Summary
In BuilderPal, subcontractors are directly tied to each project. Each one acts as a trade-specific workspace that connects planning, communication, documents, and bidding — all inside a single job.
This is what lets you break a complex build into clean, manageable scopes without losing structure.
Subcontractors Live Inside Projects
Every subcontractor belongs to a specific project.
They are not global company records or random contacts — they are project-based workspaces created for that job only.
For example, on a renovation project like:
16 Ave Farm House Renovation
You might create subcontractors for:
• Plumber • Electrician • Concrete Contractor • Drywall Installer • HVAC Tech
Each one is tied only to that project and its scope of work.
They Structure Work by Trade
Subcontractors organize your project by scope, not just by name.
This allows you to:
Assign actions by trade
Upload trade-specific documents
Structure bid packages by scope
Track progress by subcontractor
Keep communication clean and separated
Instead of one giant task list, each subcontractor holds its own slice of the project.
They Exist Before Hiring Anyone
You don’t need to have a real contractor yet.
Subcontractors can be created early so you can:
Start planning scopes
Assign actions
Upload documents
Build bid packages
Organize responsibilities
All before a real person or company is involved.
This means you can structure your entire project before awarding a single job.
They Connect Actions to Responsibility
Subcontractors aren’t just labels.
They define who the work is intended for.
When you assign actions to a subcontractor, those actions become part of that trade’s scope. Once you later award a contact, everything already assigned moves with that subcontractor automatically.
This keeps your planning intact even as real people get involved later.
They Power the Bidding Flow
Subcontractors are central to BuilderPal’s bidding process.
Each one can be used to:
Create bid packages
Send bid requests
Compare estimates
Award jobs
Manage post-award communication
Once awarded, the subcontractor workspace becomes the contractor’s operational area for that job.
They Control Document Flow
Each subcontractor has its own document section.
This allows you to:
Keep plans isolated by trade
Control access per subcontractor
Share only what they need
Prevent cross-trade confusion
Documents stay grouped under the correct scope instead of floating loosely across the project.
They Influence Scheduling
Because subcontractors hold actions and assigned responsibilities, they naturally feed into:
Scheduling
Dependencies
Workflow planning
Timeline coordination
You’re timing scopes, not just individual people — which makes changes easier when crews change or availability shifts.
How Everything Ties Together
Think of it like this:
The Project is the container.
Inside it:
Subcontractors define scopes
Actions define work
Documents define information
Bids define pricing
Awarded contacts define the people
Everything flows through the subcontractor structure.