Fair questions, straight answers
Everything people ask before signing up. Anything missing? Email info@firstonsite.ie and a real person answers.
Where does the information come from?
Public Irish records: council planning portals, the national planning database, An Bord Pleanála, commencement notices filed with building control, and public tenders. All public information. We find it faster, judge what's real work, and present it in a way that's useful to the person doing the work.
Do I actually get a phone number to call?
On most leads, yes. It's the architect, engineer or agent named on the application, acting in their professional capacity - usually the contact they published themselves on the public planning record. Where the record gives only a name, we verify the practice's public business contact from professional sources; every contact on a card is labelled with where it came from, and we never use private individuals' details. Where we have nothing verified we say so honestly and link you to the council file instead of guessing.
What does your contact rate actually mean?
When we quote a contact rate, we mean: of the leads sent in the last 30 days, the share carrying a direct phone number or email you can use that morning - not just a name. Leads where we only hold a name don't count toward it. The orange dot on a card means exactly this: a direct contact is attached. We publish the live number on the homepage rather than a marketing claim, and it moves day to day.
How many emails will I get?
One digest each morning with the best new jobs for your counties and trade, including sites about to break ground near you. Beyond that, only things that can't wait for the morning: a decision on a job you were alerted to, plus a Monday email of permissions granted months ago that never started. Nothing else.
What does it cost?
Free to start with a 7-day trial, no card required. After that it's €29 a month - the founding-member rate, locked in for as long as you stay subscribed. Future members will pay the standard rate. Month-to-month, no contracts, no notice periods, no auto-renew traps. Cancel any time: you won't be charged again and your alerts run to the end of the month you've paid for.
How early do I find out about a job?
Usually within days of a planning application being submitted. That's weeks or months before work starts on site, which is plenty of time to make an introduction and be the first to price it.
What counties do you cover?
All 31 local authorities: every county council, city council, and city & county council in Ireland. Dublin is split into its four authorities (Dublin City, Fingal, South Dublin, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown) so you only get the parts that cover you.
What's a commencement notice and why should I care?
It's the legal notice filed before work physically starts on site. It's the strongest signal there is that a job is real and imminent: suppliers and subcontractors get booked around exactly that moment. We alert you when sites near you are about to break ground.
Can I change my counties, work types or trade later?
Yes, yourself, in about a minute. Every email has an 'update preferences' link that opens your own settings page. No account or password needed.
How do I cancel or unsubscribe?
One click on the unsubscribe link in any email stops everything immediately. Paid subscriptions cancel from the same emails: you won't be billed again and you keep your alerts to the end of the paid month.
Is this GDPR compliant?
Yes, by design. We only surface professional business contacts (the agents named on applications) and never store private individuals' details from planning files. Our privacy policy explains exactly what we hold about subscribers and why, and any named agent can ask to be removed.
How is this different from other planning lead services?
Most services hand you a dashboard and leave the digging to you. FirstOnSite does the digging: what lands in your inbox is the result, a short email with the jobs worth pursuing, the person to call, and the timing to act on. And every number we publish is a live figure from our database.