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Subcontractor prequalification form

A subcontractor prequalification questionnaire you fill in on a phone or tablet before you appoint a subcontractor. Record the company, trade and scope, then each insurance policy with its limit against the limit you require, the certificate and the expiry date: the form shows days to expiry and flags cover expiring within 30 days. Add licences and registrations with how you checked each one, health and safety documents and statistics (OSHA 300A figures and EMR on US work, RIDDOR reports on UK work), quality, environment, references with photos of their work, and financial figures. Score each section, set your own weights and pass marks, and record the decision, conditions and review date. The score is yours to compare subcontractors; it is not a legal test. To re-score a subcontractor you already use, see the supplier evaluation form.

For main contractors, general contractors and builders vetting subcontractors for an approved list or a specific package, and for the commercial, safety and project managers who sign them off.

On UK work the form shows the CDM 2015 duty to check a contractor before appointment and the employers' liability insurance minimum. On US work it asks for OSHA 300A figures and EMR, which are common contractor questions rather than legal requirements.

  • Insurance policies with limit against your requirement, certificate, expiry date and days to expiry, with cover expiring within 30 days flagged
  • Licences, registrations and cards with how each was checked: online register, original seen, or copy only
  • Health and safety, quality and environmental checks, plus safety statistics by year with the incidence rate worked out on US work
  • References with photos of their work, turnover and this job as a share of it, and a credit check result as reported
  • Section scores with your own weights and pass marks, gaps counted, and a decision with conditions, scope, value limit and review date
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What is a subcontractor prequalification form?

A prequalification is useful when it checks the documents rather than taking the subcontractor's word: each insurance limit against the limit you require and its expiry date, each licence or card checked against the issuer, the safety records for the people who will actually do the work, and references from recent similar jobs. The score helps compare subcontractors; the gaps tell you what must be fixed before they start.

Last updated . Facts checked by the SiteSurvey team on 27 October 2026 against Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, regulation 8 (general duties), Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969, section 1, Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Regulations 1998, regulation 3, 29 CFR 1904.32, annual summary (OSHA Form 300A), eCFR, 29 CFR 1904.1, partial exemption for employers with 10 or fewer employees, eCFR and BSI Knowledge, PAS 91:2013+A1:2017 Construction prequalification questionnaires (withdrawn).

How to prequalify a subcontractor

Send the subcontractor your list of documents first, then fill the form in as they come back.

  1. Record the company and scope

    Enter the subcontractor's legal name, registration number, contact, trade, scope, estimated value and anything they will sublet. Choose UK, US or other so the right questions show.

  2. Check insurance

    Add each policy from the certificate with the limit, the limit you require and the expiry date. Attach the certificate and note whether you confirmed it with the insurer or broker.

  3. Check licences and safety

    Record each licence or card and how you checked it, then the health and safety documents and the safety figures by year.

  4. Check quality, environment, references and finances

    Mark each document as satisfactory, not satisfactory or not provided, take up references, add photos if you visited their work, and enter turnover and the credit check result.

  5. Score and decide

    Score each section from 1 to 5, set your weights and pass marks, then record the decision, the scope and value approved, any conditions and the review date. Sign, and share the PDF report.

What makes a subcontractor prequalification useful

Insurance: limit against your requirement, expiry date and days to expiry

Public liability: limit 10,000,000, required 10,000,000, expires 13 Nov 2026, 18 days to expiry, flagged as expiring within 30 days. Contractors' all risks: limit 250,000 against 500,000 required, below requirement. Approved with conditions: no appointment until the all risks cover is raised, no start until the renewal certificate is in.

Fictional example. Record the actual evidence and approved arrangements for your job.

A common recording mistake

Filing an insurance certificate that expires a few weeks after appointment and never asking for the renewal, so the subcontractor is on site uninsured halfway through the job.

What happens next

Send the conditions and actions to the subcontractor, collect the missing documents before they start, and re-check them by the review date.

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Want to see one filled in? See a completed subcontractor prequalification report (PDF), made by SiteSurvey from a fictional site visit.

