Every subcontractor compliant on day one - and still compliant at handover.
Pre-qualification is not a one-off form. Insurance renews, CSCS cards expire, RAMS change with every package and accreditations lapse mid-project. ExpiryEdge sends each subcontractor one request link, checks what comes back field by field, holds every document with its valid-until date and asks for the new one before the old one runs out.
Last updated · ExpiryEdge editorial team
For principal contractors, builders and specialist contractors who sub out work
One request link per subcontractor, no login
Reject a single wrong document, keep the rest
Automatic re-request before insurance or cards expire
Per-project export of what was on file, and when
Quick answer
Subcontractor pre-qualification is collecting and checking a subcontractor's documents before they start - employers' and public liability insurance, CIS verification, RAMS, CSCS and plant cards for each operative, SSIP accreditation - and keeping them current until the work is finished. ExpiryEdge collects them through a no-login link, lets you approve or reject each item, tracks every expiry date and re-requests documents 30 days before they lapse.
Where subcontractor compliance breaks down
Checked at tender, never again
The insurance certificate was fine when the order was placed. It expired in month four, while the sub was still on site, and nobody noticed.
Documents arrive by email, in pieces
The policy schedule in one email, the RAMS in another, three CSCS photos by WhatsApp to the site manager. Nothing is in one place.
One wrong document means starting again
The certificate is in the wrong company name. The sub sends the whole pack again, and you check everything twice.
Cards expire per operative
A sub sends six operatives. One CSCS card expires next month, a Labourer card on its first 2-year term. Tracking it per person is the part that slips.
Site managers chase paperwork
The people who should be running the job spend their mornings asking for certificates and checking dates.
No answer when the client asks
The client or principal designer asks what was on file for a sub on a given date. Reconstructing it from inboxes takes days.
What UK contractors typically collect from subcontractors, and how long it lasts
Statutory items are marked with their basis. Industry schemes such as CSCS and SSIP are not law, but most principal contractors and clients require them.
| Document | Validity / rhythm | Basis | What to record |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employers' liability insurance | Annual policy; minimum £5m cover | Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969 | Insurer, policy number, expiry date, certificate |
| Public liability insurance | Annual policy; level set by your contract (not statutory) | Contract | Limit of indemnity, expiry date, schedule |
| CIS verification | Verify before first payment; again if not on a CIS return in the current or last 2 tax years | Construction Industry Scheme (HMRC) | Verification reference, deduction rate (0 / 20 / 30 %) |
| CSCS card per operative | Most cards 5 years; first Labourer card 2 years (since 1 Feb 2025) | Industry scheme (Build UK requirement) | Card type, number, expiry, photo of card |
| CPCS / NPORS plant cards | Red trained operator 2 years; blue competent operator 5 years | Industry schemes | Category, card colour, expiry |
| SMSTS / SSSTS | 5 years; refresher must be completed before expiry | CITB Site Safety Plus | Certificate and expiry for the site manager / supervisor |
| IPAF PAL / PASMA | IPAF 5 years (logbook needed for renewal); PASMA usually 5 years | Industry schemes | Card, categories, expiry |
| First aid at work | 3 years | HSE guidance | Named first aiders and expiry |
| SSIP accreditation (CHAS, Constructionline etc.) | Annual renewal | Client / supply-chain requirement | Scheme, level, renewal date |
| RAMS for the package | Per package; revise when the work or method changes | CDM 2015 / your own procedure | Version, approval date, approver |
Request once, gate the start, re-request before expiry
One link per subcontractor. Every document comes back to the right record with a valid-until date, and the next request goes out on its own.
From an email chase to a document file that keeps itself current
One request link instead of ten emails
Build your pre-qualification request once: company details, CIS information, insurance certificates with expiry dates, RAMS, operative cards and a signed declaration. Send it to each new subcontractor as a link. They complete it on a phone or laptop without creating an account, and ExpiryEdge follows up on day 3, 7 and 14 until it is complete.
