Frequently Asked Questions
How do I sign up for GigBench?
Create an account at app.gigbench.com and register as either a firm or a freelance professional. Freelancers can then build out their professional profiles. Firms can establish their firm profiles, explore talent, and begin posting or discussing opportunities. Additional account or payment setup may be required before a paid engagement begins.
What industries does GigBench support?
GigBench is focused on architecture and engineering across the built environment, including areas such as building design, infrastructure, transportation, civil and structural engineering, MEP, environmental work, BIM and digital delivery, and related technical services. The platform is intentionally focused rather than trying to serve every freelance industry.
Does GigBench cover my specific discipline?
GigBench supports a broad range of AEC disciplines and specialties, and the network continues to expand. If your expertise contributes to architecture, engineering, design, documentation, technical delivery, project management, or another area of the built environment, it may be relevant to the GigBench marketplace.
Are firms and freelancers both vetted?
GigBench is designed as a vetted AEC-specific marketplace, with trust and credibility on both sides of an engagement. The purpose of verification is to create a more credible professional environment than an unrestricted general-purpose marketplace and to give firms and freelancers better information when deciding whom they want to work with. Verification does not eliminate the need for either party to evaluate a specific engagement, qualifications, scope, or contractual requirements before proceeding.
Does GigBench guarantee that a professional is qualified for my project?
No. GigBench helps firms discover and evaluate relevant AEC professionals, but qualifications can depend on the particular project, jurisdiction, scope of services, required licensure, insurance requirements, client requirements, and other factors. Firms remain responsible for determining whether a professional meets the requirements of a particular engagement. Likewise, professionals remain responsible for accepting only work they are appropriately qualified and authorized to perform.
How do payments work?
Payment terms are established as part of the engagement between the firm and freelancer. An engagement may use an hourly rate or fixed project fee, with the applicable payment schedule established for that work. GigBench uses Stripe Connect for payment processing. Freelancers connect a payout account, while firms fund engagements through the platform. Under the current platform structure reflected in the existing GigBench FAQ, GigBench’s 15% platform commission is added to the freelancer’s established rate rather than deducted from it.
How are freelancers paid?
GigBench uses Stripe Connect to facilitate payments. Freelancers connect a payout account, and firms fund paid engagements through the platform. Payment timing depends on the terms established for the engagement and can vary based on how the work is structured. Under the current GigBench fee model reflected in the existing FAQ, the freelancer establishes their rate and GigBench’s platform commission is added on the firm side rather than deducted from the freelancer’s agreed rate.
What does GigBench cost?
Under the current platform model reflected in the existing GigBench FAQ, GigBench charges firms a 15% platform commission in addition to the freelancer’s agreed rate. For example, if a freelancer establishes a rate for an engagement, the freelancer receives that agreed rate and the applicable GigBench platform fee is added to the firm’s cost. Final published pricing language should always reflect the current GigBench pricing structure at the time the FAQ is published.
Can GigBench be used for both hourly and fixed-fee work?
Yes. Engagements can be structured around hourly rates or fixed project fees, depending on the nature of the work and the agreement between the firm and freelancer. The rate structure, scope, payment schedule, and deliverables should be clearly established before the engagement begins.
Who determines the project scope, schedule, and deliverables?
The firm and freelancer should establish the scope, responsibilities, timing, deliverables, and other expectations for the engagement before work begins. Because AEC assignments can vary significantly, both sides should make sure they understand what the professional is being asked to do, what deliverables are expected, whether meetings or site visits are required, who the professional will work with, and what deadlines apply.
Who provides the contract for a GigBench engagement?
The firm and freelancer establish the contractual terms governing their engagement. The applicable contract should clearly address the scope of work, responsibilities, compensation, schedule, deliverables, and other terms appropriate to the project. Because professional-service requirements can vary significantly by firm, discipline, jurisdiction, and project, both parties should review the contractual requirements applicable to their particular engagement before work begins.
What if an engagement requires a professional license or stamped work?
Licensing and professional responsibility depend on the discipline, jurisdiction, project, and scope of services. Before accepting an engagement, the firm and professional should clearly establish whether a particular license is required, whether the freelancer is expected to provide services in a licensed capacity, and whether signing or sealing documents is part of the scope. Each party remains responsible for understanding and complying with the professional and regulatory requirements applicable to the work.
