Title: Hiring subcontractors: a step-by-step process | Cercha

Description: Follow a residential subcontractor hiring process from scope and screening to written terms, site readiness, first-day coordination, and job closeout.

Canonical: https://cercha.pages.dev/guides/hiring-subcontractors/

# Hiring subcontractors: a step-by-step process

Finding subcontractors

You have a candidate for the next residential package and need to turn the conversation into a controlled start. Confirm fit, check required evidence, agree the scope and terms, then release the site to the assigned crew.

## Give the sub a scope it can price

Put the current drawings, specifications, and selections together before requesting a final price. Identify the revision used for bidding. If a selection is undecided, state how it will be priced and approved later.

List the included work and where it meets other trades. Name who supplies materials, receives deliveries, and checks damage or shortages. Separate preparation, installation, finish work, and return visits. Give the candidate a chance to inspect relevant site conditions before it commits.

Ask the sub to explain what it will do. Compare its description with your own scope. Resolve differences before moving to price negotiation. Write down open decisions so they do not get lost between calls.

For a remodel, add occupied areas, retained work, access hours, dust-control expectations, and protection requirements. For a new home, add the preceding trade's completion conditions. Keep the start date conditional until you confirm that the site is ready.

## Screen the company and assigned crew

Start with the [work and crew fit review](/guides/find-good-subcontractors/). Record its accepted scope, proposed field lead, capacity conditions, and remaining questions. Resolve those conditions before an award that depends on them.

Use the [capacity review](/guides/subcontractor-capacity/) to confirm the proposed crew and start window before making the award.

State whether the current communication is an inquiry, bid request, or award. Ask when the sub can commit to the proposed window. A shortlisted company has not yet reserved its crew.

## Complete required checks before booking

Use the dated [vetting record](/guides/vet-a-subcontractor/) and [document collection plan](/guides/documents-from-a-subcontractor/) instead of repeating every check here. Name the decision owner and keep required gaps open until that reviewer resolves them.

Keep authorization and coverage separate. The [NC GC board distinguishes the entity's license from its qualifier](https://www.nclbgc.org/faq-contractors/); [NC certificate law](https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_58/GS_58-3-149.html) prevents a COI from expanding policy coverage.

For NC work, address [G.S. 97-19's workers' compensation certificate timing and policy conditions](https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_97/GS_97-19.html) with counsel before subletting. A planned first-day review cannot replace a required earlier check.

After worker classification is determined, the [IRS describes obtaining Form W-9](https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/forms-and-associated-taxes-for-independent-contractors). Accounting receives that form through its restricted process. The [FTC recommends limiting sensitive access to business needs](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/protecting-personal-information-guide-business); the award sheet needs onboarding status, not a taxpayer number.

## Compare bids on the same package

Compare the written bids. Where a bidder leaves an item unclear, ask for clarification. Do not assume one bidder includes what another bidder listed.

| Item | What to confirm before award |
| --- | --- |
| Scope | Drawings, revisions, inclusions, exclusions, and allowances |
| Materials | Purchasing, receiving, substitutions, and damage responsibility |
| Schedule | Start conditions, sequence, duration proposal, and return visits |
| Site arrangements | Access, protection, storage, cleanup, and responsible contacts |
| Changes | Who can authorize them and how price and time are agreed |
| Closeout | Acceptance, punch work, documentation, and service contact |

Ask for a final bid with the clarified scope included. Keep alternatives separate from the accepted base package. If a technical change needs designer approval, obtain that decision before treating the alternate as equivalent.

Confirm the payment process with the sub. Discuss invoices, evidence of progress, review responsibility, and agreed milestones. Have your attorney and accountant address contract or tax questions specific to the engagement.

## Write down the award and job terms

Use your reviewed subcontract form with a project-specific scope attachment. Get agreement on the contracting parties, package, price, schedule conditions, and payment terms. Name who can give instructions and approve changes.

Include a process for reporting a delay, an unavailable crew, a discovered condition, or missing materials. Define how the parties will document a proposed change and who must accept it. A request in the field still needs approval under the agreed process.

Discuss workmanship terms, correction work, and required closeout records before starting. If the job requires lien forms or special notices, have a construction attorney select the correct documents. Avoid transplanting forms from another state or another builder's agreement.

Send the final agreed package to the owner and foreman. Ask them to confirm receipt and identify any unresolved conditions. Keep one current version in your project records.

## Confirm the site is ready before the crew comes

Before the crew arrives, walk the work area with its assigned lead. Check the preceding work, material delivery, access, utilities, and inspection status required for this start. Photograph existing conditions where the record will help later acceptance or damage discussions.

Use the permit's actual inspection sequence. Raleigh's [residential inspection guidance](https://raleighnc.gov/permits/services/residential-inspections), for example, places insulation inspection after framing approval and before wall or ceiling coverings. Build your own release checklist from the authority handling this permit.

If a required condition is missing, tell the sub before travel or delivery. Agree the next update and revised start decision. Record who must fix the missing item.

Give the crew the approved documents and site contact details. Show where materials belong and how questions reach the GC. Confirm that the crew understands which work needs approval before concealment.

## Review the first work and close out the package

Inspect a representative early area with the foreman when the package allows it. Check the work against the agreed drawings, product instructions, and acceptance standards. Record questions and route technical decisions to the responsible professional.

At completion, walk the work together. Create a punch list with locations, required actions, owners, and agreed return dates. Collect required inspection results, product documentation, and closeout records.

Review payment under the agreed terms. Do not add a new condition at closeout.

Finish with a performance note for your trade list. Record what the firm completed, how it communicated, and whether it closed corrections. Ask which future packages it wants to discuss. Use that job record to decide whether to offer more work.

Use [the subcontractor search process](/guides/find-subcontractors/) to place this check within the wider candidate search.

## Where Cercha fits

Cercha's Search, portfolios, builder endorsements, and Messages support finding and contacting a candidate. Use that introduction to begin the hiring process described here. Keep contracts, tax onboarding, crew commitments, and insurance review in your own project systems. [Ask about the beta](/beta/).

More [guides for builders](/for/builders/) and [finding subcontractors](/guides/topics/find-subcontractors/).

Published 2026.10.14. Updated 2026.10.14.

[More guides: Find subcontractors](</guides/topics/find-subcontractors/>)

## Related guides

- [How to find subcontractors for residential work](</guides/find-subcontractors/>)
- [How to find good subcontractors: judge fit first](</guides/find-good-subcontractors/>)
- [How to vet a subcontractor before awarding work](</guides/vet-a-subcontractor/>)
- [What documents to collect from a subcontractor](</guides/documents-from-a-subcontractor/>)

## Build your connections

[Ask about the beta](</beta/>)

## Sources

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1. North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors. (n.d.). *FAQ for Contractors*. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://www.nclbgc.org/faq-contractors/

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2. N.C. Gen. Stat. § 58-3-149. https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_58/GS_58-3-149.html

<a id="source-3"></a>

3. N.C. Gen. Stat. § 97-19. https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_97/GS_97-19.html

<a id="source-4"></a>

4. Internal Revenue Service. (n.d.). *Forms and associated taxes for independent contractors*. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/forms-and-associated-taxes-for-independent-contractors

<a id="source-5"></a>

5. City of Raleigh. (2026, October 12). *Residential Inspections*. https://raleighnc.gov/permits/services/residential-inspections

<a id="source-6"></a>

6. Federal Trade Commission. (n.d.). *Protecting Personal Information: A Guide for Business*. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/protecting-personal-information-guide-business