Two sets of documents keep the liability side of chain work in order: what the main contractor requests, and what the subcontractor keeps ready. This checklist gives a tickable list for both roles – the underlying logic is covered in the main contractor–subcontractor chain article. Fecó has worked in both roles – this list is his routine too.
☐ A written subcontractor agreement: scope, deadline, fee – with liability questions settled (who's responsible for what, what follows from defective performance).
☐ Request a certificate of insurance: live liability cover, with a type of cover suited to the work (certificate article).
☐ Check the content of the certificate: a limit sized to the work entrusted to them, valid for the entire duration of the project.
☐ Check your own policy's subcontractor extension: does it cover your liability for your subcontractors' work? (extensions)
☐ For longer collaborations: refresh certificates annually – last year's certificate is just paper this year.
☐ Handle “fill-in” helpers too: anyone brought in from outside the usual chain (a borrowed hand, a contractor you know) is still part of the chain – the list applies to them as well.
☐ Live cover for the activity you actually carry out – with the content the main contractor requires (client requirements).
☐ An up-to-date certificate of insurance kept somewhere accessible – or the data ready for a quick request (request checklist).
☐ Read the liability clauses of the main contractor's agreement before signing: what you're taking on, and whether your policy covers it (exclusions map – the trap of contractually taking on more than you're covered for).
☐ Your own documentation routine on the job: work log, photos, handover record – in a chain dispute, this is what identifies whose work caused what (loss prevention).
☐ Whoever notices the loss notifies everyone else in the chain immediately – in writing.
☐ Everyone reports the matter to their own insurer on the claims line (first steps) – waiting to see “whose fault it turns out to be” burns through deadlines.
☐ A liability dispute between the parties isn't the injured party's problem: sorting it out is a matter for the contracts and claims handling – the documents decide it (documentation).
An orderly chain is also a competitive advantage: main contractors bring repeat work back to whoever has their paperwork in order the first time. To review your own chain setup: free consultation.
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