Contractor Prequalification for Owners and Developers
Before a GC or a trade contractor bids your project, see their bonding capacity, EMR and three years of injury rates side by side, read from their own documents. No questionnaire to chase, no enterprise rollout.
30-day free trial, no credit card. PreQual is a $69/mo add-on, added from Settings → Billing.
| Contractor | EMR | 3-yr TRIR | Your limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northgate Builders | 0.81 | 1.9 | Meets |
| Halvorsen Construction | 1.12 | 4.6 | Review |
| Pike & Rowe | 0.94 | 2.7 | Review |
From shortlist to covered on site
Most owners prequalify a handful of contractors per project, with a spreadsheet and a PDF questionnaire. The work is the same here; the reading is done for you.
Shortlist, then send one link each
Add the general contractors and trade contractors you're considering for the work. Each gets one secure link for their certificate, bonding letter, EMR letter, three years of OSHA 300As, financial statements and your own prequalification form. No account for them, and no fee.
Compare them on the same rows
Bonding capacity, EMR and its trend, three-year TRIR and DART beside the trade's national average, insurance and license, each against the limits you set. Two to five side by side, on screen or as one PDF for the investment committee or the lender.
Decide who bids, and keep them covered
Approve a contractor up to a job size, with conditions, or decline. The ones you bring on join your contractors list, where each project's insurance minimums, renewals and license re-checks run without you.
The detail of each step (prospects, the safety read, the scorecard, qualified limits) is on the PreQual page.
What to ask a general contractor, and what to ask a trade
An owner prequalifying a GC is asking a different question from a GC prequalifying a sub: not only whether they work safely, but whether they can carry your project financially and stand behind it. The documents overlap; the weight you give each one does not.
| From the general contractor | From a trade contractor you contract directly | |
|---|---|---|
| Bonding | A surety letter whose single-project limit is above your job, with room in the aggregate for their other work | Often unbonded below a certain job size: ask for the letter when the trade package is large |
| Safety record | EMR letter and three years of OSHA 300As for their own crews | The same, and it usually matters more: their workers are the ones on your roof or in your plant room |
| Insurance | GL, auto, umbrella and workers' comp at your limits, with you named as additional insured | The same, at limits set for the trade |
| License | A current general contractor license where the state requires one | The trade license: electrical, plumbing, mechanical, roofing |
| Financial strength | Reviewed or audited statements, and the bank or surety behind them | Usually lighter: a reference from the surety or bank |
| Experience | Comparable projects, references, the project team you'd get | Comparable scopes, and who supervises on site |
PreQual reads the bonding letter, the EMR letter and each 300A, and works out TRIR and DART. The certificate is read on upload, on every plan. Financial statements, references and your own form are collected on the same link and kept on file for your team to review; they are not scored. A free prequalification form template is there if you don't have one.
After you choose: the same file, through the whole job
Insurance that stays in force
Set the project's coverage minimums once. Each certificate is checked against them as it arrives, and the contractor gets the renewal request before a policy lapses, with the link to upload the new one.
Re-qualify before the next project
Every 12 or 24 months, or when their newest 300A or EMR letter is out of date, the contractor is asked for current documents and comes back to you to decide again. Your approved list stays current between projects.
PreQual sits on Starter or Pro
Pick the plan for the contractors you keep on file, then add PreQual for $69/mo flat, however many you vet. Paid plans include a 30-day free trial.
Free
Organize your roster and run COI tracking at zero cost. Free forever, no credit card.
- ✓AI COI parsing & W-9 parsing — carriers, limits, dates and TINs read for you
- ✓50-state license tracking, plus automated license verification against state databases
- ✓Secure link onboarding — documents arrive through a secure upload link, no account needed
- ✓Document vault — contracts, licenses, W-9s and insurance, filed by category
- ✓Weekly compliance digest — a summary email of upcoming expirations
- ✓Timestamped audit trail — the full history of every certificate
- –Renewal reminders are sent by you — one click emails the upload link
Starter
Flat, predictable pricing for active general contractors and property managers.
- ✓Everything in Free
- ✓Unlimited contractors — no per-record fees and no 25-record ceiling
- ✓Automated renewal reminders — email alerts at 90/60/30/7 days to your team and the contractor
- ✓Projects & job sites — group contractors by job, with per-project coverage rules
- ✓Calendar feed — deadlines live in Google Calendar, Outlook or Apple Calendar
- ✓Bulk roster import — from a CSV or a certificate archive
- ✓QuickBooks Online — compliance status on each matched vendor record, kept current automatically
- ✓2 user seats — invite a second team member or coordinator
Pro
Full automation, endorsement checks and integrations for growing teams.
- ✓Everything in Starter
- ✓AI endorsement verification — reads the additional insured, waiver of subrogation and primary & non-contributory pages
- ✓Unlimited users & roles — access for foremen, office managers and admins
- ✓API & integrations — the API, webhooks, Zapier, Make, Slack and Teams
- ✓Insurance audit report — every sub's coverage and gaps over your policy year, for the premium audit
- ✓Third-party categories — vendors, tenants, renters and franchisees on their own lists
- ✓QuickBooks auto-sync — new and changed QuickBooks vendors reach your roster within minutes
PreQual
Add to Starter or Pro. Not available on Free.
Vet subs from their documents, not a questionnaire.
- ✓Prospects — send a sub one link with your own questionnaire to fill in, see what's in, then approve up to a job size, approve with conditions or decline
- ✓Safety documents read for you — the EMR from the EMR letter, TRIR and DART from the OSHA 300A
- ✓Three years of 300As — 3-year TRIR and DART beside the BLS average for the sub's trade
- ✓A scorecard per sub — each check against your limits, no overall score; compare up to five side by side
- ✓Bonding letters read — surety and limits against your minimum
- ✓Re-qualification and Export for Bids — ask approved subs again every 12 or 24 months; list who’s qualified for the job size and copy their emails
Figures are read from the documents, not verified with the carrier, rating bureau, surety or OSHA.
No contracts. Cancel anytime. See the full plan comparison →
Frequently asked questions
Can we vet general contractors and trade contractors on the same list?
Do you analyse financial statements?
Do you verify the documents with the surety, the rating bureau or OSHA?
Does this replace our bid process?
What does it cost?
Prequalify the contractors for your next project
Start a free Starter trial, then add PreQual from Settings → Billing.
Start a free Starter trialExplore More
Subcontractor Prequalification Software
EMR letters and OSHA 300As read for you, a scorecard against your limits
What Is an EMR Rating?
How the experience modification rate is worked out, and what a good one is
TRIR Calculator
Work out TRIR and DART from a sub's OSHA 300A
Subcontractor Prequalification Form
A free prequalification questionnaire template
Subcontractor Risk Management
Vetting, insurance and safety checks before a sub starts
Track Subs by Job
Which subs are on which job, and who is cleared on each
Plans & Pricing
View plans and start your free trial