BuildQS Pipeline update: connect projects and track wins

A won opportunity and its live project do not always arrive in BuildQS in the same order. You might already have a Pipeline entry from tender stage, while a colleague has separately created the project for delivery. The BuildQS Pipeline linking workflow connects those existing records rather than asking you to create either one again.

This walkthrough covers that connection, the choice of forecast dates, the current project valuations shown during selection and the Dashboard's won/lost conversion figures. It also explains where planning assumptions stop and project records begin.

Access note: Project Pipeline is currently included in the Business and Firm paid-plan configuration. Access also depends on your active subscription, business and feature-access settings. Check your account's access before following the steps; a trial or plan name alone does not establish that every control is enabled.

All project names and figures below are wholly fictional teaching examples. Screenshots show the actual BuildQS interface with fictional records in an isolated test environment, not customer accounts.

What does this Pipeline update cover?

The workflow connects an existing secured Pipeline entry to an existing project, lets you choose the dates used for forecasting and displays the project's current valuation during selection. Separately, the Pipeline Dashboard reports won and lost outcomes, with open opportunities shown outside the conversion-rate calculation. These controls answer different questions and should be reviewed separately.

This is more specific than our Project Pipeline overview. That guide explains the wider opportunity register and forecasting approach. Here, the focus is what to do when the project already exists and you want the Pipeline entry to refer to it.

The August product update covered adding a live project as a new Pipeline row. That is a different starting point. Do not add another row simply because you want to connect the one you already have.

Choose the right connection for your starting point

Use Create new project when the Pipeline entry exists but the live project does not. Use Link existing project when both records already exist. If only the live project exists, adding it to Pipeline creates a new row instead. Choosing the appropriate route avoids creating an additional record when your intention is simply to connect two existing ones.

Before selecting an action, check which records your business already holds:

• Pipeline entry only: review the create-project route and the required client and contract details.
• Pipeline entry and live project: use the existing-project link after checking that they represent the same work.
• Live project only: use the project-to-Pipeline handoff described in the August guide.

Linking is not a merge tool. It does not reconcile two competing live projects, replace a previous relationship or decide which record contains the correct commercial information. Resolve that uncertainty before making the connection.

How to link an existing Pipeline entry to a project

Open the Pipeline Table, find an unlinked entry at 100% probability and choose Create or link project. In the connection dialog, select Link existing project, choose the eligible project, review its valuation and select the forecast date source. Confirm with Link project only after checking the identity, value and dates together.

1. Check eligibility and identify the correct row

The connection action applies to an unlinked entry at 100% probability. Set the opportunity's recorded stage and probability deliberately; do not increase probability merely to make a button available for uncertain work. A successful existing-project attachment records the row as Won at 100%.

Check the project name and number before opening the dialog. If a row is already linked, follow its existing project connection rather than attempting to attach it again.

2. Choose Link existing project

The dialog opens with the create-project option selected. Switch to Link existing project when the delivery record is already in BuildQS. You do not need to complete the separate new-project form to use the linking form.

The searchable project picker identifies projects by their name and client, with status and a short identifier to help distinguish similar records. Search using the project or client name, then check the result rather than relying on a familiar-looking title alone.

Eligible choices are scoped to the active business and your project access. Archived projects are excluded. An authorised project that already has a Pipeline connection is shown as unavailable, not offered as a replacement link.

Open the full-size project picker screenshot.

3. Review the value before choosing dates

Selecting a project loads its Current project valuation preview. Treat this as a check that you have chosen the intended record and understand its commercial position. It is not an amount paid or an instruction to issue an invoice.

If the value cannot be loaded, use the retry control or investigate the record before proceeding. A missing value should not be interpreted as a genuine zero. The form requires a successful valuation preview before linking.

4. Select the schedule and confirm

Choose Keep pipeline dates or Use project dates as explained below. Review the complete date range and the selected project once more, then confirm Link project.

After a successful attachment, the existing row refers to the selected project. Its project action opens that record. The attachment does not create a second project or a second Pipeline entry, and it does not overwrite the live project's name, client, contract value or dates.

What does the project valuation badge mean?

