Research
Eight collection instruments, published methodology, and no observations yet. The method is published first so it can be argued with before any number exists.
Every dataset below is an instrument with a published methodology and no observations. That is a deliberate state, not an unfinished one. The collection procedure, the inclusion criteria, and the minimum sample size are published so the method can be argued with before any number exists to argue about — and so that when numbers do appear, the standard they had to meet was fixed in advance rather than after seeing the data.
The datasets
| Dataset | Status | Observations | Minimum before publication |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contractor Capability Index | instrument-only | 0 | 40 |
| Quote Structure Benchmark | instrument-only | 0 | 60 |
| Material Handling Decisions by End Use | instrument-only | 0 | 100 |
| Below-Grade Treatment by End Use | instrument-only | 0 | 80 |
| Project Shape: Purpose, Acreage, Vegetation, and Access | instrument-only | 0 | 150 |
| Contractor Response Time by Category and Market | instrument-only | 0 | 120 |
| Landowner Outcomes: Did the Scope Match? | instrument-only | 0 | 100 |
| Service Availability by Market and Category | instrument-only | 0 | 22 |
Contractor Capability Index
A record of which clearing-related capabilities individual contractors advertise or evidence publicly, by market, so that landowners can see what proportion of a local market genuinely offers below-grade work, grading, or tree service rather than assuming one contractor covers everything.
No observations have been collected yet. The collection instrument and its methodology are published here so the method can be reviewed before any result exists. Results will appear once at least 40 observations meet the inclusion criteria.
Quote Structure Benchmark
A record of which scope line items actually appear in clearing quotes landowners receive, and which are routinely absent, so that the claim "most quotes omit material handling" can eventually be replaced with a measured proportion rather than an impression.
No observations have been collected yet. The collection instrument and its methodology are published here so the method can be reviewed before any result exists. Results will appear once at least 60 observations meet the inclusion criteria.
Material Handling Decisions by End Use
A record of which material handling route landowners actually choose for each intended end use, collected from tool sessions and submissions, to establish whether the guidance on this platform matches what people with real projects decide.
No observations have been collected yet. The collection instrument and its methodology are published here so the method can be reviewed before any result exists. Results will appear once at least 100 observations meet the inclusion criteria.
Below-Grade Treatment by End Use
A record of which below-grade treatment landowners select for each end use, and how often the quote they received specified a grinding depth or addressed rock, to test whether the omissions this platform warns about are as common as they appear.
No observations have been collected yet. The collection instrument and its methodology are published here so the method can be reviewed before any result exists. Results will appear once at least 80 observations meet the inclusion criteria.
Project Shape: Purpose, Acreage, Vegetation, and Access
A structural record of the projects landowners actually bring — what they are for, how large, what is growing, and which access constraints are present — so that guidance can be aimed at the projects that exist rather than the ones that are easiest to write about.
No observations have been collected yet. The collection instrument and its methodology are published here so the method can be reviewed before any result exists. Results will appear once at least 150 observations meet the inclusion criteria.
Contractor Response Time by Category and Market
A record of how long it actually takes a landowner to hear back and to receive a written quote, by contractor category and market, to replace the unverifiable response-time promises common in this industry with something measured.
No observations have been collected yet. The collection instrument and its methodology are published here so the method can be reviewed before any result exists. Results will appear once at least 120 observations meet the inclusion criteria.
Landowner Outcomes: Did the Scope Match?
A record of whether the completed work matched the scope the landowner described, and where it did not, which gate the mismatch traced back to — the measurement that would show whether the five-gate framework on this platform actually prevents the problem it claims to prevent.
No observations have been collected yet. The collection instrument and its methodology are published here so the method can be reviewed before any result exists. Results will appear once at least 100 observations meet the inclusion criteria.
Service Availability by Market and Category
A count of contractors publicly identifiable as serving each market in each category, to establish where the categories landowners are advised to use actually exist locally — and where the advice to "call a different trade" has nobody to call.
No observations have been collected yet. The collection instrument and its methodology are published here so the method can be reviewed before any result exists. Results will appear once at least 22 observations meet the inclusion criteria.
Why this is published before there is anything to show
Because the alternative is worse. A platform that collects data quietly and publishes when the numbers look interesting has chosen its threshold after seeing the data. Publishing the instrument first fixes the threshold in advance, in public, where it can be checked.
It also makes the method reviewable by people who know more than we do about the thing being measured. If the inclusion criteria for the capability index are wrong, we would rather find that out now than after forty records have been collected against them.
Read further
Contractor Capability Index
The first original dataset. The instrument and its methodology are published; no observations have been collected yet, and none are invented to fill the gap.
Research methodology
Every dataset declares its minimum sample size before collection opens, and no result is published below it. That is the whole point of publishing the method first.
Data sources and verification
What each source is allowed to support, and what "unverified" precisely means on this site.
Worksheets and checklists
Printable versions of the checklists on this site, for taking to a site walk or a contractor meeting.
Have a quote we could learn from?
The quote structure benchmark runs on quotes landowners actually received. Identifying details are removed before anything is recorded, and the source document is discarded once the structural record is complete.
Nothing on this site is a recommendation of a specific company. The guidance describes categories of work and the questions worth asking. If you decide to request quotes, the introduction is free to you, contractors may pay to receive it, and you are under no obligation to hire anyone.