Add and Qualify a Subcontractor

Use this workflow when the builder adds a new trade partner or cleans up an existing subcontractor before assigning work. The userbase is the PM, operations manager, or office admin who needs subcontractors to be usable in scheduling, SOW packages, and payment approval.

Workflow outcome

At the end of this workflow, the subcontractor should have a clean contact record, trade classification, qualification status, assignment readiness, and pricing/compliance context where applicable.

Subcontractors is the source of truth for trade partners. Scheduling quality depends on these records being accurate.

Step 1: Search before adding

Open Subcontractors and search for the company or contact first.

Check for:

• Duplicate company names.
• Different contacts at the same company.
• Existing inactive records.
• Trade classification mismatches.
• Similar phone or email details.

Do not create a duplicate record just because the spelling is different. Duplicate subs create assignment, package, and payment confusion.

Step 2: Add the subcontractor record

Create the record only after confirming it is new or intentionally separate.

Fill:

1. Company name.
2. Primary contact.
3. Phone and email.
4. Trade.
5. In-house or external classification.
6. Service area or assignment notes if available.
7. Default payment or lead-time notes if the team tracks them.

Step 3: Complete qualification details

Use the qualification form when the subcontractor needs full review.

Capture:

• Business information.
• Authorized representative.
• Insurance and bonding.
• Legal disclosures.
• References.
• Largest customers or relevant experience.
• Trade-specific capability.
• Any internal notes that affect assignment decisions.

Qualification data should be treated as risk control, not paperwork. A missing insurance or legal field can become a jobsite and payment problem later.

Step 4: Add pricing when the trade uses standard rates

If the subcontractor has standard pricing, add or update price rows.

Use pricing for:

• Common phase work.
• Unit rates.
• Minimum charges.
• Trade-specific line items.
• Notes that explain exceptions.

Keep pricing current enough that quote, procurement, and payment conversations do not depend on memory.

Step 5: Decide schedulable status

Before the sub can be relied on in a job schedule, decide whether they are ready.

Use practical labels:

Status	Meaning
Ready	Contact, trade, qualification, and assignment context are good enough to schedule.
Needs review	The record exists but missing information should be cleared before critical work.
Do not schedule	Compliance, quality, availability, or business reasons make the sub unsuitable.

Step 6: Use the record in assignment workflows

Once the record is clean, it can support:

• Job phase assignment.
• Schedule event participant selection.
• Subcontractor package approval.
• SOW package delivery.
• Payment approval context.
• Reliability and capacity review.

Related screens

Portal area	Use it for
Subcontractors	Create, edit, search, and qualify trade partner records.
Job Detail	Assign subcontractors to phases and approve outbound packages.
Build Calendar / Schedule	Attach subcontractors to job events.
Financials / Payments	Verify payee and payment context.
C-Suite / PulseIQ	Review trade reliability and capacity themes.