The picker badge shows the project's current derived valuation, not the original Pipeline estimate. Its calculation includes original task values with applicable discounts and approved positive or negative variations, while excluding unapproved variations. The selected-project preview provides a further check. Neither figure represents cash received, certified payment or the final account agreed with a client.

For fictional Example project A, assume:

• Original work in the valuation: £180,000.
• Approved additional variation: £12,000.
• No discounts, negative variations or unapproved variations.
• No separate forecast-value override.

The current valuation is £180,000 + £12,000 = £192,000. An older Pipeline estimate of £180,000 does not make the £192,000 preview a duplicate charge. They describe different stages of the commercial record.

The underlying estimate is retained when an existing row is attached, while the linked forecast uses the project-value basis unless an explicit forecast override applies. Do not add the retained estimate to the current project valuation.

A project without original valuation tasks can use its contract-value fallback before Master Valuation approval. Conversely, where original tasks exist, a genuine zero valuation is not a reason to substitute the contract value. For the underlying structure, see the Master Valuation Schedule guide.

Where a compatible value is unavailable, the picker can display Value unavailable. That message does not mean £0, and the badge is not evidence that a Master Valuation has been approved.

Keep pipeline dates or use project dates?

Keep pipeline dates uses the confirmed Pipeline start and end dates for this forecast only. Use project dates follows the linked project's start and end dates, including subsequent changes when the forecast is recalculated. Neither choice writes dates back to the live project during linking, and the choice does not change the underlying project valuation.

Keep pipeline dates

This is the default selection. It suits a deliberate planning profile that differs from the live project's recorded programme. You can complete or review the Pipeline date fields before confirming the attachment.

For Example project A, the Pipeline range is 1 October to 31 December 2026. Choosing this option retains that three-month forecast range even though the live project's dates run from November to February. A subsequent edit to the live project's dates does not switch the Pipeline row to project-date mode.

Open the complete Pipeline-date form.

Use project dates

Choose this when the forecast should follow the live project's schedule. In the example, that means 1 November 2026 to 28 February 2027. If the project's dates later change, subsequent forecast calculations use the revised dates.

The original Pipeline dates are not written onto the project. They remain separate from the selected project-date source. Check the forecast again after schedule changes rather than assuming an already-open view has refreshed.

Open the complete project-date form.

Both options need a valid date range, with the end on or after the start. Missing or invalid project dates make project-date mode unavailable. You can complete valid Pipeline dates instead, or correct the project separately before returning to the connection.

Choose the source carefully: this form does not provide a later source-switch or relinking operation. Keeping that distinction explicit is preferable to treating the two options as interchangeable display filters.

A worked forecast example using the two date choices

Changing the schedule changes the months used for the estimate, not the project valuation itself. In an estimate-only profile, £192,000 over three inclusive months gives £64,000 per month; over four gives £48,000. Those figures illustrate date allocation under stated assumptions. They are not a payment schedule or evidence of money due in each month.

For this example, the Master Valuation is not yet approved, there is no application activity and there is no forecast override. The £192,000 current valuation is therefore shown as a gross planning estimate across the selected inclusive calendar months.

With Keep pipeline dates:

• October 2026: £64,000.
• November 2026: £64,000.
• December 2026: £64,000.
• Total: £192,000.

With Use project dates:

• November 2026: £48,000.
• December 2026: £48,000.
• January 2027: £48,000.
• February 2027: £48,000.
• Total: £192,000.

These are alternative views of one project, not amounts to combine. A three-month allocation does not mean the installation will progress evenly or the client will pay £64,000 in each month.

Do not apply this simple illustration to every linked project. Approved-Master-Valuation profiles handle qualifying application activity and the remaining estimate differently. Recorded work-completed allocations are not moved merely because a forecast date range changes. The Gross/Net display also does not convert future estimates into net cash receipts.

Pipeline is not a cash receipt forecast. For payment-date assumptions and liquidity planning, keep the distinction described in our construction cash flow forecasting guide.

