How to message contractors

Every conversation with a contractor lives inside the project. That gives you a clean paper trail and means nothing important gets lost in email threads or text messages.

Where messaging lives#

You can message a contractor from three places:

• Their bid — quickest way to ask a question about a specific bid
• Their company profile — for general questions before they've bid
• The project's Messages tab — sees all conversations for that project in one place

Step-by-step#

1. Open the bid or profile

   Find the contractor on your project's Bids tab or via their company profile.

2. Click "Message"

   A messaging panel opens. Everything you write here is private between you, the contractor, and anyone you add from your team.

3. Be specific in your question

   "Can you clarify the materials in line item 4?" works better than "What does this cost?". Specific questions get specific answers.

4. Attach documents if needed

   You can share specs, photos, or revised drawings directly in the thread. Files are stored with the project, so anyone with access can find them later.

5. Send and wait

   Most contractors respond within a business day. You'll get a dashboard notification and an email when they reply.

Group threads and team access#

If you've added board members or admins, they can read and reply to messages too. See Can I add board members or admins? for permissions.

Etiquette tips#

• Respond within a business day, even if it's just "I'll get back to you Friday"
• If you've chosen a different contractor, let the others know — most appreciate it
• Be specific about scope changes in writing, not on a call
• For complex projects, send a revised RFP rather than relying on long message threads