Subcontractor management dashboard showing compliance status and payment schedules for Australian builders

The Chaos

You manage 40 subcontractors across 6 active projects. Their insurance certificates are in a filing cabinet, a shared drive, and three different email threads. You are not sure if all of them have current public liability insurance right now. If a subbie has an accident on site with expired WorkCover, you are personally liable.

Onboarding a new subbie takes a week of back-and-forth emails collecting ABN details, insurance certificates, QBCC licenses, and bank details. Payment tracking lives in spreadsheets that no one trusts. You cannot tell which subbies consistently deliver on time and which always cause delays.

The risk? An uninsured subcontractor incident can cost $500,000+ in liability. Late payments damage relationships with your best subbies. Poor performance data means you keep hiring the same unreliable subcontractors. QBCC audits find compliance gaps that trigger penalties.

Subcontractor Management Features

Everything you need to manage subbies from onboarding to final payment

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Subbie Onboarding & Compliance

Digital onboarding portal where subcontractors submit ABN, insurance certificates, trade licenses, QBCC registration, and WorkCover details. Automated verification reduces onboarding from days to hours.

Onboard new subbies in hours, not weeks
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Insurance & License Tracking

Centralised register of all subcontractor insurance policies, trade licenses, and compliance documents with automated expiry alerts. Never let a subbie work on site with expired public liability or workers compensation.

Zero compliance gaps, automated expiry alerts
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Payment Scheduling

Track purchase orders, progress payments, retention, and back-charges per subcontractor across all projects. Align payment schedules with your own cash flow to avoid paying out before you get paid.

Cash-flow-aligned payments, zero missed invoices
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Performance Tracking

Rate subcontractors on delivery, quality, safety, communication, and cost accuracy. Build historical performance data to inform procurement decisions and reward your best subbies with more work.

Data-driven subbie selection for future projects
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Communication Management

Centralised communication log for every subcontractor interaction — scope clarifications, RFIs, defect notices, and schedule updates. No more searching through email threads to find what was agreed.

Full audit trail of every communication

Australian Compliance Requirements

State-specific subcontractor compliance that our software tracks automatically

Queensland (QBCC)

  • QBCC license verification for trade category and financial limits
  • Domestic building work over $3,300 requires QBCC license
  • Written subcontract agreements required
  • Payment claim and payment schedule obligations under BCIPA
  • WorkCover Queensland registration verification

New South Wales

  • NSW Fair Trading license verification for specialist trades
  • Home Building Compensation Fund coverage for residential work
  • SafeWork NSW compliance requirements
  • Security of Payment Act claim procedures
  • Workers compensation insurance verification

Victoria

  • Victorian Building Authority registration verification
  • Domestic building insurance requirements
  • WorkSafe Victoria compliance
  • Security of Payment Act procedures
  • Plumbing and electrical license verification

Software Options Compared

We help you choose and implement the right solution for your operation

Procore

Enterprise subcontractor management built into project management platform

Price: $10,000-$50,000+/year

Best for: Commercial builders managing 50+ subbies across multiple projects

  • Full lifecycle management
  • Document control integration
  • Compliance workflows
  • Multi-project visibility

Simpro

Job and subcontractor management for trade businesses

Price: $200-$800/month

Best for: Trade businesses (electrical, plumbing, HVAC) with 10-50 subbies

  • Job scheduling with subbie allocation
  • Purchase order management
  • Field mobile app
  • Xero/MYOB integration

Assignar

Workforce management and compliance for construction

Price: $300-$600/month

Best for: Civil and commercial contractors with large transient workforces

  • Digital onboarding portal
  • Compliance document management
  • Scheduling and dispatch
  • Safety management

Custom Solution

Tailored subcontractor management integrated with your existing systems

Price: $15,000-$40,000 implementation

Best for: Builders with unique requirements or existing systems to connect

  • Fits your exact workflow
  • Integrates with any accounting software
  • Custom compliance rules
  • Scalable as you grow

How We Implement Subcontractor Management

1

Audit Current Processes

We review how you currently manage subbies: onboarding, compliance tracking, payment processes, and performance assessment. Identify risks, bottlenecks, and automation opportunities.

2

Configure & Integrate

Set up the platform with your compliance rules, payment terms, and performance criteria. Connect to Xero/MYOB for automated payments. Import your existing subcontractor database and documents.

3

Onboard Your Subbies

Invite subcontractors to the self-service portal. They upload their own compliance documents, verify details, and accept your terms. We handle the rollout communication so your subbies understand the benefits.

4

Train & Support

Train your project managers and admin team on the new system. Provide ongoing support for compliance rule changes, new subcontractor onboarding, and system updates. Monthly reviews for the first quarter.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Subcontractor management software handles everything from onboarding and compliance (ABN verification, insurance certificates, QBCC licenses, WorkCover) through to payment management and performance tracking. It replaces the spreadsheets, email chains, and filing cabinets that most builders use to manage their subbie relationships, reducing compliance risk and administrative burden.

The system stores all compliance documents (public liability insurance, workers compensation, ABN details, trade licenses, QBCC registration) with expiry dates. Automated alerts notify you and the subcontractor 30, 14, and 7 days before any document expires. Non-compliant subbies are automatically flagged and cannot be assigned to new work until documents are updated.

In Queensland, builders must verify subcontractors hold appropriate QBCC licenses for their trade category and financial limits. Subcontractors performing domestic building work over $3,300 must be QBCC licensed. Builders are also required to maintain records of subcontractor insurance, ABN details, and written contracts. Our system automates QBCC license verification and tracks all required documentation.

Yes. The system tracks purchase orders, progress payments, retention amounts, back-charges, and final payments per subcontractor across all projects. Payment schedules align with your progress claim receipts so you pay subbies after (not before) you get paid. Integration with Xero/MYOB automates invoice creation and payment processing.

Procore includes subcontractor management in its platform ($10,000-$50,000+/year). Standalone solutions like Assignar start at $300-$600/month. Simpro includes basic subbie management in its job management platform ($200-$800/month). Our custom integration and setup services range from $5,000-$25,000 depending on complexity and the number of systems being connected.

Absolutely. The system scales from 10 to 500+ subcontractors. Builders managing large subcontractor pools benefit most from automated compliance tracking — manually monitoring insurance expiry dates for 100+ subbies is nearly impossible. The self-service portal lets subbies upload their own documents, reducing your admin workload as your subbie base grows.

Yes. Subcontractors get a self-service portal where they update insurance certificates, licenses, bank details, and contact information. When a certificate is about to expire, the subbie receives automated reminders and can upload the renewal directly. This dramatically reduces the admin burden on your team — subbies maintain their own compliance records.

The system tracks key metrics per subcontractor: on-time completion rate, defect rates, safety incidents, responsiveness to communications, and cost accuracy (quoted vs actual). Over time, you build a data-driven picture of which subbies deliver reliably and which cause problems. This data informs future procurement decisions and helps negotiate better rates with top performers.

Take Control of Your Subcontractor Operations

Our free assessment reviews your current subcontractor management processes, identifies compliance risks, and recommends the right software solution for your operation. Stop managing subbies in spreadsheets and start managing them properly.

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