TenderWarehouse is a brand new job auction which focuses on providing a marketplace for small contractors and it does it very well. The no frills service is a cinch to use, and offers lots of value for both sides of the equation, those looking for services and those offering.

People looking for work can add a ‘tender’ in a matter of a couple of minutes, by entering details, location and if they want, a target price. Registered contractors then are notified of new tenders in their area of expertise and they can bid on the job. It’s not a new idea, the freelance coding sites like iFreelance.com have been doing this for years, but this implementation is nicely designed and presented, which is important if you don’t want to intimidate new users to this kind of online application.

The service is split into categories like construction, motoring, computers & electronics, teaching, legal & admin etc, so you get a feel for the type of service they’re going after.

The interface is clean and functional, and it’s clear that the developers have thought through the concept properly. There’s email notifications for both sides of a transaction as well as comprehensive search and contractor ratings so the best get noticed.

There’s probably never been a better time to launch this kind of online service what with people wanting to save money and all, so we’ve got to wish them well. It appears to be limited to the UK at the moment, and is completely free during the launch period, after which they’ll presumably charge the contractors a fee of some sort. Nice!