Reusable request template per trade or package
File uploads, dates, numbers and e-signature in one form
Automatic follow-up until complete
Approve what is right, reject only what is wrong
Check each item as it comes in. If the EL certificate is in the wrong company name or a CSCS photo is unreadable, reject that one field with a comment. The same link reopens for just that correction, and everything already approved stays approved, with a history of each version.
Approve or reject field by field
Comment tells the sub exactly what to fix
Version history of every resubmission
Re-requested before it lapses, not after
Every approved document becomes a dated record on the subcontractor, linked to the projects they work on. Thirty days before a policy, card or accreditation expires, the subcontractor gets a new request link and the package manager gets a reminder. If nothing arrives, it escalates.
Expiry per document and per operative
Reminders to the sub and to your package manager
Escalation to the contracts manager if ignored
What was on file, for which project, on which day
Filter by project or subcontractor and export the current status, the documents on file and the timestamped history of requests, uploads, rejections and approvals as CSV, PDF or XLSX - for a client audit, a principal designer, an insurer or an HSE visit.
Export per project or per subcontractor
Every action timestamped with the user
Survives changes of package manager
Reminders where subcontractors actually read them
Small subcontractors rarely sit at a desk. Send requests and reminders by SMS or WhatsApp with the upload link, and your own team's by email, Slack or Microsoft Teams.
ExpiryEdge vs a shared drive vs an accreditation database
| ExpiryEdge | Email + shared drive | Accreditation scheme | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your own document list per trade or package | Manual | ||
| No account needed for the subcontractor | |||
| Reject and re-request a single item | |||
| Expiry tracked per operative card | Manual | ||
| Automatic re-request before expiry | Partly | ||
| Linked to your projects | Manual | ||
| Timestamped audit trail | Partly | ||
| Also tracks your own plant, people and permits | Manual |
Typically: employers' liability insurance (minimum £5m unless exempt), public liability insurance at the level your contract sets, CIS verification before the first payment, RAMS for the package, CSCS or equivalent cards for each operative, plant cards (CPCS or NPORS) and IPAF or PASMA where relevant, the site manager's SMSTS or supervisor's SSSTS, first aid certificates and any SSIP accreditation you require. The exact list depends on your contracts, your client and the work package.
Track each policy's expiry date on the subcontractor's record and request the renewed certificate before it runs out, not after. In ExpiryEdge, the subcontractor gets a new upload link 30 days before the policy expires and your package manager is reminded at the same time. If the new certificate has not arrived by the expiry date, the item turns red and escalates to the contracts manager.
Most CSCS cards - including the blue Skilled Worker, gold Supervisory and black Manager cards - are valid for 5 years. Since 1 February 2025, the first Labourer card is valid for 2 years; it can then be renewed. Renewal is possible from 6 months before expiry. Record each operative's card type and expiry in ExpiryEdge and check the card itself with the CSCS app or online checker.
No. They open a link, complete the form and upload files on any device. There is nothing to install and no password to remember, which is the main reason small subcontractors complete link requests faster than portal registrations. The link can be password-protected and set to expire.
No. ExpiryEdge does not connect to HMRC, CSCS or SSIP registers. Your team verifies in those systems as you do today and records the result - date, reference, outcome - on the subcontractor's record, where it is timestamped and kept with the documents.
Possibly. The Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act 2025 is reported to extend illegal-working checks to some non-employee arrangements, including individual contractors, from 1 October 2026, and construction is named as a focus sector. How this is allocated along a subcontract chain depends on final Home Office guidance, so take advice. Whatever process you adopt, ExpiryEdge can request the evidence by link and track follow-up dates for time-limited permission.
They are accreditation schemes: a contractor is assessed once a year against a common standard and pays to be listed. ExpiryEdge manages your own records - the documents your contracts require, per project and per operative, with your reminders and your audit trail. Many contractors use both: an SSIP accreditation as one of the items they request.
Send your first subcontractor request today
Build your pre-qualification request once, send it as a link, and let ExpiryEdge chase and re-request. Free 14-day trial, no credit card.