Every question in the subcontractor prequalification template

A subcontractor prequalification form for main contractors: company details, trade and scope, insurance with limits, certificates and days to expiry (flagged within 30 days), licences and how each was checked, health and safety documents and statistics (OSHA 300A and EMR for US work, RIDDOR and enforcement for UK work), quality, environment, references, financial figures, weighted section scores against your own pass marks, and a decision with conditions and a review date. 9 sections and 160 questions. Follow-up questions and guidance appear only when an answer calls for them, so the person on site never sees the ones that do not apply.

Make it your own: every question is editable

This is a starting point, not a fixed form. Once it is in your SiteSurvey account you can reword any question, add or remove questions, sections and answer options, and add your own logo, so it fits the way your team works and the jobs you do.

Details you only enter once

Add this form to a project in SiteSurvey and it fills in what the project already knows, so nobody on site retypes it and every form on the job uses the same names. Anything filled in can still be changed.

  • Project: the project name
  • Project or site address: the site address, from the space or the project
  • Client or project: the project's customer

Subcontractor, trade and scope

  • ProjectShort answer

    Filled in from the project in SiteSurvey.

    Fills in from the project name
  • Project or site addressShort answer
    Fills in from the site address, from the space or the project
  • Client or projectShort answer
    Fills in from the project's customer
  • Location (GPS)Short answer
  • Prequalification date*Date
  • Assessed by*Short answer
  • Your company (main contractor)*Short answer
  • Where is the work?*Choose one

    Shows the UK or US questions on insurance and safety statistics.

    • United Kingdom
    • United States
    • Other
  • Subcontractor legal name*Short answer
  • Trading name, if differentShort answer
  • Company registration numberShort answer
  • Tax or VAT referenceShort answer

    If you ask for it.

  • Registered addressShort answer
  • Contact name and roleShort answer
  • EmailShort answer
  • Years tradingNumber
  • Direct employeesNumber
  • Trade*Choose one
    • Groundworks and civils
    • Demolition
    • Concrete
    • Steel frame
    • Brickwork and masonry
    • Carpentry and joinery
    • Roofing
    • Cladding and glazing
    • Drylining and partitions
    • Plastering and rendering
    • Painting and decorating
    • Flooring
    • Electrical
    • Plumbing and heating
    • HVAC and ventilation
    • Fire protection
    • Scaffolding
    • Landscaping
    • Other
  • Scope of work for this appointment*Notes
  • Estimated value of the workNumber
  • Will they subcontract any of it?Yes or No
  • What, and to whomNotes
    Shown when “Will they subcontract any of it?” is Yes
  • CheckOn UK projects, whoever appoints a contractor must take reasonable steps to satisfy themselves that the contractor has the skills, knowledge and experience and, as an organisation, the organisational capability to do the work safely (Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 reg 8(1) and (3)). This form is one way to record those steps. It does not decide what is reasonable.
    Shown when “Where is the work?” is “United Kingdom”

Insurance

  • GuidanceEnter each policy from the certificate. The form shows days to expiry and flags cover that has expired or expires within 30 days (the form's own warning period), or is below the limit you require.
  • Policies
    Repeat for each policy. Each one asks:
    • Type of cover*Choose one
      • Employers' liability
      • Public liability
      • Commercial general liability
      • Workers' compensation
      • Contractors' all risks
      • Professional indemnity
      • Commercial auto
      • Umbrella or excess liability
      • Plant or equipment
      • Other
    • InsurerShort answer
    • Policy numberShort answer
    • Limit of coverNumber

      As shown on the certificate.

    • Limit you require for this workNumber

      Your own requirement, or the main contract's.

    • Expiry date*Date
    • Days to expiryWorked out by the form
      Shown when “Expiry date” is answered and “Prequalification date” is answered
    • ExpiryWorked out by the form
      Shown when “Expiry date” is answered and “Prequalification date” is answered
    • Against your requirementWorked out by the form
      Shown when “Limit of cover” is answered and “Limit you require for this work” is answered
    • Certificate of insurancePhotos
    • Confirmed with the insurer or broker?Yes or No
    • ins_f_expiredWorked out by the form
    • ins_f_soonWorked out by the form
    • ins_f_shortWorked out by the form
  • Policies listedWorked out by the form
  • ExpiredWorked out by the form
  • Expiring within 30 daysWorked out by the form
  • Below your required limitWorked out by the form
  • CheckSome cover expires within 30 days. Ask for the renewal certificate before that date.
    Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
  • GuidanceIn Great Britain, employers must insure against liability for injury or disease to their employees (Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969 s.1), for at least GBP 5 million for any one occurrence (Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Regulations 1998 reg 3), unless the Act exempts them.
    Shown when “Where is the work?” is “United Kingdom”

