How to manage subcontractors

Short answer

Manage subcontractors with written work orders that state scope, price, dates and standards; verify insurance and licence before they start; give them schedule visibility; require completion photos and checklists; and tie payment to documented completion rather than a phone call.

Never verbal, always a work order

A work order should state the scope, exclusions, the price, the start and finish dates, site access, who supplies materials, quality standards and how completion is verified. Verbal scope is why subs and GCs disagree about what was included.

Compliance before mobilisation

Collect and date-track general liability, workers' compensation and licence documents. Expired certificates surface at exactly the wrong moment, so track expiry dates rather than filing PDFs.

Give them the schedule

Most no-shows are information failures. A sub who can see the current dates, the tasks in front of them and any slippage will plan around it. A sub relying on a text message from three weeks ago will not.

Checklists and photos close the loop

Completion checklists with required photos give you evidence for the client, a punch list that is defensible and a reason for the sub to finish properly the first time.

Pay on documented completion

Fast, predictable payment against verified completion buys you priority on your subs' calendars. Slow payment costs you schedule reliability long before it costs you the relationship.

How WinkScope handles it

WinkScope issues work orders with scope, checklists, dates and pricing, gives each vendor a portal with only their assigned projects, tracks insurance and licence expiry, collects completion photos and time logs, and turns approved work orders into payable cost against the job.

Frequently asked questions

What should a subcontractor work order include?

Scope, exclusions, price and payment terms, start and completion dates, site access, material responsibility, quality standards, safety requirements and completion verification.

How do you keep subs on schedule?

Give them live schedule visibility, confirm dates a week out, sequence realistically, and pay reliably. Those four cover most reliability problems.