Subcontractor Prequalification Form Template
Most small GCs start thinking about prequalification after a bad experience — a sub who showed up unlicensed, disappeared mid-project, or whose insurance lapsed on site. This guide gives you a system to run before that happens: every field a GC admin needs, what to look for in each, and a free kit with the form, an onboarding checklist and a prequal scorecard.
A subcontractor prequalification form collects what you need to vet a sub before you award work: their legal entity name, state license, insurance coverage and endorsements, safety record (EMR letter and OSHA 300A), a W-9, references and a signed certification. Prequalification happens once, before the subcontract; COI tracking keeps those credentials current afterwards.
In this guide
What is subcontractor prequalification?
Subcontractor prequalification is the process of vetting a sub before you award them work — not after. It means collecting their license information, verifying their insurance coverage, checking their safety record, and confirming they are who they say they are before you hand them a subcontract or let them on your job site.
Most small GCs skip this step because they rely on referrals, prior relationships, or word of mouth — and most of the time, that works. The problem surfaces with a sub you haven't worked with before, a sub who comes highly recommended for one scope and quietly takes on another, or a sub whose license or insurance status has changed since the last time you worked together. Prequalification is the system that catches those problems before a contract is signed.
What to include in a subcontractor prequalification form
A complete prequalification form has six sections. Each one serves a different purpose — and each one has fields that most off-the-shelf forms get wrong or leave out entirely.
How TrackMyVendor automates this
- One link collects the packet. Your sub uploads their license, COI, W-9 and safety documents from their phone — no account, no app, no portal login.
- Vet before they join your list. Add the sub as a prospect, review what came back, then approve, approve with conditions or decline — and the onboarding request goes out when they join your contractors list. PreQual add-on
- The packet is graded against your required-document list as each file arrives, so you know it is complete without opening every attachment. Starter and above
- The COI and W-9 are read for you — coverage limits and policy dates off the certificate, legal name, TIN and tax classification off the W-9 — and the license is matched against the state licensing database.
- Endorsement pages are parsed too, so additional insured, primary and noncontributory and waiver of subrogation are answers on the record rather than a note in the Description of Operations. Pro
References, bonding capacity and the signed certification are not read for you — those answers stay on your form for you to review.
See how contractor onboarding worksThe OSHA 300A and TRIR
The OSHA Form 300A is the one-page summary of a company's injury and illness log for a calendar year. Employers who keep the log must post the summary at the workplace from February 1 to April 30 of the following year, so a sub who keeps one can hand you a copy. It holds the numbers behind TRIR: total hours worked by all employees, and the year's totals of deaths (column G), cases with days away from work (H), cases with job transfer or restriction (I) and other recordable cases (J).
TRIR = (G + H + I + J) × 200,000 ÷ hours worked
DART = (H + I) × 200,000 ÷ hours worked
200,000 is 100 full-time workers for a year, so both rates are per 100 workers. Work them out from the form yourself rather than taking a rate the sub typed in: the TRIR calculator does both.
Most small subs don't have one, and that's allowed. Employers with ten or fewer employees at all times during the previous year are partially exempt from keeping the OSHA log, and so are companies in certain low-hazard industries. A sole proprietor with no employees has nothing to record. Treat "not applicable" as an answer: ask how many employees they had last year, write it down, and keep it with the file.
For a sub without a 300A, ask instead for their EMR letter if they have one, a description of their safety program, and whether any OSHA citations were issued in the last three years. A firm too small for an experience rating may have no EMR either; that is also an answer, not a failure.
How TrackMyVendor automates this
- The EMR letter and OSHA 300A are read for you — the mod rate, total hours and the G–J case totals — and TRIR and DART are worked out from them, not typed in by the sub. PreQual add-on
- Anyone above your maximum EMR or TRIR is flagged on the sub’s safety panel, against the thresholds you set once in Settings. PreQual add-on
- “Not applicable” is an answer. A sub with ten or fewer employees says so on the upload link, with their headcount, instead of reading as missing. Starter and above
The figures are read from the documents the sub uploads, not verified with NCCI or OSHA, and a flag never changes the sub’s compliance status — the decision stays yours.
How EMR letters and OSHA 300As are readSubcontractor prequalification checklist
Before approving a sub for work, run through this subcontractor prequalification checklist. Each item corresponds to a field described above (and on the form in the kit) — this is the minimum set of checkpoints to complete before a sub steps on site.
Legal entity name matches license and insurance exactly
A name mismatch creates a coverage gap if a claim is filed under the wrong entity.
Contractor license verified in the issuing state's database
Expired or suspended license is a hard stop — do not award work.
License classification covers the scope of work
A residential license does not authorize commercial work in most states.
General Liability limits meet your project minimums (occurrence form)
Confirm per-occurrence and aggregate — not just total.
Workers' Compensation at statutory limits (or exemption documented)
Sole proprietor exemptions require written documentation.
Commercial Auto and Umbrella confirmed (if required)
Umbrella must follow form — confirm explicitly.
Additional insured endorsements required: CG 2010 and CG 2037
Must be on the policy, not just noted on the certificate.
Primary and noncontributory endorsement confirmed
Without it, your own policy may respond first for a loss your sub caused.
Waiver of subrogation endorsed on GL, WC, and umbrella
Prevents the sub's insurer from suing you after paying a claim.
EMR at or below your threshold
Request the carrier letter — do not accept a self-reported number.
