The compliance work most teams do twice

A typical subbie engagement requires:

  • Insurance evidence, RAMS and a method statement
  • Training records and a modern slavery statement
  • Sometimes ConstructionLine or SafeContractor evidence
  • Site-specific paperwork

Most teams collect this paperwork once when the subbie is onboarded. Then they collect it again when it expires. Then again when a new client asks. Then again when a tender requires it. The same documents, requested four or five times a year.

The cost is admin time, not the documents. For a company with 30 active subbies, that's typically a junior PM tied up every Monday morning.

Where AI fits in the subbie pipeline

AI does three things well here:

  • Extracts data from supplier documents into a structured format, so the next request is already filled in
  • Tracks expiries and chases the subbie before the document lapses
  • Assembles the evidence pack for any tender or audit from the documents on file

None of this requires the subbie to do anything different. The change is on your side: less manual collection, less chasing, less last-minute scramble before a tender deadline.

What good subcontractor automation looks like

The system holds a current, verifiable record for every active subbie: insurance status, training, RAMS, accreditations. It sees the expiry dates and chases automatically.

When a tender asks for "evidence of your subbie compliance for the last twelve months," the response is an assembled pack, produced in minutes instead of hours.

The auditor gets the same pack. The audit takes one morning instead of two days.

What it costs vs. what it saves

Setting up a subcontractor compliance workflow typically costs £5–15k, depending on the size of the subbie pool.

For a company with 30 active subbies, the time saving is usually 4–6 hours a week of admin or junior PM time. That's £8–12k a year, fully loaded, on time alone.

The bigger value is the tenders won because the compliance pack was ready, and the audit findings that never happened. Those don't show up in a payback calculation, but they're why it's worth doing.