Why operators pick us
One or two main contractors. Founder-level attention. A build shaped around your named universe.
We are taking on a small number of regional and mid-market main contractors to build this properly: tender-stage CRM with multi-stakeholder hierarchies, awarded value training bidding, named-account outbound timed to framework windows, and board packs that match what your commercial team already forecasts. You get a senior team on your stack, not a construction template resold fifth.
Commercials and the first 90 days
How we charge, and what the first quarter looks like
Retainer or project-based, scoped against your named universe and stack in week one so you see the number before campaigns start. No long lock-in while we are both proving it works.
Days 1 to 14: named universe, access and CRM structure
NDA and contract signed. Named client, consultant and procurement account list built with your commercial team. CRM access, tender stage structure and multi-stakeholder company hierarchies in place before outbound starts.
Weeks 2 to 4: outbound live, tracking wired
Sequences running against named accounts timed to framework windows. Offline conversion wired to awarded programme value. LinkedIn targeting live on procurement, estates, programme and QS titles. Landing pages rebuilt with sector, framework and social value proof.
End of month one: meetings, not leads
Reporting shifts to booked preconstruction meetings by account tier and channel. Pipeline shows which clients and consultants are progressing. Cost per preconstruction meeting replaces cost per lead.
Quarter one: pipeline to awards
Named accounts progress through CRM stages. First awards start to show first-touch attribution. We scale what is earning meetings and cut what is not, with the board pack showing marketing contribution in awarded programme value.
Pipeline
Why your marketing numbers and your commercial tracker never agree
We build your CRM around frameworks and stakeholders, not a flat lead funnel
Main contracting uses the same tender logic as fit-out and civils, with longer cycles and more of the pipeline in relationship and prequalification. Public sector work adds social value scoring and portal process. Buying committees mix client, procurement, consultant, QS and sometimes political or board sponsors. We add relationship and framework stages to your CRM and model company hierarchies across all five roles so your forecast reflects where the commercially decisive work actually happens.
We close the places your pipeline leaks before we scale
Framework seats sit outside your CRM. Early conversations never get a deal record. Marketing chases broad contractor keywords while your BD team already knows the 200 accounts that matter. LinkedIn lead forms dump unqualified downloads into the pipeline. Offline conversion never fires on awarded value, so ads cannot learn which programmes opened real work. We audit and wire all of this in the opening weeks.
We judge media on pipeline movement over quarters, not weekly lead volume
Volume metrics will always make a good main-contractor programme look quiet. Your named universe is 150 to 400 accounts, not a mass market. The job is account penetration, preconstruction meetings and stage advances on named accounts, with search capturing active tender intent in support. We judge LinkedIn and outbound on pipeline movement over quarters, not on cost per PDF download.
Built with your commercial team
How we work with your commercial team, not around them
You already know your clients, your frameworks and your go/no-go list. We bring outbound infrastructure, CRM discipline and paid media into that conversation so spend follows named accounts and awarded programme value, not anonymous traffic.
- Your real market
- 150 to 400 named accounts, not 370,000 firms
- What we optimise toward
- Awarded programme value
- Why frameworks shape everything
- Miss the framework, miss years of call-offs
- What the board wants
- First-touch attribution on awards
The published firm count is noise. Your real market is the clients, consultants, QS firms and procurement seats that let the programmes you can win. We build that named list with your commercial team and run campaigns against it.
Leads and meetings are diagnostic. Awarded programme value is the number that matches what your commercial and bid team tracks. We wire it as the offline conversion so bidding learns from real outcomes across 12 to 18 month cycles.
Framework entry windows open on fixed cycles. If you are not positioned with the right clients and consultants before the PQQ closes, you are locked out for the duration. We track framework calendars and shape outbound and LinkedIn timing around them.
When a programme awards, your board wants to know which channel or sequence first opened that client or consultant relationship. We build first-touch and multi-touch attribution against awarded value so marketing speaks the same language as your commercial team.
Week one is NDA, contract and access with the people who own demand and the systems that hold frameworks and tenders. Without that, we are guessing and you are paying for it.
People
Commercial / bid director
Owns framework strategy, bid list and which sectors the firm will chase. Weekly decision owner with us.
Managing / regional director
Sets appetite for public vs private work and social value commitments. Signs off what counts as a real win.
Preconstruction / estimating lead
Filters go/no-go and shapes programme value before ITT documents exist. We need their awarded values in CRM.
Founder / MD
Wants board packs that show marketing contribution in awarded programme value, not lead volume.
Systems access
CRM (HubSpot or Salesforce)
Company records for clients, consultants, QS firms and procurement contacts as linked hierarchies; deals staged through relationship, framework, ITT, bid, negotiation and awarded.
Outbound stack
Sending domains, warm-up and sequence tooling timed to framework entry calendars so outbound scales without burning your primary domain.
Project and framework intel
Glenigan, Barbour ABI or Tussell access for live schemes, planning stages and framework renewal calendars.
Paid media accounts
Admin access across Google and LinkedIn so they train on the same awarded-programme events.
What that unlocks
One loop from named-account touch to preconstruction meeting to awarded programme value, so you can scale spend against awards instead of PDF downloads.
