Finding leads worth chasing

The leads page pulls in thousands of opportunities every morning. Most trades do not have time to chase all of them, so this is how we would rank them and what to do with each one.

The short version

Why open tenders and contractor wins come first

Both have a named buyer, real money and a timescale. With an open tender, the buyer has already decided to spend, has written the scope and has told everyone the deadline. You are competing, but on a level field, and public buyers have to score bids fairly.

A contractor win is the step after a tender somebody else has won. Main contractors price external works on a budget figure to win the job, then go out to subcontractors once they have it. The weeks straight after an award are when their buyers are building the package list. A short, well-timed email with your accreditations and two or three similar jobs gets you on that list before the people who wait for an invitation.

How to work each type

Open tenders

• Read the requirements before anything else. If they ask for £10m public liability, two years of accounts or an accreditation you do not have, move on.
• Check the closing date and work backwards. Most bids take longer than people expect.
• Register on the portal named in the notice as soon as you decide to bid. Clarification questions often have an earlier deadline.
• Our guide to winning tenders covers the bid itself.

Contractor wins

• Find the contractor’s regional office for the job, not head office.
• Ask for the buyer or commercial manager running the subcontract packages.
• Send a one-page introduction: what you do, your accreditations, your insurance levels and two similar jobs with values.
• Ask when they expect to issue the external works or landscaping package and whether you need to register first.

Landscaping details submitted

• Open the application and look at the documents. The landscape plan tells you the scope: tree numbers, planting areas, turf, hard landscaping.
• The applicant is usually the developer. If an agent is named, they can often tell you who is building it.
• Contact the site manager or the developer’s regional buying team. Housebuilders often appoint landscapers late, so this can be a quick win.

Coming up

• Note the expected tender date and the portal it will run on.
• Get registered on that portal now and sort any missing accreditation.
• Some notices invite market engagement or supplier days. Go to them: buyers remember who turned up.

New developments

• Large applications take months to be decided and longer to start. Treat them as a list of future sites and developers to know.
• Note the developer and agent. When the same names keep appearing in your area, that is who to build a relationship with.

Tree works

• These are applications to work on protected trees. Often the homeowner has already used a tree surgeon to apply, but not always.
• The council decision and any conditions are public, which helps you price accurately.

Jobs that come to you

As well as the leads feed, main contractors post landscaping and external works packages straight onto The Little Green Book. Members whose trades, area, insurance and accreditations match get an email, and can reply with their compliance pack attached. Contractors can also invite trades from their shortlist. See jobs from main contractors.

Short of labour or kit to take a job on? Ask other trades on the Help Hub, or find people on the Recruitment page.

Make the filters do the work

• Log in and the leads page shows matched to me: only the trades on your listing, within the area you cover.
• Use the type tabs to look at one kind of lead at a time. Start each week with open tenders and contractor wins.
• If you cover more trades or a bigger area than your listing says, update your listing and the matches update with it.