Your goal should always be to beat incumbents on jobs, not on their relationships. Incumbency is a default, but defaults can be broken by price. A subbie with a good supplier relationship will consider switching when a specific tender puts a number on the table. Where possible, time your approach for the pricing window.
Incumbency is the path of least resistance a subbie takes when there’s no reason not to. However, when a subbie, three weeks out from pricing a tender they need to win, finds themselves building a number from scratch for the first time in months, a second quote carries weight.
According to E1 (EstimateOne) data, 358,557 quotes were submitted on tenders in Australia in 2025. That’s hundreds of thousands of moments when a subbie was actively pricing a package, and an incumbent supplier was essentially up for review.
Quote volume is climbing (roughly 18% January to May year-on-year, and more than tripled since 2022). The pricing moment is happening constantly, and it’s growing. Most lead databases can’t see any of this, because they’re not the tendering platform. They can tell you a project exists, but they can’t tell you when a subbie sat down to price it. Knowing when an incumbent is vulnerable allows you to ensure your timing lines up with the window that matters.
Important note: If your product gets specified by the architect, none of this matters. That’s a different play, and a better one when you can get it. If specification is where you want to focus, learn more about how to get on the specification list of a consultant or architect.
What makes a contractor switch suppliers?
A contractor switches suppliers when a live tender forces a new price. Every quote submitted on a tender is a moment the incumbent is briefly up for review, and your quote becomes data. Outside that window, a second quote is noise.
This changes what “standing out” means. Trying to out-service or out-charm an existing relationship won’t work. Instead, you need to be present at the moment when the relationship stops being the deciding factor. A subbie building a tender number is comparing, because they have to win the job, and their margin depends on getting the input costs right. When a subbie is pricing a job under pressure, you have an opportunity.
This reframes the goal of your pitch. Rather than trying to be better than a current supplier, you just need the right eyes on your pitch when they’re pricing.
When should I contact a contractor about a project?
Contact a contractor while they’re actively pricing the job, not months before or after. Timing beats persuasion, and you should always reach out before the number is locked, and a competing quote can still change the maths. Outside a live tender, you’re asking them to reconsider a decision they’ve already made, with no urgency pulling them to do so.
This is the part that’s historically been guesswork. Suppliers have relied on relationships, gut feel about upcoming work, or a project database that flags a job exists somewhere in the pipeline. None of this tells you when the pricing window, which is short, closes.
What if my product isn’t the one specified?
If your product isn’t specified, find out what is before you pitch. A subbie pricing a tender needs a compliant quote against the named product, not a persuasive call about yours. Always check the specification, and quote a genuine equivalent.
This is a different situation from not knowing who’s incumbent, but a subbie can’t (or won’t) just swap in your product because you called at the right time; they need to know it stacks up against what’s named on the drawings. E1’s Speci-Finder is a useful tool here, as it gives vital information about what is being specified in live Australian tender projects.
Displacement isn’t the only way in
Not every win has to come from pricing a subbie off someone else’s books. There are more than 81,000 active subbies across 186 trades in Australia, spread across 50 trades that each carry 1,000 or more active subbies.
If you’ve got 40 regular customers, you’re comparing yourself to a market of 81,000-plus. Somewhere in that number are subbies who don’t have a regular supplier simply because nobody’s ever turned up at the right moment to become their default. Don’t worry about being the second call to an incumbent when plenty of subbies haven’t even made a first call yet.
It’s also important to consider that if you’re someone else’s incumbent, rivals will take swings at your regulars. Relationship-building is still an important lever and earned positions are still valuable, but goodwill will always battle a well-timed, convincing quote.
If you want a clearer idea of which subbies are tendering right now on the trades in your patch, set up an account with E1 and start watching the pricing window instead of guessing where it could be.
Doris
Wu
General Manager - Supplier
