FAQs

MBEX is the Upper Midwest’s trusted construction information exchange. Each year, our team reports on more than 5,000 projects, saving members valuable time by gathering bidding documents, tracking project activity, tracking bidders and contract awards and delivering reliable construction leads — all in one place.

• Approximately 85% of the projects we report on are publicly funded commercial projects from Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
• For active projects, we provide comprehensive bidding information whenever available, including:
  • Specifications
  • Plans and drawings
  • Addenda
  • Bidder and plan holder lists
  • Bid results
• We also scour a multitude of websites and communicate with other sources to locate pre-bid work in its earliest stages. When possible, we'll provide the architect and owner contacts, scope of work, and estimated project costs to help members make informed decisions.

• All project information comes from trusted industry sources.
• With nearly 140 years of presence in the construction community, MBEX has established strong relationships with architects, engineers, and project owners. We are frequently listed as a default plan holder, ensuring early and consistent access to documents. Our staff also actively monitors industry publications, websites, and additional resources to ensure comprehensive coverage across the region. And if by chance you become aware of a project that we don’t have and you want us to get it, we will. That’s member service!

MBEX offers two levels of membership: Basic Membership and Premium Membership.

Premium Membership Includes:

• Full access to plans, specs, and addenda for all posted projects
• CSI (division) and SAM (keyword) filtering
• Bidder lists
• Invitations to all MBEX events and educational opportunities
• Subscriptions to the Weekly Bulletin, and the Pre-Plan Pipeline
• Access to member-only discount programs
• Sponsorship and advertising opportunities

Basic Membership Includes:

• Limited project visibility within the Online Plan Room
• CSI (division) project filtering
• Bidder lists
• Invitations to all MBEX events and educational opportunities
• Subscriptions to the Weekly Bulletin 
• Access to member-only discount programs
• Sponsorship and advertising opportunities

All memberships include Basic Access and additional member benefits. Members may upgrade to Premium Access at any time.

Basic membership: $420 annually

Premium membership: $1,260 annually

*Both basic and premium membership requires a one-time activation fee of $50.

Optional services, including advertising and event sponsorships, are available upon request.

There are considerable differences between Basic and Premium access within the Online Plan Room:

• Basic Access: 
  Includes general project overview, ownership and development team details, bid dates and times, viewable bidders lists, and ability to self-add business to bidders lists. Users can also create project search filters utilizing CSI (division) codes.
• Premium Access:
  Includes listed benefits Basic Access, plus the ability to view, print, download, and save project plans, specs, and addenda. Most of MBEX's current membership chooses this option so they gain full project information and can download documents to complete estimates and take-offs in their own third-party software. Premium users can also create project search filters utilizing both CSI (division) codes as well as keywords and phrases.

Not sure which level is right for you? Contact Ashlee at ah@mbex.org or (612) 381-2620. 

• As your nonprofit industry trade association, MBEX strives to keep its dues reasonable and prioritizes straightforward and transparent pricing.
• National, for-profit private services charge thousands of dollars annually with state-based pricing and user pricing. MBEX offers you an unlimited number of users, unlimited downloads and projects from across the five-state region for one simple annual membership fee.
• Beyond pricing, our members value something national services lack; responsive, local support. Need a past project put back on line - we'll do it. Need help with your login, you got it. We provide personalized, one-on-one assistance to ensure you get the most out of your membership.
• MBEX also offers our members the unique opportunity to connect face-to-face with more than 15 annual events. The real work of construction doesn't happen in isolation, it happens between people.
• Our mission is simple: helping our members grow by facilitating the exchange of plans, connection and knowledge.