What documents to collect from a subcontractor

You are bringing on a new sub. You need a file that purchasing, accounting, and the superintendent can use.

Collect the business name, required license evidence, insurance documents from the issuer, and a written scope. Request the tax form your accounting team needs. Record why you need each document, who reviews it, and when to check it again.

The list below is a suggested residential workflow. It separates general company records from job documents and private tax information. Ask your licensed insurance adviser, attorney, and CPA to confirm requirements for your job.

Match the business name before checking credentials

Request the legal business name, any operating name, business contact, and authorized signing contact. Compare that name on the proposal, license, insurance documents, agreement, and payee record. Ask about unexplained differences.

North Carolina’s GC board says a license belongs to the named legal entity. A qualifier’s examination credential is different from that entity’s license. To check authorization, use the name of the company signing the agreement. Licensee and qualifier FAQ

Record who provides the labor and who supervises it. If another company performs a portion of the work, identify that company and check its credentials separately.

Check documents before award and confirm the start

Separate evidence you need before subletting from arrangements you confirm before the crew starts. In North Carolina, G.S. 97-19 includes certificate timing conditions concerning workers’ compensation. Address that question with counsel before awarding the work. Principal-contractor liability statute

The timing is recommended except where a specific law is cited. A full folder does not replace professional review of the documents inside it.

Save the official licensing result

Use the issuing board’s record rather than only a scan supplied by the contractor. North Carolina provides separate searches for GC licenses, electrical licenses, and plumbing, heating, and fire sprinkler licenses.

Save the license number, matched entity, status information, date checked, and unresolved questions. For a GC, compare classification and limitation with the work. NC’s classifications define scope, while limitations cap individual project value. Classifications and limitations

If the board resolves a mismatch, retain that answer. Check again if the record changes or the job adds work that requires a trade license. An old license scan does not confirm current authorization.

Get the COI and required policy wording

Ask the sub to have its producer or insurer send current documents directly. Compare named insured, policy numbers, coverage lines, dates, and limits. Those fields appear on the ACORD liability certificate.

Add the policy provisions or endorsements your adviser needs to evaluate contract requirements. A certificate holder entry does not create additional insured status. ACORD says the policy must contain the applicable provisions or endorsement. Additional insured notice

Under North Carolina law, a COI cannot change the referenced policy or confer additional rights. Keep the certificate and supporting policy documents together so the reviewer can compare the summary with the coverage wording. Certificate statute

Use the NCIC coverage search as supporting evidence for workers’ compensation. Confirm coverage directly with the employer or insurer because the Commission warns that its database is not proof of insurance and may omit recent or unreported changes. NCIC warning

Keep the W-9 in the tax file

The IRS says that after determining a payee is an independent contractor, the payer should obtain Form W-9 for the correct name and taxpayer identification number. It directs the payer to keep the form in its files. IRS contractor forms

Use the W-9 guide to keep tax identity collection within the accounting process.

Let your accountant confirm classification, reporting, and retention requirements. A W-9 is not a contractor license, insurance evidence, or proof of workmanship. Do not ask the superintendent to carry the full tax packet on site.

Restrict who can send and open the tax files. Give purchasing the accounting onboarding status when needed, rather than the taxpayer number itself. If banking instructions are required, handle them in the designated private payment process.

The FTC recommends collecting only needed sensitive information and limiting access to people with a business need. Apply that guidance to tax and financial records. Business privacy and security guidance

Put the actual job agreement in the job file

Use your attorney-reviewed agreement and attachments to identify scope, exclusions, drawings, materials, site conditions, payment process, change authorization, and closeout expectations. The documents you need depend on the job. This checklist is not a substitute contract.

Keep the accepted versions labeled. If a plan changes, record which revision controls the current work. Ask the authorized parties to resolve conflicting scope descriptions before the superintendent instructs the crew.

Record the site contacts for the sub and the builder. Record where to keep instructions and approved changes. Do not assume a conversation or photo album establishes an agreed contract change.

Set dates for renewals and repeat checks

Record policy expiration dates and who will request replacement documents. Keep license rechecks tied to current status and the project decision. Revisit the file when the signing entity, labor employer, trade scope, or schedule changes.

Use a status list with document received, review pending, question open, and reviewed for the stated job. Preserve older versions so the file shows which documents applied to which period.

Ask your advisers to set retention rules for tax, contract, and insurance records. Do not delete a document merely because it expires. Ask whether you need to keep it as a record of the earlier period. The FTC recommends a written retention policy identifying what to keep, secure, and dispose of when no longer needed. Retention-policy guidance

Collect closeout records without prescribing lien forms

At closeout, request the records named in your agreement, such as correction completion, warranties, product information, or required payment documentation. Match the request to the trade work performed. Have counsel choose and review any lien-related form.

North Carolina’s G.S. 44A-12(f) restricts anticipatory waivers of lien rights given in consideration for awarding a construction contract, while preserving specified release or subordination possibilities. Do not paste a universal advance lien waiver into every onboarding packet. NC lien provision

Keep payment records and legal forms in the appropriate private project file. This onboarding guide cannot determine each supplier’s or lower-tier contractor’s rights.

Keep private documents off public profiles

Use public project information to find subs. Get permission for project photos and references. Keep W-9s, taxpayer numbers, banking instructions, employee records, and confidential commercial documents in restricted business files. The FTC’s collection and access principles support that separation. FTC guidance

Use prequalification to name reviewers and limit optional requests. Send credential questions to license verification and insurance checking. Take the resulting statuses to hiring and award.

Use the subcontractor vetting workflow to assign the evidence check before the package is awarded.

Where Cercha fits

Cercha profiles show professional work, portfolios, endorsements, and credential badges, and Messages helps you contact members. Use the connection to arrange your onboarding process. Keep tax, contract, and insurance-document review in the private business systems you control.

More guides for builders and vetting and credentials.