Managing subcontractors can be a pain. We all know it. And our research supports it. In fact, we surveyed 77 construction companies across the UK and Germany and found that a shocking 80% have experienced misunderstanding and disputes all thanks to a breakdown in communication with subcontractors
And here’s the conundrum: in the fiercely competitive construction industry, successful project execution hinges on the effectiveness of your subcontractor management. Subcontractors are crucial collaborators, but they can also pose significant challenges if not managed efficiently.
If you’re struggling to manage subcontractors, then construction management software offers a solution, and PlanRadar stands out as a powerful tool for enhancing subcontractor management. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore five key ways PlanRadar can empower construction companies to better manage subcontractors and ensure project success.
Contents:
1. Streamlined communication: overcoming communication gaps
2. Enhanced quality control: mitigating work quality issues
3. Efficient payment tracking: mitigating payment delays
4. Effective scheduling: eliminating coordination challenges
5. Real-time progress reporting: proactive issue resolution
1. Streamlined communication: overcoming communication gaps
Effective communication is the cornerstone of successful subcontractor management, but in the traditional construction workflow it’s often hindered by inefficiencies. Miscommunications, delays in information exchange, and misunderstandings can result in project delays and increased costs.
In fact, we wrote an entire article about how poor communication with subcontractors can impact your construction projects, which you can read here. And we know from our customer survey* that 60% of general contractors feel like they can’t get a full picture of what’s going on on-site.
PlanRadar replaces cumbersome emails and phone calls with a centralised digital platform. Here’s how:
- Real-time updates: PlanRadar allows contractors and subcontractors to share project information and updates instantly. This real-time communication ensures that everyone involved is well-informed. Plus, everything is recorded in a tamper-proof audit trail.
- Document sharing: All project documents, plans, and reports are stored in a single location, making it easy for team members to access the information they need without searching through email threads.
- Issue tracking: PlanRadar provides a structured way to report and follow issues, allowing for swift resolution and reducing the risk of misunderstandings.
By addressing these communication challenges, PlanRadar fosters clear and efficient collaboration among project stakeholders.
PlanRadar allows us to share information across all of our teams instantly, and when people have the information they need, they’re empowered to make the right decisions.
2. Enhanced quality control: mitigating work quality issues
Maintaining high-quality work is non-negotiable in the construction industry. Yet, ensuring consistent quality across subcontractors can be a challenge, leading to costly rework (which can amount to more than 11% of project costs according to our research), safety hazards, and project delays.
PlanRadar aids in quality control with:
- Inspection tools: Providing inspection procedures and tools that empower supervisors to identify and document issues during site visits.
- Progress monitoring: Contractors can monitor subcontractor progress in real time, ensuring that the work meets established standards.
- Photo documentation: Photo documentation features allow for visual records of work quality, making it easier to address any discrepancies.
By enhancing quality control, PlanRadar helps construction companies deliver projects with fewer defects, fewer accidents, and higher client satisfaction.
With its intuitive operation and rapid documentation of inspections, PlanRadar fulfils several requirements at Caverion: from classic defect recording and management in plant construction to applications for occupational health and safety and operational quality assurance.
3. Efficient payment tracking: mitigating payment delays
Accurate invoicing is a common pain point in subcontractor management. Tracking subcontractor tasks and ensuring accurate payment can be complex and time-consuming, often leading to payment disputes and project completion delays.
PlanRadar simplifies this through:
- Task management: Subcontractors can record their work details, including the duration and tasks completed, within the platform.
- Transparency: The platform ensures transparency in subcontractor tasks, making it easy to verify work completed.
- Invoicing integration: PlanRadar can integrate with invoicing systems, automating the invoicing process and reducing errors.
By streamlining payment processes, PlanRadar reduces payment delays, ensures accurate compensation for subcontractors, and ultimately keeps projects progressing as planned. It’s also important to remember the significance of digital receipts in invoice management. Receipts are essential for accurate record-keeping and reporting, so be sure to keep them around when a transaction is complete.
4. Effective scheduling: eliminating coordination challenges
Properly coordinating team schedules is essential to prevent time wastage and disruptions in construction projects. However, without effective scheduling, projects can suffer from a lack of coordination and significant time losses.
Here’s how PlanRadar can help:
- Pre-construction planning: Inviting subcontractors to participate in the pre-construction planning stage ensures that all aspects of the project are well-organised.
- Workflow management: PlanRadar’s Gantt View helps users to visualise the key phases in a project. Combining a user-friendly interface with an easy-view display, users can create project schedules to a standard, universally-recognised Gantt model.
- Material procurement: Contractors can use PlanRadar to plan material procurement and ensure that materials are on-site when needed.
By optimising scheduling and coordination, PlanRadar minimises delays, maximises resource utilisation, and keeps projects on time and on budget.
Construction companies like Sedlak are already using PlanRadar to improve their coordination. Find out more in their customer story.
The more complex a project, the more time that PlanRadar saves. For me personally, it is PlanRadar’s user-friendliness that makes it appealing. It is intuitive and therefore convinces our workers who are not digital natives.
5. Real-time progress reporting: proactive issue resolution
Traditional progress reporting can be slow and cumbersome, often leading to delays in identifying and addressing issues. Subcontractors may struggle to provide timely updates, creating potential roadblocks.
PlanRadar makes progress reporting simple by allowing subcontractors to send real-time updates. Here’s how it works:
- Daily progress reports: Subcontractors can submit daily progress reports through the platform, including details on achievements, milestones, unplanned activities, costs, and problems encountered.
- Immediate issue resolution: Contractors can address issues as they arise, preventing them from becoming major problems that could disrupt the project.
- Data-driven decision making: Real-time reporting empowers project stakeholders to make data-driven decisions and adjustments promptly.
By adopting PlanRadar for progress reporting, construction companies can maintain transparency, prevent major disruptions, and keep projects on course.
Related reading: Find out more about how PlanRadar can help General Contractors
Your next step towards better subcontractor oversight and management
Managing subcontractors effectively is a key driver of construction project success.
PlanRadar, with its comprehensive features and user-friendly interface, offers construction companies a powerful platform for improving subcontractor management, simplifying and optimising every aspect of subcontractor collaboration.
In the modern construction landscape, embracing digital solutions like PlanRadar is not just an option; it’s a necessity. Don’t just manage subcontractors; empower them and your team with PlanRadar for a future of construction excellence.
Book a no-strings-attached demo of PlanRadar today and one of our experts will walk you through exactly how the platform can help you.