What about professional liability insurance?
Insurance requirements can vary depending on the firm, professional, discipline, project, scope, and contractual arrangement. Before an engagement begins, both parties should determine what insurance is required and confirm that the arrangement satisfies the requirements of the project and their agreement. GigBench should not be treated as a substitute for either party’s own insurance, legal, licensing, or professional-responsibility requirements.
What happens if a project requires site visits or in-person work?
That should be established as part of the project requirements before the engagement begins. Some GigBench opportunities can be performed entirely remotely, while others may require site visits, client meetings, field observations, local knowledge, or other in-person responsibilities. Professionals should understand those requirements before accepting the engagement, and firms should clearly communicate them when defining the work.
Are GigBench projects always short-term?
No. GigBench is built around flexible professional engagements, and those can take different forms. Some assignments may involve a specific deliverable or short-term surge need. Others may continue for a longer project phase or develop into recurring work between a firm and freelancer. The duration should be established as part of the individual engagement.
Can I use GigBench for short-term engineering projects?
Yes. GigBench is specifically designed to support project-based and flexible AEC work. An opportunity might involve a short-term staffing need, a specific deliverable, a particular project phase, specialized expertise, temporary overflow capacity, or a longer engagement that begins with a defined project need.
Is all work on GigBench remote?
No. GigBench can support remote, local, and hybrid opportunities. Whether a project can be completed remotely depends on the scope. Some assignments may be fully remote, while others may require site visits, in-person collaboration, local knowledge, or location-specific credentials.
Is GigBench a staffing agency?
GigBench is a marketplace designed to help AEC firms and independent professionals find one another and establish project-based working relationships. Rather than operating like a traditional permanent-placement recruiting process, GigBench gives firms and professionals tools to discover potential opportunities and decide directly whether an engagement is a good fit.
Is GigBench a job board?
Not in the traditional sense. Project opportunities are part of the platform, but GigBench also enables firms to discover professionals directly and allows freelancers to build profiles that make their expertise searchable. The platform is intended to facilitate professional relationships rather than simply collect job postings.
Is GigBench the same as Geekbench?
No. GigBench is an AEC talent marketplace connecting architecture and engineering firms with freelance professionals. Geekbench is an unrelated computer benchmarking product from another company. The two are not affiliated.
How do I find freelance engineering opportunities?
Start by creating a detailed professional profile that clearly communicates your discipline, experience, credentials, technical capabilities, software expertise, and relevant project history. GigBench is specifically designed to make that information visible to AEC firms looking for project-based support. Professionals can also identify relevant project opportunities on the platform.
What should AEC professionals include in their profiles?
Focus on information that helps a firm quickly understand what you can do. That generally includes your discipline and specialties, relevant licenses and certifications, years and type of experience, software skills, representative project experience, geographic availability, and the kinds of assignments you are interested in performing. Specific examples are generally more useful than broad descriptions.
What is the best way to find freelance Revit or BIM work?
Make your Revit, BIM, Navisworks, coordination, modeling, or related technical expertise prominent in your profile, and connect those skills to real project experience. AEC firms searching for this type of support are often looking for specific software capabilities combined with an understanding of actual project delivery. A detailed GigBench profile makes both easier to evaluate.
Where can structural engineers find specialized freelance opportunities?
GigBench gives structural engineers and other technical specialists an AEC-specific place to make their expertise visible to firms seeking project-based support. A strong profile should identify relevant project experience, technical specialties, software capabilities, licensure where applicable, and the kinds of assignments the professional is prepared to perform.
What are the best freelance platforms for AEC professionals?
AEC professionals should look for platforms that allow firms to evaluate the information that actually matters for architecture and engineering work: discipline, project experience, technical expertise, software capabilities, credentials, licensure where applicable, availability, and the nature of the work being sought. GigBench was built specifically around those needs rather than adapting a general freelance marketplace to AEC.
What is the best way to market myself as a freelance AEC professional?
Start with clarity and credibility. Clearly communicate what you specialize in, what kinds of projects you have worked on, which technical tools you know, what credentials you hold, and what type of work you are looking for. Representative project outcomes and concrete experience are more useful than a generic list of responsibilities. GigBench gives you an AEC-specific professional presence where firms searching for project-based expertise can discover that information.