How the won and lost conversion rate works

The Pipeline Dashboard calculates conversion rate from explicit Won and Lost stages: won divided by won plus lost. Lead, Quoted and Negotiating entries appear separately under unsecured and do not enter that denominator. The percentage measures recorded outcomes by count, not opportunity value, forecast probability, invoices issued or customer payments collected.

For a wholly fictional register containing eight Won, two Lost and five open entries:

8 ÷ (8 + 2) × 100 = 80%.

Dividing eight by all fifteen entries would answer a different question. The five open opportunities have not reached a recorded outcome, so they are shown separately.

Open the full-size conversion-rate screenshot.

The displayed percentage is rounded to a whole number. If there are no Won or Lost entries, the card shows a dash and No decided projects yet, rather than presenting the absence of outcomes as a 0% result.

The card uses the full returned Pipeline dataset. Table stage filters, forecast-month choices and Hide lost do not turn it into a filtered-period conversion report. Read it as an all-recorded-outcomes measure, not a particular month's tender win rate.

Stage is what matters. Changing probability alone does not tell this calculation that an opportunity has been won or lost. Equally, a large contract does not count more heavily than a small one. Review stages consistently before using the percentage in a management discussion.

Here, unsecured is an interface label for open opportunities. It is not a description of a debt's legal security or a statement that the work cannot become secured.

Checks to make if a link or figure looks wrong

Check the active business, account access, project identity, existing relationships and date range before changing commercial data. A missing option or changed preview is a reason to review the inputs, not to create another project as a workaround. Keep project valuation, forecast value and recorded outcome separate while identifying which part needs attention.

Use these checks in order:

1. No Pipeline navigation: check the Business or Firm plan configuration and your business's feature access. Trial, team and administrative paths have separate rules; contact BuildQS if access is unclear.
2. No connection action: confirm the Pipeline row is unlinked and at 100% probability. Do not misstate an opportunity's status to bypass eligibility.
3. Project missing or unavailable: check the active business, project permissions, archived status and whether it is already linked elsewhere. Linking does not replace another connection.
4. Valuation differs from the estimate: review original tasks, discounts and approved variations. Check separately for a forecast override; the selection preview is not that override.
5. Project-date choice unavailable: review both live dates and their order. Complete Pipeline dates if you intend to use a separate forecast schedule.
6. Details changed while linking: review the refreshed information before confirming again. Do not assume the earlier preview remains current.
7. Conversion rate differs from your spreadsheet: compare the Won/Lost counts and denominator, not the sum of opportunity values or a probability-weighted total.

Frequently asked questions

These questions address the main boundaries of the workflow: connecting existing records, preserving live project information, reading valuations and interpreting the outcome card. Check those boundaries before treating a link as a change to the contract or a forecast as payment evidence. Project Pipeline remains a planning workflow alongside, rather than a replacement for, valuation and payment records.

Does linking create another project?

No. Link existing project attaches the selected existing project to the existing eligible Pipeline row. Create new project is a separate option. Adding a live project as a new Pipeline row is also a different operation, so choose according to which records already exist.

Will Keep pipeline dates change the live project's programme?

No. Those dates control this Pipeline forecast. Linking does not overwrite the live project's dates. Use project dates instead when you want later project-date changes to flow into subsequent forecast calculations.

Is the valuation badge the amount the client owes?

No. It is a derived project valuation for selecting and reviewing the connection. It is not a certified sum, invoice balance or cash receipt. Check the applicable application and commercial records for their separate purposes.

Why are unsecured opportunities excluded from conversion rate?

They are open stages without a recorded Won or Lost outcome. The rate compares decided outcomes only. Their value and probability remain relevant to planning, but they do not belong in the denominator of this outcome-count measure.

Prefer to walk through your workflow live first? Book a Demo

Sources

• BuildQS existing-project linking interface, attachment validation and project-value calculation, checked 16 October 2026.
• BuildQS forecast date-source and outcome-conversion implementation, checked 16 October 2026. Screenshots use fictional data in a disposable test environment; no customer records are shown.
• Project Pipeline overview, for the wider planning workflow.
• August Pipeline and Pay Less update, for the different live-project-to-new-row handoff.
• Current pricing, for plan information. Business-specific access settings and permissions also apply.