How to find UK Construction Leads: A day in the life of a Market Intelligence researcher

How can you be sure you’re accessing accurate construction leads? How can you stay ahead of the competition? 

We know how frustrating it can be trying to find work and verified projects in the UK construction market. The risk of wasting precious time applying and bidding for work with major construction companies, only to find out you haven’t been provided with the latest information. 

That’s why at Once For All, we work hard to bring solutions that help construction main contractors and subcontractors like you, to help boost your business prospects and win more work with top construction companies across the UK. With solutions like Market Intelligence, we’re able to provide construction leads at pre-tender stage via the Opportunities Board on Marketplace, as well as provide updates on post-tender and contract awards so you can keep track of the competition with our data driven insights on the latest construction industry trends.

WATCH: Hear from Sophie Bayles, Senior Market Intelligence Researcher, where she breaks down her typical day finding the latest, verified construction leads!

But what is ‘Market Intelligence’ and ‘Premium Market Intelligence Leads’? How do we help find construction leads near you? 

We sat down with Sophie Bayles, Market Intelligence Researcher at Once For All, where she got to the crux of how the team finds the latest, exclusive and verified leads in the construction industry… 

What is a Market Intelligence Researcher and what do you do? 

 

A Once For All Market Intelligence researcher finds information from main contractors about confirmed and verified upcoming tenders. It’s our job to make sure the information is accurate, meaning we sometimes have to fill in the blanks with further research to provide our Marketplace users with the latest opportunities. 

Set up in 1935 (initially under the Builder’s Conference), we have teams based across the UK, who nurture close relationships with main contractors, and call them based on where their offices are – not the project.

 

What information do you ask main contractors for? 

Through ongoing conversations, we discuss not only upcoming tenders, but past projects too. Some of the information we ask them includes:

		Previous projects they’ve priced for: what’s the status? Have they been awarded? Is the decision still pending, lost or on hold?
		Where and what are they tendering for at the moment?
		Can they provide a brief summary of the tender? Eg pricing for a school
		Can they tell us more about the project? Eg Who’s the client, eg school, council, trust?
		What is the work? eg extension, outside grounds works
		What is the tender submission date?
		What’s the approximate value?
		If the project is larger, eg for a hospital or university, which building or ward will the works apply to?
		Which professional team is involved? Eg architect, quantity surveyor, engineer

 

By obtaining these details, we’re able to provide Marketplace users with accurate up-to-the-minute sales leads, market intelligence, and statistical data as well as networking opportunities so that our users don’t have to search multiple sources for this information to ensure Marketplace showcases the best leads for contractors. 

We don’t just want it to be one way where we ask for information all the time, therefore we try to give updates on tenders, such as other confirmed bidders, latest updates, and the winning contractor.

 

“Our Market Intelligence team tries to source as many pre-tender construction leads as possible”

 

How do our users find construction leads in the UK through Market Intelligence? 

 

When we’ve received tender information and sourced as much accurate data as possible, we publish them as ‘Market Intelligence (MI)’ leads on the ‘Opportunities Board’ within Marketplace, as well as in the Market Intelligence dashboard.

What type of construction lead information can you expect to see on Market Intelligence and Premium Leads? 

• Main Contractor name 
• Sector type: Public or Private 
• Work type, eg new build, fit out, refurbishment, etc. 
• Address information: where the project will be 
• Contract stage 
  • Pre-tender: anything before the submission date. Our team tries to source as many of these leads as possible 
  • Post-tender: the period of time between the tender being submitted before a contract is awarded (In this time, interviews with the client may be held, and documents are reviewed) 
  • Contract award: Notification of which main contractor has been awarded 
• Contract type: eg, traditional, design and build 

Want to know more about the difference in our lead sources? 

 

How often do you publish information on new construction leads? 

We’ve a small but mighty and experienced team! New construction leads and opportunities are published daily on Market Intelligence. 

 

We publish construction leads daily on Market Intelligence!

 

What can you tell us about Premium leads Market Intelligence leads? 

When we source these exclusive opportunities and verify them directly with main contractors, we publish them to Marketplace.  

Users can then navigate to: 

• Opportunities Board 
• Search for their project type 
• Choose Premium 
• Then filter by ‘MI’ to show Market Intelligence leads 
• If you see an opportunity of interest, you can ‘Register Interest’ or ‘Request Access’ 

 

What does a typical day look like as a Market Intelligence researcher? 

It depends, but each day can be different. 

On Mondays, we have a Market Intelligence team call to share updates for the week and tasks to focus on, such as things that have worked well, achievements, plus improvements. 

Tuesdays to Fridays, we’re busy finding leads! However, even though we’re a remote team, we make time to check each other’s progress and see if anyone needs help. We’ve a mix of experience, knowledge and contacts, so we want to help everyone do they best they can within their role. 

Some days, I might be emailed a list of tenders, and on others, I’m busy making calls and confirming information. Sometimes I can’t get through to people, so it’s our job to be persistent and keep trying to find leads for Marketplace users. That means independently researching information, looking at planning details online, confirming and verifying data. It takes time, but we want to provide customers with accurate information. 

On other days, we’ll conduct ‘elevate sessions’ and build on each researcher’s methods for finding information. I love seeing the boost each of them gets when they learn and teach someone something new! Often, it comes down to our experience and making educated guesses to find the correct contacts and sources to complete lead information on Market Intelligence. 

 

“It takes time, but we want to provide customers with accurate information.”

 

How would you differentiate the impact of your work for construction main contractors and subcontractors? 

We aim to help main contractors (buyers) and subcontractors (suppliers) alike. 

Buyers  By providing construction lead information, we can help them see what other main contractors are bidding on, so they can compare and see what processes they may need to review internally to remain competitive. These insights also enable main contractors to better understand broader construction industry trends, providing a clearer, data-driven view of the UK construction market and to encourage more strategic decision-making.

Suppliers  When we publish Construction work projects on Marketplace, our construction lead insights provide subcontractors with an opportunity to work with new main contractors. Market Intelligence helps both parties view past construction industry trends from the last quarter and beyond, to see if there are any other categories they’d like to branch out into, as well as see which clients are publishing the most opportunities with enhanced statistical data.

 

What do you enjoy most about your role? 

I’ve been in my role for over 10 years now, so it’s changed a lot during that time. I really enjoy the team I get to work with! 

Besides me onboarding and mentoring the team, we work well together. Even though we’re remote, we’re efficient in what we do, support one another and collaborate to continue getting better. 

We talk every day, ask each other’s opinions and see where we can improve to continue sourcing the latest, enriched construction projects. 

Each day is different: I find it very satisfying seeing the projects we’ve added as a team and then follow through to the end result, for example if it’s been awarded. 

 

Next steps 

• Explore the latest leads on the Opportunities Board – included in our paid Marketplace and compliance memberships 
• Haven’t got a membership? Sign up to a Marketplace-only or compliance membership 
• Watch on-demand webinar: Get tips on how to effectively search for leads from our in-house experts 

 

Key takeaways 

• Pre-tender insight creates an edge: Access to leads before tender deadlines gives subcontractors and main contractors more time to prepare and act. 
• Market Intelligence is built on research and relationships: Our researchers combine direct conversations with main contractors and independent verification to keep lead information reliable. 
• Daily updates help users stay competitive: New opportunities are published every day, helping users track tenders, post-tender activity and contract awards. 
• Better data supports better decisions: Construction market insights on project value, work type, location and contract stage help users spot the right opportunities and understand wider market trends. 
• The Opportunities Board helps subcontractors act faster: Users can search for relevant projects, register interest and receive updates, making it easier to pursue the right work