By: Morag Evans - CEO of Databuild

In construction, return on investment (ROI) is not only measured on site. It starts long before a tender is published, with the quality of the information your team uses to decide where to spend its time. I often meet contractors, suppliers, and manufacturers who are working very hard, chasing dozens of possibilities, but still feel as if they are always a step behind. The common thread is almost always the same: too many unverified leads and too few verified opportunities.

When I refer to verified project leads, I mean opportunities that have been thoroughly vetted for key details such as project scope, stage, location, planned timing, funding, and approvals (where applicable), as well as the key role players involved. There is a world of difference between a rumour that a mall might be built somewhere and a documented, multi-million-rand development that has entered the planning stage with named professionals on board. One wastes time. The other creates a pipeline.

Timing matters

The first and most obvious ROI lever is timing. If you see a project for the first time when a tender goes public, you are joining a crowd. Margins compress, and differentiation becomes difficult. When you know about a project earlier, you can engage the architect or quantity surveyor while specifications are still being discussed. That gives you the chance to position a solution, answer technical questions and demonstrate value before price becomes the only conversation. It is not about jumping the queue. It is about being relevant at the right stage.

Leveraging insights

The second lever is efficiency. Knowing who to contact, what stage the project is in, and whether it is open for pricing removes a significant portion of the legwork that sales teams typically carry. Instead of cold-calling a long list, your team can spend time with the handful of projects that actually fit your capability, project profile and footprint. Fewer but more meaningful conversations usually lead to better conversions, and the time saved can be reinvested in pre-construction support, technical submissions, and relationship building.

Quality over quantity also improves forecasting. A pipeline full of vague possibilities looks impressive on a spreadsheet, but it does not help you plan crews, inventory or cash flow. A pipeline built on verified projects gives managers a clearer view of what is genuinely likely to land, which improves pricing discipline and reduces last-minute scrambling. In a market where input costs and timelines move around, that predictability is valuable.

Quick to market

Speed is the third lever. When a salesperson or estimator has the proper context up front, the quote is quicker, the follow-ups are sharper, and the decision cycle shortens. You are not going back and forth to discover who the professional team is, whether drawings exist, or when documents will be issued. That reduction in rework is real money. Even modest gains in speed compound over the course of a year of bidding and negotiations.

There is also the cost argument. A lead platform carries a monthly fee, but the return from a single secured contract can cover that subscription many times over. In construction, one project can be worth millions of rands, yet businesses often overlook this when weighing the cost of access to verified leads. What is really expensive is not the subscription but the opportunity cost of working blind, chasing rumours, or coming in too late. Every hour spent on an unqualified lead is an hour not spent on a verified project that could deliver real revenue. When leaders look at ROI honestly, the maths is simple: one contract can pay for years of access, and better information quickly turns into better margins, higher hit rates, and fewer wasted bids.

If you choose to invest in verified leads, a few habits will maximise the return. Be clear about your focus areas so the intelligence you receive matches your capability. Set up alerts and watchlists for the building types and stages that matter. Track role players on projects you care about and introduce your team at appropriate milestones rather than waiting for a tender notice. Export the data you need into your estimating, CRM or planning tools so nothing sits in a silo. Most importantly, review your pipeline weekly and make conscious decisions about what to pursue and what to park.

Meeting industry needs

At Databuild, we built our platform to support exactly this way of working. Our clients search live project information, see who is involved and where a job sits in the lifecycle, and monitor the projects that matter to them. Many configure tailored watchlists so their salespeople are prompted at the right time. Others integrate the data into their own systems, making lead intelligence part of everyday account management. The common outcome is a focus on less noise and more traction.

“Databuild is by far the easiest platform I have ever used. I was set up in less than five minutes. Its powerful search tools save hours of work and consistently deliver results, with approximately 16 to 22% of Databuild projects converting into real business wins. Combined with excellent client support, it is truly a comprehensive solution I would recommend to anyone in the industry,” says a Leads Administrator for a leading brick manufacturer in South Africa.

The South African construction sector is demanding. Costs move, compliance tightens, and clients expect faster responses. In that context, verified project leads are not a nice-to-have. They are a valuable and practical resource for improving win rates, protecting margins and giving your team time back to do the work that actually wins the job. You do not need more leads. You need the right ones, at the right moment, with the right detail. That is where the ROI lives.