The Spokane Home Builders Association says it has begun offering its members free access to Builder Helper, an Internet-based service that allows general contractors to put project plans online for subcontractors and suppliers to bid on them.

The electronic construction-management system, developed and operated by Builder Helper LLC, of Provo, Utah, will enable SHBA member-builders to upload project plans onto Builder Helper's Web site, says Bill Taylor, the association's membership director.

The system will save costs by reducing the need to copy and distribute plans to prospective bidders, he says. Builder Helper also will enable subcontractors and suppliers to submit bids from their computers with no need for special software, Taylor says.

Builder Helper will notify winning bidders via e-mail and phone-text messages when contractors select them, he says.

SHBA, a building-industry trade group, says it has more than 1,100 members.