A project can look promising in a planning list and still be the wrong job for your business. The location may not work, the scope may be outside your experience or the commercial position may be too uncertain to justify quotation time.
Qualification is the step between finding a proposed project and deciding how much effort to invest. It gives you a reason to proceed, ask another question, revisit later or stop.
Use the following checklist when you review an extension opportunity.
Does the location work in practice?
Start with the journey your team would actually make. Think about repeated site visits, deliveries and the other work in your diary—not just the distance shown on a map.
An opportunity on the edge of your normal area may still be worthwhile, but it should earn that decision. Record any location question that needs checking before you invest further time.
Does the proposed scope match your strengths?
Read the description carefully and inspect available drawings where relevant. Consider whether the proposal resembles work your team can deliver well.
Do not infer an entire specification from a short application summary. If you cannot establish something material, mark it as unknown. Identifying the gap is more useful than producing an early price based on assumptions.
Have you checked the original application?
The source record matters. Review its current status and the documents that are actually available, and note when you checked them.
Council systems and document availability differ. For example, Kingston's register guidance distinguishes current and decided applications and explains limits on historic supporting documents. Do not assume that every portal or every record provides the same detail.
This is a research check, not a determination that the work can lawfully begin. Any planning or technical question affecting delivery needs the appropriate professional review.
What do you know about timing?
The date an application appears is not an agreed construction start date. It also does not tell you when a quotation is needed.
Keep timing as an open question until it has been established. Compare the information you eventually obtain with realistic team capacity. A well-matched job at the wrong time may still be one to decline or revisit.
What do you know about the buying decision?
Do not assume the applicant is currently comparing builders. You may need to establish whether contractors are already involved, who is coordinating the project and whether there is a genuine opportunity to contribute.
A published planning record does not answer all those questions. Treat it as context for your assessment, not proof of buying intent.
Is there enough information for the next step?
You do not need every answer to keep researching, but you should know what you are trying to find out.
Before investing in a detailed quotation, identify the information your business normally needs: the agreed scope, relevant documents, expected programme, decision-making process and other requirements you would establish for any project.
Use your normal estimating and commercial checks. A lead source should not cause you to bypass them.
Give the opportunity a clear outcome
Try a short decision record in your own system:
| Question | Your answer |
|---|---|
| Why might this fit our business? | Record a concrete reason |
| What is known from the available information? | Facts only |
| What material point is still unknown? | Name the gap |
| What is the next appropriate action? | Investigate, revisit or set aside |
For example, a local rear extension may match your portfolio while its timing and contractor position remain unknown. That supports further investigation, not an assumption that you have found a ready-to-quote job.
How Trade Watch Alerts supports the first step
Trade Watch Alerts brings selected extension-related planning opportunities into a focused view. Paid access provides the available project details that can help with your initial assessment.
The app helps you discover what to examine. Your business decides which opportunities deserve attention and what information is needed next.
See how it works, then explore the free preview to decide whether it fits your research process.
For a repeatable way to use this checklist, read the weekly lead-review routine.
Continue your research
Read the extension leads guide for builders for the wider workflow, or browse all practical guides.
