What "licensing project data" means
Licensing project data means giving another organisation permission to use copies of your records, on terms set out in a contract, usually in return for a fee. You don't sell the records outright, and you keep your own copies. The licence sets out what the buyer may do with the data, for how long, and what they must not do (for example, identify your clients or redistribute the files).
Today the main buyers are companies building AI tools for construction: software that reads drawings, drafts RFIs, checks submittals, tracks progress from photos or spots defects in inspection images. These tools need large volumes of real project records, and public data of that kind is scarce. Construction trade press has reported that software platforms are now competing over access to construction data for exactly this reason.
Licensing usually happens either directly with an AI developer or through a marketplace that sits in the middle, scoping the data, handling the contract and preparing the export.
Which records are useful
Most firms of 50+ people already hold the kinds of records buyers ask about. They're useful because they show how real projects actually ran, including the problems:
| Record | What it shows | Typical formats |
|---|---|---|
| Drawings and models | Design intent and how it changed through revisions | PDF, DWG, RVT, IFC |
| Specifications | Materials, standards and workmanship requirements | PDF, Word |
| RFIs | Questions raised on site and how the design team answered them | Platform records, PDF |
| Submittals and technical queries | Proposed products and approvals | Platform records, PDF |
| Change orders and variations | What changed, why, and the commercial impact | Platform records, spreadsheets |
| Daily logs and site diaries | Labour, weather, deliveries and progress, day by day | Platform records, PDF |
| Site photos and video | Work in progress, quality and conditions over time | JPEG, HEIC, MP4 |
| Drone surveys | Aerial progress, earthworks and as-built conditions | Images, GeoTIFF orthomosaics, LAS point clouds |
| Inspection reports | Defects found and how they were resolved | PDF, platform records |
| Snag lists (punch lists) | Outstanding items at handover | Platform records, spreadsheets |
What tends to make an archive more useful
- Complete closeout. Projects that ran to handover, with the records kept, show the whole story rather than a fragment.
- Linked records. An RFI that points to a drawing revision, which led to a change order, is far more informative than the same documents in isolation. Records kept in a platform such as Procore or Autodesk Construction Cloud often keep those links.
- Imagery with dates. Photos, video and drone surveys with capture dates let progress be followed over time.
- Range. Several projects across different building types, sizes and procurement routes, rather than one large job.
What to check before you license anything
None of these is a reason to rule licensing out. They're the questions that come up in scoping, so it helps to know the answers early.
1. Who owns what
Holding a document isn't the same as owning the rights to it. Under UK copyright law, the author of a drawing or report usually owns the copyright unless the contract assigns it. On a typical project, the architect and engineers keep copyright in their designs and grant the client a licence to use them, while the contractor holds copies under the contract. Records your own staff created (site diaries, photos, RFIs, internal reports) are usually the most straightforward to license.
2. Confidentiality in your contracts
Building contracts, appointments and subcontracts often contain confidentiality clauses, and some clients add their own. Check what yours say about sharing project information, and whether removing names and locations would satisfy them. Some projects (for example, defence, prisons, critical infrastructure or secure sites) are best left out entirely.
3. Personal data
Project records contain more personal data than people expect: names, signatures and phone numbers in logs and correspondence, faces and vehicle registrations in photos, and residents' details on housing and refurbishment jobs. Under UK GDPR, this needs to be removed or protected before data is shared. Any reputable buyer or marketplace should explain how they do this.
4. Your software's terms
If your records sit in a cloud platform, its terms of service may restrict bulk exports or use of the data for AI training, and on many projects the account belongs to the client or main contractor rather than to you. See the guides to Procore, Autodesk Construction Cloud, Revit and DroneDeploy.
5. Internal sign-off
Decide who signs off. That usually means a director, plus whoever handles contracts and data protection. A short list of candidate projects makes that conversation much easier.
How the process usually runs
- First conversation. What you hold, roughly how much, which systems it's in, and any projects you'd exclude.
- NDA. Signed before any detail or samples are shared.
- Scoping. Agreeing which projects and record types are in scope, checking contract restrictions, and agreeing how personal data will be handled.
- Preparation and export. Records are exported from your systems, and personal information is removed or protected.
- Licence. You see the terms (scope, permitted uses, duration, payment) and decide whether to sign.
Through the marketplace we introduce firms to, the marketplace scopes the data, signs the NDA, removes or protects personal information and runs the export. You decide whether to license.
What it's worth
There's no public price list for construction project data, and anyone quoting a firm figure before seeing your records is guessing. Value depends mainly on how much you hold, how complete it is, and how much imagery comes with it. For reference, Mercor lists potential company earnings of $115k-$1M depending on project count and imagery. That is Mercor's own figure, not a promise or guarantee from us.
Is it right for your firm?
It's worth exploring if:
- you have 50 or more staff and a few years of completed projects;
- your records are reasonably complete, especially if they're in a platform or include imagery; and
- you're comfortable having a confidential, no-obligation conversation about what's in scope.
It probably isn't right if most of your work is under strict client confidentiality, or if your records are thin or scattered across personal drives.
Licensing by sector and by system
The details differ depending on what you do and where your records live:
- General contractors: the broadest archive, and the most third-party documents.
- Specialist subcontractors: trade-specific records that general archives lack.
- Architects: usually own the copyright in their drawings.
- Engineers: calculations, models and site records.
- Inspectors and surveyors: defect records and inspection imagery.
- Property and facilities managers: how buildings perform after handover.
Common questions
Do we lose ownership of our records?
A licence is permission to use copies on agreed terms, not a sale of the records. You keep your originals. Read the licence terms on scope, duration and permitted uses before signing.
Can we leave some projects out?
You decide what to put forward. It's normal to exclude projects with strict confidentiality terms or sensitive clients.
Will our clients be identifiable?
That depends on the scope agreed and how the data is prepared. Raise it at the start if it matters to you or your clients.
Is licensing project data allowed under UK GDPR?
It can be, provided personal data is removed or properly protected and there is a lawful basis for anything that remains. Take your own advice if you're unsure.
Sources: ENR, "Construction platforms are already fighting over data to train AI agents". RIBA, key talking points for architects around AI and copyright.