Frequently Asked Questions

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Ratesmiths is Australia’s first independent online platform that connects businesses planning workspace fitouts with highly rated design and build companies. We provide you, the tenant, with:

  • Education, frameworks, tools and templates to support you through the process
  • Impartial shortlists of design and fitout companies best suited to your needs
  • Independent ratings collated from real clients to give you insights into potential partners
  • An ability to easily compare and assess proposals for suitable fit to your brief
  • An opportunity to rate and review your chosen fitout supplier

We've created a guide to walk you through how to get the most out of Ratesmiths, and kickstart your design and fitout process. You can find your playbook in your education portal.

We simplify the work you need to do for your competitive tender, also known as a pitch process:

  • Prepare your tender request with ease using our customisable tender kit
  • Suppliers you have selected to tender will be automatically notified when you upload your request to Ratesmiths
  • Proposals submitted to you are consistent and easy to compare across suppliers
  • All documentation is housed centrally, ensuring transparency and an easy paper trail for you to manage
  • Review and evaluate proposals objectively with our customisable supplier evaluation tool

By managing a tender through Ratesmiths, you also unlock the ability to rate and review your selected fitout partner at the completion of the project. 

No, suppliers cannot view potential clients on the platform without you connecting with them. 

We continue to keep your business details confidential even after you have issued a project brief.

Suppliers will only be able to see your business name and your profile page once they have accepted your brief and will be tendering for your fitout project.

We do not exclude any suppliers from listing their business on Ratesmiths. 

If you don't see a supplier you are looking for in your matched results, contact us at [email protected] so we can check our directory.

If they aren't already registered, we will invite them to join so they can participate in your tender process.

Ratesmiths is completely free to use for tenants and there is no obligation or pressure to proceed if at any stage you do not find what you are looking for. 

Ratesmiths simply offers you an easier, more efficient way for you to find the right design and fitout partner.

If you are not seeing the results you hoped for, please get in contact via [email protected] so we can help you.

No. Ratesmiths currently focuses on suppliers offering a "Design and Construct" delivery methodology, because we believe it represents the best value and most efficient option for small to medium businesses.

We provide an overview of different delivery methods on your education portal, outlining your alternatives, and explaining why we focus on Design and Construct. 

Should you decide that another delivery method is right for you, we are more than happy to help - just get in touch at [email protected].

Ratesmiths currently focuses on fitouts, not on sourcing of workspaces. 

We provide an overview of different workspace search options on your education portal, outlining your alternatives.

If you would like to discuss further, we are more than happy to help - just get in touch at [email protected].

Missing something?

Just get in touch & we can help

Ratesmiths is Australia’s first independent online platform that connects businesses planning workspace fitouts with highly rated design and fitout companies. We provide you, the supplier, with:

  • A digital profile to showcase your business and successfully delivered projects
  • Connections to qualified leads and client briefs that suit your delivery model
  • Standardised and consistent competitive tender approaches
  • Lower costs to acquire business
  • Reviews and ratings enabling you to build trust with clients and let your work speak for itself
  • Feedback and insights that help you win future business

Ratesmiths is a free platform for tenants to confidently self-manage their design and fitout process. 

We fund this service through a 1% introductory fee, paid by suppliers on any projects you are successfully appointed on. This should not be an additional mark up on the project, but should be covered by the existing project cost structure, while Ratesmiths invests behind client acquisition to match you with projects that meet your core business offering and capabilities.

Ratesmiths also charges a one-time registration fee to cover the administrative cost of setting up your profile on the platform.

For the latest fees, refer to the Terms & Conditions.

Yes, if you engage us prior to construction starting on site. 

Any projects you source off platform we are happy to collect feedback on and apply to your profile, but we must be introduced to your client prior to construction starting on site. 

We charge an administrative fee for time taken to collect, collate and integrate this off platform feedback. Refer to our Terms & Conditions for the latest fees, or contact us at [email protected] to find out more.

Ratesmiths takes the accuracy and honesty of feedback we collect very seriously. 

We will not censor reviews and ratings, however if you believe they are in breach of our Terms & Conditions  and do not reflect an honest account of the situation, please contact us immediately at [email protected]. 

Yes, once you have accepted a project brief and been invited to tender. Tenant profile details will be made visible to you in order for you to arrange face to face meetings as part of the tender process.

We also offer an instant messaging service through Ratesmiths, which you can utilise to contact tenants directly once you have been successfully matched and connected.

All proposals uploaded to Ratesmiths in response to tenders are for the sole discretionary use of the tenant to which they are submitted. By uploading relevant submissions to the project, you are supporting your potential client to manage their project and tender documentation in a centralised and systematic way.

Note that should you be successfully appointed, you must have uploaded a proposal in order for a tenant to provide ratings and reviews at the end of the project.

We value your privacy, and will ensure your proposal submissions are handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

We've created a guide to walk you through how to get the most out of Ratesmiths, including how the tender process works. We email the playbook to all suppliers upon registration, so please contact us at [email protected] if you have not received your copy.

The tender process runs both on and off the Ratesmiths platform to ensure a true relationship is built between suppliers and tenants:

  • Once you have reviewed and accepted a project brief, you will be automatically notified once the tenant has updated the project with their RFP
  • Upon downloading and reviewing the RFP, you should contact the tenant directly to arrange face to face meetings as per the tender schedule
  • Ahead of your final pitch presentation, you should upload and send your proposal to the tenant via Ratesmiths - this supports them in centralising all their documentation and project collateral
  • Tenants should provide you with both feedback and the outcome of the tender