Licences, registrations and accreditations

  • GuidanceWhich licences a trade needs depends on the country, state or city. Record each one the subcontractor holds and how you checked it.
  • Licences and registrations
    Repeat for each licence. Each one asks:
    • Licence, registration or scheme*Short answer

      For example State contractor license, Gas Safe registration, CSCS cards, trade body membership.

    • NumberShort answer
    • Issued byShort answer
    • Expiry dateDate
    • How it was checked*Choose one
      • Checked on the official online register
      • Original document seen
      • Copy received, not checked
      • Not checked
    • Date looked upDate
      Shown when “How it was checked” is “Checked on the official online register”
    • Copy or screenshot of the register entryPhotos
    • lic_f_uncheckedWorked out by the form
    • lic_f_expiredWorked out by the form
  • ListedWorked out by the form
  • Not checked against the issuerWorked out by the form
  • ExpiredWorked out by the form

Health and safety

  • Health and safety policyChoose one

    Signed and dated, with the arrangements for this kind of work.

    • Satisfactory
    • Not satisfactory
    • Not provided
    • Not applicable
  • What needs doing, or why not checkedNotes
    Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
  • Risk assessments and method statements for this scopeChoose one
    • Satisfactory
    • Not satisfactory
    • Not provided
    • Not applicable
  • What needs doing, or why not checkedNotes
    Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
  • Training and competence records for the people who will do the workChoose one

    Cards, certificates, tickets for plant and access equipment.

    • Satisfactory
    • Not satisfactory
    • Not provided
    • Not applicable
  • What needs doing, or why not checkedNotes
    Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
  • Supervision: who will run their work on site, and their experienceChoose one
    • Satisfactory
    • Not satisfactory
    • Not provided
    • Not applicable
  • What needs doing, or why not checkedNotes
    Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
  • Accident and incident reporting and investigationChoose one
    • Satisfactory
    • Not satisfactory
    • Not provided
    • Not applicable
  • What needs doing, or why not checkedNotes
    Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
  • Plant, tools and access equipment inspection recordsChoose one
    • Satisfactory
    • Not satisfactory
    • Not provided
    • Not applicable
  • What needs doing, or why not checkedNotes
    Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
  • Health surveillance and occupational health arrangements, where the work needs themChoose one
    • Satisfactory
    • Not satisfactory
    • Not provided
    • Not applicable
  • What needs doing, or why not checkedNotes
    Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
  • Copies of the documentsPhotos
  • Any enforcement action, prosecution or citation in the period you ask about?Yes or No
  • Details and what changed sinceNotes
    Shown when “Any enforcement action, prosecution or citation in the period you ask about?” is Yes
  • GuidanceSafety statistics and EMR are common contractor prequalification questions, not legal tests. OSHA Form 300A is the annual Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses (29 CFR 1904.29 and 1904.32). A company with 10 or fewer employees at all times in the last calendar year need not keep OSHA injury records unless told to in writing (1904.1), so it may have no 300A. The incidence rate is worked out the way the Bureau of Labor Statistics does it: cases x 200,000 / hours worked.
    Shown when “Where is the work?” is “United States”
  • Safety statistics by year (OSHA 300A)
    Repeat for each year. Each one asks:
    Shown when “Where is the work?” is “United States”
    • Calendar year*Short answer
    • Annual average number of employeesNumber
    • Total hours worked by all employeesNumber
    • Total recordable casesNumber
    • Cases with days away from workNumber
    • DeathsNumber
    • Recordable incidence rateWorked out by the form
      Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
    • EMR for that year, as statedShort answer

      Experience modification rate, if you ask for it, as shown on the document the subcontractor gave you.

