ? can you give me a timeline about it ? 

researchediting
Community Member

Phyllis G wrote:

Robert G wrote:

Am I wrong or has this "feature" been turned off?

 

This morning I saw several projects have this and now I don't see any. I even tried some categories I never use.


It's only being "offered" on certain job posts at this time. How those jobs are selected is anybody's guess.

 

Actually, it just occurred to me that maybe UW think they have figured out how to predict jobs that won't attract enough proposals and this is a way to gin up interest on the part of FLs by making it seem like the job is worth bidding on. 


Thanks for the observation, Phyllis! I am generally doubtful that Upwork initiatives are motivated by greed for connects revenue, which I imagine is trivial compared to the commissions that depend on client spending decisions, not on ours. It does make more sense to me that this is driven—in Upwork's feverish collective brain—by the desire to clear out what must be stacks of remainders among the RFPs.

martina_plaschka
Community Member

Bettye U wrote:

So what's the point of a Top Rated badge if that doesn't put you at the top of the applicant pile?


It never did. 

But you make a very good point. It should. 

martina_plaschka
Community Member

Marisa Y wrote:
??????? What kind of answer is this?? The video that promotes that feature
said nothing remotely similar to wht you re saying!!

There is NO mention of 20 -50-100 Connects!!! Thats $15+ you re speaking of
to get a boost!

Then that feature is..... i can't even find the word 🙄

What do you mean what kind of answer is this? There is no cap on connects, and they are supposed to reflect the interest the freelancer has in the job. So if somebody is 20$ worth interested, that is it.