Responding to staffing requests
Staffing requests are how SME asks you to supply people. This article covers reading a request and sending your offers.
A staffing request is how our team asks your organization to supply people for a project. Requests arrive in your Staffing Requests inbox, where you read what's being asked and send your offers.
Your inbox
The Staffing Requests page groups requests into tabs, each with a live count:
| Tab | What's in it |
|---|---|
| Need response | Open requests you haven't answered yet |
| Submitted | Requests you've responded to, waiting on SME |
| Accepted | Requests where SME accepted an offer; sign the SOW under Projects |
| Archived | Requests you declined on every profile |
| Expired/Closed | Requests SME withdrew, and windows that closed without a response |
Each row shows the Request, the Profiles it covers, the headcount you Need to supply, the Due date (it flags "closing soon" when there's under 48 hours left), and Your status.
Reading a request
Open a request to see two panes: Requirements (what SME is asking for) on the left, and Your response on the right. The header shows the due date, a countdown, the number of people needed, and whether the request is open or invite-only.
The brief breaks down into clear sections:
- Brief: the free-text summary of the work
- Profile and Requirements: the role and its must-have criteria
- Roles: each role and how many people are needed
- Referenced files: any attachments
For each profile you'll also see a snapshot with the details that were shared: people needed, languages, location and timezone, weekly hours, start date, must-haves, and the target rate (only when SME chooses to share it).
Sending your offers
In the Your response pane, you bid on each profile separately. First answer "Can you staff this profile?":
- Yes, I'll bid. Send one or more offers for that profile.
- No, I can't staff this. Decline just that profile and keep bidding on the others. You can add an optional note about what's blocking you.
For each offer you provide:
- Offer name (for example, "Taiwan bench")
- Hourly rate in USD
- Ready now: how many people you can provide immediately
- More people later (optional): a ramp, where you add headcount after a number of days
- An optional assumption and note
Each offer shows whether it covers the ask or falls short, and a live line under the profile name adds up all your offers for that profile against the need (for example, "12 projected across 2 offers · need 10 · covers the ask"). You can send more than one offer per profile (up to 10) with Add another offer, for example a smaller bench-based option and a larger option that needs recruiting time. Give each offer a distinct name.
You can also add a cover note for the whole request at the top of the pane.
Submitting and withdrawing
When you're ready, select Submit response. If you chose not to bid on any profile, the button becomes Archive request instead, and the request moves to your Archived tab.
While the window is still open, you can Withdraw a submitted response, then edit and submit again before the due time. The request stays open the whole time.
If SME withdraws a request, it shows SME closed this staffing request. It is no longer accepting responses. and moves to your Expired/Closed tab with the status Closed by SME, even if you'd already bid. Everything you sent stays on the request for your records.
What happens next
Our team reviews your offers. They may accept an offer, or send a counter for you to respond to. See Negotiating offers.
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Updated about 3 hours ago