    • Copy of the OSHA 300A summaryPhotos
  • GuidanceIncident and enforcement figures are common prequalification questions, not legal tests. Ask for incidents reported under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR).
    Shown when “Where is the work?” is “United Kingdom”
  • Safety statistics by year
    Repeat for each year. Each one asks:
    Shown when “Where is the work?” is “United Kingdom”
    • Year*Short answer
    • Hours workedNumber
    • Incidents reported under RIDDORNumber
    • Enforcement notices receivedNumber
    • What happened and what changedNotes
      Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
  • Not satisfactoryWorked out by the form
  • Not providedWorked out by the form

Quality and environment

  • Quality procedure: how they check their own work before handing it overChoose one
    • Satisfactory
    • Not satisfactory
    • Not provided
    • Not applicable
  • What needs doing, or why not checkedNotes
    Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
  • Inspection and test records from a recent jobChoose one
    • Satisfactory
    • Not satisfactory
    • Not provided
    • Not applicable
  • What needs doing, or why not checkedNotes
    Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
  • How they deal with defects and call-backsChoose one
    • Satisfactory
    • Not satisfactory
    • Not provided
    • Not applicable
  • What needs doing, or why not checkedNotes
    Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
  • Certified management systems, if anyShort answer

    For example ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, with the certificate number and expiry.

  • Environmental policy or arrangementsChoose one
    • Satisfactory
    • Not satisfactory
    • Not provided
    • Not applicable
  • What needs doing, or why not checkedNotes
    Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
  • Waste handling for this scope: segregation, carrier, recordsChoose one
    • Satisfactory
    • Not satisfactory
    • Not provided
    • Not applicable
  • What needs doing, or why not checkedNotes
    Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
  • Pollution and spill controls (fuel, concrete washout, silt)Choose one
    • Satisfactory
    • Not satisfactory
    • Not provided
    • Not applicable
  • What needs doing, or why not checkedNotes
    Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
  • Copies of the documentsPhotos
  • Not satisfactoryWorked out by the form
  • Not providedWorked out by the form

References

  • References
    Repeat for each reference. Each one asks:
    • Client or main contractor*Short answer
    • ContactShort answer
    • Project and work doneShort answer
    • Value of their workNumber
    • FinishedDate
    • Reference*Choose one
      • Positive
      • Mixed
      • Negative
      • No reply
    • What they saidNotes
    • Photos of their work, if you visitedPhotos
  • ReferencesWorked out by the form
  • PositiveWorked out by the form
  • NegativeWorked out by the form

Financial

  • GuidanceEnter the figures from the accounts or the credit report you were given. The form states no financial test.
  • Turnover, last financial yearNumber
  • Turnover, year beforeNumber
  • This work as a share of last year's turnover (%)Worked out by the form
    Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
  • Accounts seen?Yes or No
  • Year end of the accounts seenShort answer
    Shown when “Accounts seen?” is Yes
  • Credit check done?Yes or No
  • Result, as the credit report states itShort answer
    Shown when “Credit check done?” is Yes
  • NotesNotes

    For example outstanding court judgments, a parent company guarantee, payment terms agreed.

Score

  • GuidanceScore each section from 1 (poor) to 5 (very good) and give each a weight that reflects what matters for this work, for example 3 for health and safety and 1 for environmental. A section you do not score is left out of the overall score. Set your own pass marks. The score is your way of comparing subcontractors; it is not a legal test and does not show that a subcontractor is competent or compliant.
  • InsuranceRating 1 to 5 (Poor to Very good)
  • WeightNumber
  • Licences and registrationsRating 1 to 5 (Poor to Very good)
  • WeightNumber
  • Health and safetyRating 1 to 5 (Poor to Very good)
  • WeightNumber
  • QualityRating 1 to 5 (Poor to Very good)
  • WeightNumber
  • EnvironmentalRating 1 to 5 (Poor to Very good)
  • WeightNumber
  • ReferencesRating 1 to 5 (Poor to Very good)
  • WeightNumber
  • FinancialRating 1 to 5 (Poor to Very good)
  • WeightNumber
  • score_numWorked out by the form
  • score_denWorked out by the form
  • Overall weighted score (%)Worked out by the form
    Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
  • Your pass mark (%)Number
  • Your mark for approval with conditions (%)Number
  • Against your marksWorked out by the form
    Shown only when the answers above make it relevant

Decision, conditions and sign-off

  • Gaps foundWorked out by the form

    Expired or short insurance, expired or unchecked licences, and safety, quality or environmental items not satisfactory or not provided. Insurance expiring within 30 days is shown on page 2.

