The Elance Advantage...

I recently became a "browsing member" of the widely acclaimed Elance program. The premise by which this service procurement organization works, is this -- there are buyers and there are sellers [or bidders]. The buyers list their projects and the sellers install a presence online, a sort of company résumé. The buyers are then able to invite specific service providers to bid or allow all qualifying members to bid if the project is unsealed. You must subscribe to the service to bid on any project and depending on your area of expertise the subscription cost can range from $5.00 to $245.00 a month. Other determinants factor into the subscription cost so it is best to review and select the plan best suited for your needs. [My current membership provides me with an online presence.]

I have looked into other online networking organizations but this one is a little different. It is the eBay of the service procurement process. In a recent interview with Plug In Magazine, the online e-provider's founder, Beerud Sheth --responded in part, when asked about Elance's top competitors.

Our top competitor is the status quo - the traditional way businesses buy and hire external service providers.

----- Beerud Sheth, Founder Elance
May 2004 Plug In Magazine

I am very interested in this concept. The way in which services are sought and procured especially in my line of work has changed drastically since my entrée into the business world [I define this as being the moment I completed my undergraduate work]. I am not sure if bidding for services is for everyone, but I think Elance is worth looking into from both the perspective of service providers and those businesses requiring external services.