Use cases by sector
The one who won the contract and subcontracts it all
You signed and someone else does the work. As far as the site is concerned there is still one name on the contract, and it is yours.
You win the maintenance contract for twelve sites and you do not have twelve teams: you have arrangements with local firms who deliver it. **The client did not contract those firms, they contracted you**, so anything they ask, they ask in your name. This position carries a very specific trap: the paperwork you will be required to produce is not yours, and you answer for it anyway.
What you answer for, depending on who is looking
| Who is looking | What they see | Who they ask |
|---|---|---|
| The site | One supplier: you | You |
| The subcontractor | One client: you | You |
| A review at the site | The whole chain | You, then downwards |
| **Your insurer** | **Who actually did the work** | **Whoever can prove it** |
Important
**You are the position with the worst information about what actually happens, and the one that has to answer about it fastest.** Whoever is on site sees it; the site lives with it; you find out from a report that arrives on the 5th of the following month, if it arrives. Closing that gap is not about control: it is the only thing that lets you answer without phoning someone who may not pick up.
What to set up before the first job
- 1
What each subcontractor must provide, written and up front
And no less than the site requires of you, or you pay the difference.
- 2
How their paperwork arrives without chasing
It is third-party documentation, so it has to be requested and chased.
- 3
What evidence each job leaves behind
The report, who did it and when. If nothing remains, for answering purposes it did not happen.
- 4
What happens if a subcontractor subcontracts
If you do not decide it, they will.
Watch out
The classic mistake here is **requiring less of the subcontractor than the client requires of you**, usually because requiring everything would make them dearer or slower. That gap does not disappear: it sits on your balance sheet as a hole that opens on its own the day someone asks. And it is usually discovered at the worst possible moment — after something has happened and the papers of whoever was there have to be produced.
Worth knowing
What liability the party who subcontracts assumes towards the client and the authorities, and what verification duties they carry over their suppliers, **depends on the contract and the sector, and is settled by your adviser**. Here we cover the part fully within your control: what you require, how it reaches you, and what is recorded about each job.
›Can I require of my subcontractor exactly what is required of me?
It is advisable. The gap between what is asked of you and what you ask is your risk.
›Must I show my supplier's papers to the client?
It depends on the contract, but being able to is worth it before they ask.
›What if the subcontractor sends nothing?
That is the normal scenario. Which is why the request has to chase on its own.
A real case
The situation
The client asks for the documentation of the firm that did the work, which is not yours.
What you do
- Keeps each subcontractor's file alongside the contract it serves
What you get
It is handed over without phoning anyone or waiting for a reply.
The situation
Each subcontractor sends their papers whenever they remember, in whatever format.
What you do
- Requests specific documents and chases until they arrive
What you get
What arrives is comparable across all twelve firms.
The situation
The subcontractor is asked for less than the client asks of you.
What you do
- Writes down what is required and checks it is complete
What you get
The gap is visible before anyone asks about it.
The situation
A site's job report arrives the following month, or not at all.
What you do
- Captures the evidence of the work when and where it happens
What you get
The month closes on what happened rather than what is remembered.
The situation
A subcontractor subcontracts in turn and you find out afterwards.
What you do
- Records which firms are authorised under each contract
What you get
The chain stops growing without anyone knowing.
The situation
Twelve sites, twelve firms and no overall view of who is current.
What you do
- Shows the status of every supplier at once
What you get
You act on the two that are failing instead of all twelve.
This article answers
- liability when i subcontract the service
- my subcontractors documentation for the client
- client asking for papers of a company that is not mine
- how do i control what my suppliers do