  • ResultWorked out by the form
  • Actions
    Repeat for each action. Each one asks:
    • Action*Notes
    • PriorityChoose one
      • Before appointment
      • Before starting on site
      • Within 30 days of starting
      • At the next review
    • Who will do it*Short answer
    • Due byDate
    • Status*Choose one
      • Open
      • In progress
      • Done, checked
    • Photo when donePhotos
      Shown when “Status” is “Done, checked”
  • Actions still openWorked out by the form
  • Decision*Choose one
    • Approved
    • Approved with conditions
    • Not approved
  • Review date*Date
  • Approved for which trades and scopeShort answer
    Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
  • Up to what value of workNumber
    Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
  • Conditions*Notes
    Shown when “Decision” is “Approved with conditions”
  • Reasons*Notes
    Shown when “Decision” is “Not approved”
  • CheckThe decision is yours. The score and counts help you compare subcontractors; they are not a legal test.
  • Summary for the fileNotes
  • Assessor nameShort answer
  • Assessor signature*Signature
  • Approved by nameShort answer
  • Approved by signatureSignature

See it filled in

A completed subcontractor prequalification report, made by SiteSurvey from a fictional site visit: every answer, the photos, the guidance that applied and the sign-off, ready to send as a PDF.

See completed form (PDF) ↗

Subcontractor prequalification FAQs

Do I have to prequalify subcontractors?

On UK construction projects, CDM 2015 regulation 8(3) says whoever appoints a contractor must take reasonable steps to satisfy themselves that the contractor has the skills, knowledge and experience and, as an organisation, the organisational capability to do the work safely. The law does not prescribe a questionnaire. This form is one way to record the steps you took. On US work, record whatever your contract or company policy asks for.

Source: Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, regulation 8 (general duties).

What insurance should a subcontractor have?

That depends on the work, the contract and your own requirements, so the form asks you to enter the limit you require for each policy. One UK rule is fixed: in Great Britain employers must insure against liability for injury or disease to their employees, for at least GBP 5 million for any one occurrence, unless the 1969 Act exempts them. The form flags cover below your limit, expired, or expiring within 30 days.

Sources: Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969, section 1 and Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Regulations 1998, regulation 3.

What is an OSHA 300A and why do contractors ask for it?

OSHA Form 300A is the annual summary of work-related injuries and illnesses that covered employers create at the end of each calendar year, with the average number of employees and total hours worked. Main contractors may ask for 300A figures and the EMR to compare safety records; that is a contractor question, not a legal test. A company with 10 or fewer employees at all times in the last calendar year need not keep OSHA injury records unless told to, so it may have no 300A.

Sources: 29 CFR 1904.32, annual summary (OSHA Form 300A), eCFR and 29 CFR 1904.1, partial exemption for employers with 10 or fewer employees, eCFR.

Is this form based on PAS 91?

No. PAS 91 was BSI's standard list of the questions typically asked of suppliers at the prequalification stage of construction tendering, but BSI shows it as withdrawn on 21 April 2023. This form covers similar ground in its own words for a main contractor checking a subcontractor, and reproduces no PAS 91 text.

Source: BSI Knowledge, PAS 91:2013+A1:2017 Construction prequalification questionnaires (withdrawn).

How does the score work?

You score each of seven sections from 1 to 5 and give each a weight. The form works out a weighted percentage, leaving out any section you did not score, and compares it with the pass mark and conditional mark you set. Gaps such as short insurance or unchecked licences are counted separately. The decision is yours: a high score does not show that a subcontractor is competent or compliant.

How often should I re-check an approved subcontractor?

The form does not set an interval. It asks for a review date with every decision and shows days to expiry on each insurance policy, so you can ask for renewal certificates before cover runs out. To score how a subcontractor performed on your jobs, use the supplier evaluation form.

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