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Subcontractor Onboarding Checklist

Print this and work down it for every new subcontractor on every job. The reasoning behind each step is in the onboarding workflow.

Who owns it: the project manager for the job. One name at the top of the page.

Subcontractor: ______________________ Job: ______________________ Award: $____________

Do not let them mobilize without these five​

Everything else on this list can be chased in week one. These five cannot.

  • Subcontract fully executed by both parties (signed by someone with authority to bind, all exhibits attached)
  • Certificates of insurance on file and checked against your requirements exhibit (every required coverage, correct limits, named insured matches the contracting entity exactly, none expiring inside 30 days)
  • Contractor's license verified current (right state, right classification for this scope, checked at the licensing board rather than taken from their letterhead)
  • Site-specific safety orientation completed for every worker mobilizing (including the owner and any delivery driver entering the work area)
  • Subcontract bond received, where required (the actual bond with power of attorney attached, not a commitment letter)

If any of the five is open, they do not start. Decide now who holds that line, because it will be tested on a Monday morning with the crew already in the parking lot.

Prequalification complete​

  • Prequalification on file and current (dated within 12 months)
  • Award is inside their single job limit (the largest one subcontract you approved them for)
  • Award plus their existing work with you is inside their aggregate limit (check across all your jobs, not just this one)
  • Requirement tier confirmed against the award value (a package that grew past a threshold needs the higher tier)
  • Conditions from a conditional approval assigned to a named person (bond, joint checks, funds control, increased retention, reduced scope, weekly waivers)
  • Financial review completed where the tier requires it (someone who reads statements has read them)
  • References checked and the notes are in the file (not "we know them")

Contract​

  • Scope defined by specification section and drawing reference, with exclusions written down
  • Contract sum and unit rates agreed
  • Schedule attached with their milestone dates and committed manpower
  • Payment terms, retainage percentage and pay application cycle stated
  • Change order pricing and authorization path stated (including that unauthorized work is unpaid work)
  • Insurance requirements exhibit attached to the subcontract (not emailed separately)
  • Lien waiver forms attached as exhibits (conditional, unconditional and lower-tier)
  • Safety requirements attached
  • Conditions written into the contract body (a condition living only in a letter will not survive accounting's standard template)
  • Countersigned copy sent back to the sub, and the executed contract filed centrally

Insurance and compliance​

  • General liability certificate on file (limits meet or exceed the exhibit, per-project aggregate where required)
  • Automobile liability certificate on file
  • Workers' compensation certificate on file (correct state coverage; verify current law on statutory employee exposure in your state)
  • Umbrella or excess certificate on file (note its expiry separately, it usually differs from the GL date)
  • Professional liability, where the scope includes design (check the retroactive date, not just the expiry)
  • Pollution liability, where the trade requires it (demolition, abatement, earthwork, roofing)
  • Additional insured endorsement received, by form number (not just the box ticked on the certificate)
  • Waiver of subrogation endorsement received
  • Primary and non-contributory wording confirmed
  • Named insured matches the subcontract signature block character for character
  • Expiry dates entered in the compliance tracker the day the certificate arrives, with reminders at 60, 30, 14 and 7 days
  • Post-completion coverage obligation logged with a reminder at final payment
  • Certificate saved as a new historical record, never overwriting the previous one (the certificate covering an incident date is the one you will need)

Financial and payment setup​

  • W-9 on file with the entity name matching the subcontract and the name they will invoice under
  • Vendor record created in your accounting system with the correct legal entity
  • Banking or ACH details received on their letterhead from a known contact
  • Banking details verified by phone, on a number you already had on file, to a person you have dealt with before (never a number from the email requesting the change)
  • The same verification rule documented for any future change to their details
  • Retainage set correctly in the system, including any increased retention from a conditional approval
  • Schedule of values submitted, reviewed and approved before the first billing period closes
  • Joint check agreement executed where required, naming the specific suppliers
  • Funds control arrangement in place, where required
  • Lien waiver requirements explained to their billing contact, including lower-tier waivers

Safety​

  • Written safety program received (an actual document)
  • EMR and OSHA 300 summaries on file and reviewed
  • Competent person named for the trade, in writing
  • Site-specific orientation delivered to every worker, with a sign-in sheet retained
  • Site rules and drug and alcohol policy acknowledged in writing by every worker
  • Hazard communication handled — their safety data sheets added to the site file
  • Emergency procedures covered (muster point, first aid, incident reporting and how fast)
  • PPE requirements confirmed and their crew actually equipped
  • Toolbox talk and daily report expectations explained to their foreman
  • Stop-work authority explained (every worker on your site has it)

Site access​

  • Badging or sign-in system set up (you can produce who was on site on any given day)
  • Site logistics reviewed with their foreman — access, parking, laydown, hoisting, deliveries
  • Working hours, noise restrictions and after-hours procedures stated
  • Delivery and crane scheduling explained, with a named coordinator
  • Temporary power, water, sanitary and waste arrangements confirmed, and storage location assigned in writing
  • Hot work, confined space and lockout permit procedures explained where relevant

Systems and communication​

  • Contact sheet exchanged — their foreman, PM, safety contact, billing contact, emergency contacts
  • Your who to call for what list given to them (one name each for scope, payment, safety, documents)
  • Access granted to current drawings and specs, with the revision procedure explained
  • Schedule access granted and their activities and milestones walked through
  • Submittal register extract issued with their items and due dates
  • RFI procedure explained, including who may raise one and the expected response time
  • Pay application format, cut-off date, approval path and payment timing walked through with their billing contact
  • Change order form issued and the authorization path explained
  • Meeting cadence agreed and calendar invitations sent
  • Day-one packet handed over as one complete set (the onboarding packet template assembles it)

Before the first pay application​

  • Schedule of values approved and loaded into your system
  • Their billing contact walked through one complete cycle before the first one is due
  • Lien waiver forms issued and confirmed as acceptable to them
  • Lower-tier supplier and sub list received, so you know whose waivers to expect
  • Certificates still current as of the billing date
  • Retainage and any conditions configured before the first check runs
  • Joint checks set up and the first one tested, where required

Completed by: ______________________ Date: ____________

File the completed sheet in the job file and in the sub's central record. When the auditor, the claims adjuster or the next project manager asks, this page is the answer.

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