01
Build the named universe with your commercial team
Construction SIC codes describe your discipline, not your buyers. We build the target list from clients, consultants, QS firms and procurement functions using your commercial team's knowledge, Glenigan or Barbour ABI project intel and framework history. That list is what sequences, LinkedIn and spend run against.
02
Live project intel and framework calendars shape the brief
Glenigan, Barbour ABI and Tussell name live and upcoming schemes, planning stages, clients and consultants. We use that alongside framework renewal calendars to prioritise the named list so outbound hits accounts with active opportunities or approaching PQQ windows.
03
Procurement, estates and QS titles on LinkedIn
We target procurement directors, estates leads, programme managers, QS and project director titles at your named clients and consultants. Those are the seats on the buying committee. We build audiences by role and seniority, not company size.
04
Landing pages as bid-support collateral
When an outbound recipient clicks through, the page needs sector proof, framework credentials, social value evidence and named project case studies, not a generic enquiry form. We build landing pages that support the named-account play and give the procurement buyer a reason to shortlist you.
What we build for you
Where we start on your account
Start with the bottleneck: tender-stage CRM with multi-stakeholder hierarchies, named-account outbound timed to framework windows, LinkedIn on procurement and QS titles, or the offline loop that ties awarded programme value back into bidding. We scope that against your named universe in week one.
Infrastructure
What we put behind the ads
Media only works when reservation data, CRM stages and offline conversions share one commercial truth.
CRM with tender stages and multi-stakeholder hierarchies
HubSpot or Salesforce stages map from relationship and early positioning through to awarded or lost, with framework call-offs on a parallel path. Company associations hold client, consultant, QS, procurement and political or board sponsor contacts on the same programme. Required fields: programme_value_gbp, framework_name, tender_ref and expected_award_date. We build or fix that structure before campaigns start.
Outbound infrastructure timed to framework windows
Sending domains, warm-up, deliverability monitoring and sequence tooling managed so outbound scales without burning your primary domain. Sequences are timed to framework entry calendars so you reach the right accounts before PQQ windows close. Meeting outcomes write back to CRM with the channel that sourced them.
Offline conversion on awarded programme value
When a programme awards, the value writes back to Google Ads and LinkedIn as an offline conversion. LinkedIn click identifiers and Google click IDs persist from first touch. Board packs show first-touch and multi-touch attribution against awarded value so marketing speaks the same language as your commercial and bid team. Procore or Aconex take the live job after award without wiping source fields.
Related
Nearby industries we also work in
B2B SaaS and consultants marketing
Main contractors sell into the same procurement buyers that Canopy reaches with supplier management software. We run acquisition on both sides of that table.
View pageConstruction marketing
Main contracting sits under the construction pillar with shared tender infrastructure and a heavier framework and public-sector skew.
View pageCommercial fit-out marketing
Fit-out specialists often sit on packages where you are the main contractor; CRM hierarchies need both roles modelled.
View page
Director FAQs
What main contractors usually ask
Is main-contractor marketing just bigger fit-out marketing?
Same tender spine, different scale and stakeholder complexity. Main contracting runs longer cycles (12 to 18 months), adds public sector social value scoring and portal process, and the buying committee often includes political or board sponsors alongside procurement, client and QS. We model all of that in CRM stages and company hierarchies.
How big should our LinkedIn account list be?
It depends on your geography, sectors and framework strategy. Most regional and mid-market main contractors we work with have a named universe of 150 to 400 accounts: the clients, consultants, QS firms and procurement seats that let the programmes they can win. We size and refine that list with your commercial team before campaigns start.
How does Canopy relate to our buyers?
Main contractors sell into the same procurement and estates seats that Canopy reaches with supplier management software. That crossover sharpens our LinkedIn targeting, creative and objection handling because we understand how those buyers think about supplier relationships.
What CRM do you prefer?
We work with HubSpot and Salesforce. What matters is that company records hold clients, consultants, QS firms and procurement contacts as linked parent and child accounts, with deals staged through relationship, framework, ITT received, bid submitted, negotiation and awarded. Required fields: programme_value_gbp, framework_name, tender_ref and expected_award_date. We build or fix that structure in the opening weeks.
Should Google Ads still run?
Yes, but in support. High-intent main contractor search is thin, so a generalist programme looks busy and stays commercially empty. Search still captures active tender queries and keeps you visible when a client or consultant searches your sector. We wire it into the same CRM loop so search-sourced meetings and awards sit alongside outbound and LinkedIn.
When will we see awards from LinkedIn?
LinkedIn does not generate awards directly. It opens and warms named accounts over quarters. What you should see within the first 60 to 90 days is pipeline stage movement, booked preconstruction meetings and warmer account relationships. Awards follow the pipeline and typically show first-touch attribution six to eighteen months after the relationship opened.
How is our commercial data handled?
Under NDA, with least-access in mind. We take only the fields we need to close the loop, keep programme values and account names out of the ad platforms, and anonymise anything sensitive. Platforms receive conversion events and values, not client names or tender details.
Who will we speak to each week?
The same person who owns your account, not a rotating pod. Your commercial or bid director is our weekly decision owner, and we sit with the preconstruction lead, managing director and founder as the work needs it.
Next step
Send us your named account list, or one framework you want to win
We will show you where preconstruction meetings are leaking before we talk retainer. Share your target list or a live framework, and we will map the gap between outbound and awarded value.