What are briefs
How buyers post custom data requests on the marketplace and how vendors respond with priced offers.
What a brief is
A brief is a buyer-authored request for custom data work. Buyers describe scope, deadlines, visibility, and terms; vendors apply by submitting an offer — a priced proposal, not a lightweight expression of interest.
When a buyer accepts an offer, a project begins. One open brief can spawn multiple parallel projects if the buyer accepts several applicants.
Briefs complement listings: many teams browse the catalog for ready-made supply, then post briefs when they need bespoke collection, labeling, or domain-specific work.
Brief lifecycle
Briefs move through three states:
- Draft — buyer editing privately within their org
- Open — visible to vendors and accepting applications (offers)
- Closed — buyer stopped accepting new applicants
While open, visibility is either public (listed in vendor Project briefs) or invite-only (selected vendors only). Closing soon is a display state derived from the proposal deadline, not a stored status.
Briefs vs listings
Next steps by role
Buyers — post a brief when catalog supply is not enough, then review vendor offers and accept one or more applicants. See Post a brief for the composer flow and applicant review.
Vendors — browse Project briefs and apply with priced offers once you have Tier 2+ access. See Respond to briefs for tier requirements and the apply flow.
Related pages
- What buyers use this for — how briefs fit alongside catalog purchases
- Browse listings — off-the-shelf supply