The service industry is undergoing a major transition. Just as eBay revolutionized the consumer marketplace, OnForce is revolutionizing the technical services marketplace.

Outsourcing is very attractive during a slow economy. A critical project can be supported without having to add permanent headcount. For small organizations, the ability to source technical expertise for a short-term project is useful.

Of course, outsourced technical service is hardly new. Small service organizations where the leadership is a "subject matter expert" should thrive in the new environment. These companies have built in technical support, and that will be the key to their growth.

Large national service organizations have existed prior to OnForce. United Service Source Incorporated (USSI) in Melbourne, Florida is an example. This type of company is useful for a large project over a large geographic area. Small companies that require service capabilities nationally hire companies like USSI for service contracts. Parts and labor are managed, but many companies in this sector have been plagued by poor reputations for meeting their commitments. Thousands of sub-contractors have been victimized in these relationships.

OnForce works very much like eBay (some of the management has eBay ties). Say a buyer needs someone to install a computer network in his or her office. The buyer goes to the OnForce website, identifies the project and location, and a list of qualified contractors is listed. The buyer makes a proposal, and the proposal is offered to contractors one at a time until someone accepts. Most of the time, this process takes less than an hour (the average response time is just 17 minutes).

OnForce has tools for the buyer so that they can research pricing on comparable projects prior to making their proposal. At the end of the project, the buyer and contractor rate each other, much like eBay.

OnForce makes the management of large projects easier with "Preferred Provider Networks" (PPN). A buyer can organize a list of contractors that have been qualified previously, and limit bids to those on the list.

OnForce monitors background checks and drug tests for each contractor. These checks are voluntary, but the status of each contractor is available (including the absence of testing).

One important enhancement that OnForce has is the monitoring of certifications. For the network project, the buyer could require that a certain network certification be required for their project. But this is an area where OnForce needs improvement. Some of the certifications they list are obsolete, and some important certifications are not listed.

OnForce charges a service fee of 10% of the project value for their service. The project payment is coordinated by the service. OnForce uses PayPal.

OnForce currently offers services for Information Technology (IT) and Consumer Electronics. More than 13,000 contractors in the United States and Canada list with OnForce. Hopefully they will expand into other markets soon.