- Is posting really free?
- Yes. Hourly contracts, direct-hire jobs, and RFQs all publish at no charge. No per-applicant fee, no time-to-fill fee, no placement fee and no conversion fee. The optional White Glove managed service is opt-in — buyers who want Automate America to onboard the professional, run timesheets and invoicing, and pay the professional on the net terms of each contract choose it; everyone else posts free and pays their professional directly.
- How fast does a typical PLC contract fill?
- It goes live the moment you publish it, and every application shows up in your dashboard as it arrives. How fast it fills depends on the rate, the location and the dates — we do not promise a time.
- Will I be buried in unqualified applicants?
- Profiles surface rate, completed projects, and stack tags up front. The published rate filters the pool by itself, and the stack-specific skills you name put the engineers whose profiles list them first on your invite list.
- Can I post a multi-professional contract?
- Yes. A single contract can name a PLC programmer, an HMI developer, a panel technician, and an instrumentation tech as separate roles inside one posting. Each professional applies to the role that matches them; the buyer awards each role independently. For larger scopes — full system design, multi-line buildouts, integrator-grade projects on $500K+ scope — post an RFQ instead and integrator companies respond with a full proposal.
- Do you have professionals who know my specific integrator?
- Professionals list the companies they have worked for in their work history. Professionals list the companies they have worked with, so you can see who knows your integrator’s standards — same drawings, same panel conventions, same commissioning checklists.
- What about pharmaceutical work — validation, 21 CFR Part 11?
- Yes. Validated-environment experience is tagged. Professionals list FDA 21 CFR Part 11, GAMP 5, and validation-phase work (IQ, OQ, PQ) in their skills and work history, and the search finds them by name. Common postings combine validated PLC programming with HMI and historian configuration on the same contract.
- Where is the strongest geographic coverage?
- Automate America is worldwide. In the US, the most professionals are listed in Michigan, South Carolina and Texas; search by state or city to see who is near your plant and who has marked themselves available.
- Where do I see the professional’s rate before I reach out?
- Profiles show the published hourly rate when the professional has set one. Buyers see the rate, completed projects, certifications, peer reviews, and endorsements on the public profile before opening a single message.