OSHA 300A received and TRIR at or below your threshold
Work TRIR out from the form's totals and hours. Ten or fewer employees: note the exemption and the headcount instead.
W-9 collected and legal name matches form
Legal name on W-9 must match Section 1 exactly.
Two GC references verified (called, not just collected)
Ask whether they would use the sub again on the same scope.
Signed certification returned
Confirms the sub agrees to maintain coverage and notify you of changes.
How often to re-prequalify subs
Prequalification at initial onboarding is a baseline, not a permanent record. A sub who was compliant when you first approved them may not be compliant a year later — their license may have expired, their insurer may have canceled their policy, or they may have had a bad year of claims that pushed their EMR above your threshold.
Annually, at minimum
Set a calendar reminder to request an updated prequalification packet from every sub you have used in the past 12 months. Annual re-prequalification catches license expirations, insurance changes, and safety record shifts before you award them a new project.
When their insurance policy renews
A renewal is an opportunity for the sub to change carriers, reduce limits, or drop endorsements. An updated COI at renewal time is standard — but an updated prequalification confirms the new policy still meets your requirements, not just that a new policy exists.
When they take on a new project type
A sub you have used for residential framing may not carry the insurance limits required for commercial work. A sub you have used for small tenant improvements may not be licensed for the scope of a ground-up build. Re-prequalify when the scope changes meaningfully.
After any license or ownership change
If the individual whose license the company operates under leaves — common with RME/RMO arrangements in California — the company's license may be suspended or in a grace period. Any major ownership or structural change warrants a fresh prequalification.
How TrackMyVendor automates this
- Licenses are re-checked automatically every time the state publishes, so a suspension or expiry shows on the sub before your next annual review.
- Per-deadline reminders at 90, 60, 30 and 7 days go to your team and to the sub, with the upload link in the sub’s copy — the renewed certificate comes back without you chasing it. Starter and above
- Every plan gets the Monday summary — one digest of every sub with something expired or expiring, to your team and never to the sub.
Prequalification vs. COI collection — they're not the same thing
GC offices that have one but not the other are only half-covered. They work together but serve different purposes.
Prequalification
- Happens once — at initial onboarding
- Verifies license, company, safety record
- Sets coverage minimums on paper
- Captures W-9 and references
- Gets signed certification
- Creates the compliance baseline
COI Collection & Tracking
- Ongoing — every policy renewal
- Confirms coverage is still active
- Verifies endorsements are in place
- Tracks expiration dates across subs
- Triggers renewal reminders automatically
- Monitors the baseline set at prequal
Prequalification without COI tracking means you vetted a sub once and assume everything is still fine. COI tracking without prequalification means you are collecting certificates from subs you have never properly vetted — you know their insurance is current but you have not confirmed their license, their safety record, or who you are actually contracting with. Both are needed.
When to reject a sub based on prequalification
Prequalification exists so you can decline to award work to a sub before you are contractually obligated to them. GC admins often feel pressure to move forward with a sub who is already on-site or who has been referred by someone on the project team. The prequalification form gives you an objective standard to point to.
These are legitimate reasons to reject — or pause — a sub during prequalification:
Expired or suspended license
A hard stop. Do not award work. The liability from work performed without a valid license can be enormous, and in some states the GC is jointly liable for work performed by an unlicensed sub.
License classification doesn't match the scope
A sub licensed for residential electrical is not necessarily licensed for commercial electrical. Verify that the license classification covers the specific work you are awarding.
EMR above your threshold
If your company sets a maximum EMR of 1.0, enforce it. A sub with an EMR of 1.4 has significantly worse-than-average claims history. You can choose to have a conversation with them about their safety program — but the threshold exists for a reason.
Gaps in insurance coverage history
A sub who had a lapse in coverage — even for 30 days — raises the question of why. Was it a payment issue? A carrier non-renewal? A canceled policy after a large claim? Ask the question directly before awarding work.
Unwillingness to provide additional insured endorsements
If a sub's broker says they cannot add CG 2010/2037 endorsements, that is either a carrier restriction or a misunderstanding. Neither makes them a good candidate for your job site. This is a standard request, and any carrier writing commercial construction GL can accommodate it.
Missing or unverifiable references
Two references is a minimum. If a sub cannot name two GCs they have worked with on similar projects, that is notable — especially for commercial work. Call the references they provide.
Legal entity name cannot be verified
If the name on the prequalification form does not match the name on the license or insurance policy, the form is incomplete. Do not proceed until the entity name is consistent across all documents.
Apply your standards consistently. Prequalification standards enforced selectively — applied to unfamiliar subs but waived for long-term relationships — create both liability exposure and legal risk. If your form says EMR must be below 1.1, that standard applies to every sub. Document every exception you grant and the specific reason for it.
Ready to prequalify your next sub?
Run it on paper properly, or send it as one link.
Free prequal kit
Three files in one download
- The prequalification form (PDF): company info, license, insurance, EMR, OSHA 300A, W-9 and signed certification.
- The onboarding checklist (PDF): what to collect before award and once hired, with what small firms are exempt from marked.
- The prequal scorecard (Excel): one row per sub, TRIR and DART worked out, anything over your limits in red.
Skip the paper packet
Send it as one link
Your first 25 subs are free. Each one gets a single link for their license, COI, W-9 and safety documents, with no account to create. The certificate and W-9 are read for you, the license is checked against the state board, and you approve or decline when the packet’s in. Once they’re hired, the same record keeps every expiry date tracked.
Start free — no credit card →Up and running in about 10 minutes.