Free subcontractor assessment template

What is a subcontractor assessment template?

A subcontractor assessment template is a structured evaluation document used by a principal contractor or head contractor to assess the health and safety competency, capability and compliance of a subcontractor before awarding work. The assessment covers the subcontractor WHS management system, licences and trade registrations, insurances (public liability and workers compensation), incident history, training and competency records, SWMS and risk assessment quality, plant and equipment condition, and previous safety performance. Each criterion is scored or rated, and the subcontractor receives an overall assessment outcome of approved, conditionally approved or not approved.

In Australia, when a principal contractor engages subcontractors on a construction project, both parties hold concurrent duties under the WHS Act 2011. The principal contractor cannot transfer their duty of care to the subcontractor, and the subcontractor is also a PCBU with their own primary duty under Section 19. Assessing a subcontractor before engagement is a critical part of the principal contractor obligation to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of all workers on site. A rigorous assessment process helps identify subcontractors who may lack the competence, systems or resources to work safely, before they enter the workplace. It also provides documented evidence that the principal contractor exercised due diligence in their selection process, which is a key consideration in any regulatory investigation following an incident.

Learn more about compliance and inspections in MapTrack.

Benefits of digitising forms in MapTrack

When you move your assessments from paper to MapTrack, you get:

• Field users can easily scan a QR code to complete a form on mobile. Unlimited users.
• Automatically get alerts when faults are identified.
• Link every form digitally as a PDF to the relevant asset, location or person.
• Receive a digital PDF copy with every submission to your email.
• Ability to share forms digitally.
• Build conditional logic (show or hide questions based on answers).
• Take pictures or attach photos. Not possible with a paper-based form.
• Electronic signatures.
• Edit forms later without reprinting.
• Restrict permissions (who can view, complete or approve).
• Build forms with AI (describe what you need and MapTrack suggests the form).
• Escalate critical hazards instantly to safety managers via push notification.
• Maintain an auditable safety register that satisfies WHS regulator requests.
• Correlate incident trends across sites with built-in safety analytics.

Book a demo to see how MapTrack handles assessments.

What to include in a subcontractor assessment template

This subcontractor assessment template covers 9 key areas:

• Subcontractor details: company name, ABN, registered address, primary contact name, phone, email, trade or scope of work, number of employees, years in operation.
• WHS management system: does the subcontractor have a documented WHS management plan or policy, safety procedures, hazard reporting process and incident investigation procedure.
• Licences and registrations: current trade licences, high-risk work licences for workers, builder registration, demolition licence, asbestos removal licence or any other licence required for the scope of work.
• Insurance verification: current public liability insurance certificate with policy number, coverage amount and expiry date, current workers compensation insurance certificate with policy number and expiry date.
• Incident and claims history: number of notifiable incidents, lost time injuries, workers compensation claims and regulator enforcement actions over the past three years, with a brief description of each.
• Training and competency: evidence of worker training records, including WHS induction, trade-specific competencies, high-risk work licences, first aid, working at heights and any task-specific training required for the scope.
• SWMS and risk assessment quality: sample SWMS and risk assessment reviewed for completeness, accuracy, site-specificity and compliance with WHS Regulations for high-risk construction work.
• Plant and equipment: does the subcontractor have a plant register, maintenance schedules, pre-start inspection checklists and current registration or certification for major plant items.
• Assessment scoring and outcome: numerical or categorical rating for each criterion, overall assessment score, assessment outcome (approved, conditionally approved, not approved), conditions to be met before engagement, assessor name and date.

How often should you complete this assessment?

A subcontractor assessment should be completed before each new engagement or contract award. For subcontractors on long-term or ongoing arrangements, a full reassessment should be conducted at least annually to verify that insurances, licences and safety management systems remain current. Insurance certificates should be checked at each renewal date and updated copies filed. If a subcontractor has a notifiable incident, receives a regulator improvement or prohibition notice, or undergoes a significant change in ownership or management, a reassessment should be triggered immediately regardless of the normal review cycle. Some organisations also conduct a mid-contract performance review against the original assessment criteria for engagements exceeding six months.

Applicable regulatory standards

This template aligns with the following regulations and standards:

• WHS Act 2011 Section 19 (Primary duty of care)
• WHS Act 2011 Section 46 (Duty to consult, cooperate and coordinate)
• WHS Regulations 2011 (High-risk construction work)
• Safe Work Australia Code of Practice: Construction Work

Related resources

More safety templates and guides:

• Contractor prequalification checklist
• Contractor induction checklist
• Contractor management checklist
• SWMS template
• Risk assessment template
• Compliance and inspections
• Safety compliance
• Pricing