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FreelanceJobsNews.com has recently launched a Freelance and Professional Services marketplace powered by ecknowledge.com. On this marketplace, buyers post their projects, service providers bid and the winners deliver. It's a way for businesses to procure professional services at unbelievably low costs. Buyers can for example get a complete website done for as low as $100. FreelanceJobsNews.com sees it as a real value offering for small businesses and freelancers in particular.

ecknowledge.com (pronounced acknowledge)is owned by the Sydney, Australia based consulting firm Exeige. Which means the strong US dollar represents even bigger cost savings to US buyers as one US dollar is almost equivalent to 2 Australian dollars.

The service providers are diverse - software developers, multi-media designers, legal services, graphic artists, creative writers, technical writers, copy writers, accounting and financial services, language translators, administrative support services and more all housed under one cyber roof.

"I believe this will provide tremendous freelancing opportunities to skilled freelancers while providing businesses with a way to procure freelancing and professional services at amazingly low costs", said Rob Gross of FreelanceJobsNews.com.

How It Works

Businesses/Buyers post their projects on the site for free. They are under no obligations to accept any bids whatsoever. They are not asked for their credit card numbers or to put any upfront deposit.

Transactions are made through the site - to protect all parties - and part payments are required on certain projects. Mr Amit Sharma, CEO ecknowledge.com, says the reporting and invoicing details are negotiated between the buyer and the service provider. Which means, while continuing to enjoy the benefits of a global marketplace, the customer still retains the control.

"Businesses can also post their feedback about the service provider on the site about the work that has been done on a particular project and the service provider can respond," says Mr Sharma. "In this way, if someone has done a great job, other businesses can see that and vice versa."

He explains that after buyers "post" projects on the site, service providers respond by putting in a "bid" on a particular project. All site visitors can view the "bid" or quote but they cannot see the "value proposition" put forward by the service provider. The description or value proposition is only visible to the buyer.

Fees and conditions for service providers

ecknowledge provides freelancers with a web-based showcase where they can display their work including attachments, documents and graphics.

The service providers are graded into three categories of experience - Gold, Silver and Bronze.

Gold service providers:
Pay a AU $100 (around US$ 50) monthly subscription fee plus 5 per cent commission on each job.
Must have at least five years experience in their area of specialty. Gold service providers can bid on projects of any value. They don't have to pay anything as financial transaction fee.

Silver service providers
Pay a AU $50 (around US$ 25) monthly subscription fee plus a 7 per cent commission.
Must have at least three years experience in their area of specialty. Silver members can bid on all projects in the Silver and Bronze category but not in the Gold category.

Ecknowledge absorbs all financial transaction fees for Gold and Silver service providers. Gold or Silver service providers must also provide a professional history that can be verified by staff at ecknowledge.

Bronze service providers:
Do not have to pay a subscription fee or a commission on each job.
Must pay a $10 fee per transaction. Transaction fees are capped at $10 with ecknowledge absorbing the cost of any additional charge. They can only bid on projects posted in the bronze category.

Mr Sharma says Bronze service providers represent those people who are just getting started in freelancing and need some rungs on the board.

"It's our way of giving back to the industry as a business. We are also developing an area on the site for freelancers to form a community.", said Mr. sharma.

Staff at ecknowledge.com provide a number of services to maintain the site's integrity. These include:

Verifying the experience level of Gold and Silver members; Paying the banking transaction fees of Gold and Silver members; Providing online promotional space where service providers can showcase their work; Providing a bulletin board where clients can provide feedback and testimonials regarding the services supplied. Providing a secure transactional facility that enables service providers to be paid.

In summary, the marketplace comes as a boon for freelance community who can now find work in their area of speciality and the marketplace holds even greater value for buyers who can get the job done at extremely low costs.