# Direct Award Contact

## Summary
Award Contact lets you skip the full bidding process and immediately assign a subcontractor to a contact you already know and trust.  

Use this when you have a preferred contact, don’t need competing quotes, and want them on the job right away. The subcontractor still receives a formal award notification and must accept before they are officially added to the project and assignments become active.

This is the fastest way to bring a known trade partner onto your project while keeping everything tracked inside BuilderPal.


## Prerequisites
- You are an Admin, Team Business Manager, or Team Project Manager on the project.  
- The person you want to assign is already saved in your **Contacts**.  
- You are working inside an active project.

## Steps

1. **Open the Subcontractors section** — In your project, click **Subcontractors** in the left sidebar.

2. **Choose the Subcontractor** — Click the subcontractor you want to assign (e.g., Electrician, Plumbing, Debris Hauler, etc.).

3. **Start the direct award** — In the subcontractor panel that opens, click the **Award Contact** button (usually at the top next to “Create Bid Package”).

4. **Select your contact** — Your Contacts list will appear. Find and select the company or person you want to award. They must be a connceted contact.

5. **Confirm the award** — Click **Award Contact** in the modal. The award is sent instantly.

![](https://colony-recorder.s3.amazonaws.com/files/2025-11-21/e993c28c-c482-4ced-acde-0b4e32de3fee/stack_animation.webp)

## Confirmation
After awarding:
- The subcontractor now shows the contact’s company name with an “Awaiting acceptance” tag.  
- You will see an **Unaward Job** button in case you need to reverse it.  
- Any Actions, work items, or responsibilities you already assigned to that subcontractor automatically carry over and will become visible to the contact once they accept.

The contact receives a notification in their Inbox and accepts via the Bid Conversation panel (not from their own Subcontractors page).

## FAQ

**Q: What’s the difference between Award Contact and inviting bidders?**  
A: Award Contact skips bidding entirely and goes straight to award. Inviting bidders or posting a bid package is for collecting multiple quotes and comparing pricing.

**Q: Do previously assigned Actions carry over?**  
A: Yes — everything you already assigned to that subcontractor (Actions, files, schedule items, etc.) instantly becomes visible to the contact after they accept.

**Q: Can I undo the award?**  
A: Yes. Before they accept, click **Unaward Job**. After acceptance, remove them via normal participant/subcontractor management.

**Q: What if my contact isn’t in my Contacts list yet?**  
A: You must first add them as a contact (or invite them). Award Contact only works with existing contacts.

**Q: Will the subcontractor see the award right away?**  
A: Yes — they get an Inbox notification immediately and can accept from the Bid Conversation panel in their account.

## Related Articles
- [Create a Bid Package Basics](https://docs.builderpal.com/books/hire-trades-manage-bids/page/create-a-bid-package-basics)
- [Bid Conversations](https://docs.builderpal.com/books/hire-trades-manage-bids/page/bid-conversations)
- [Message in Job Chat](https://docs.builderpal.com/books/communication/page/message-in-job-chat)
- [Communication with Actions](https://docs.builderpal.com/books/actions/page/communication-with-actions)
- [Communication in Bids (Subcontractor View)](https://docs.builderpal.com/books/bidding-as-a-subcontractor/page/communication-in-bids)