The Paperwork Subcontractors Must Master to Win Federal Work
Federal contracts run on a small set of recurring documents. Master them once and you carry a real advantage into every job. Here is the checklist Federal Sub Academy teaches around.
The core set
- SF 1413 — Statement and Acknowledgment. Connects your subcontract to the prime contract and the labor clauses. Sign it after reading Part I; keep a copy.
- Daily reports. The running record of the job: weather, work, safety, hours, equipment, remarks. Factual and signed every day.
- Certified payroll. Weekly proof of correct wages (WH-347), or the personally-performed-work statement (GSA Form 618-D). Signed under penalty of law.
- Safety records. Meeting minutes, inspection statements, and accident or near-miss reports, attached as the daily report requires.
- Releases and closeout. The partial and final releases at the end of the work.
The payoff
None of this is optional on a federal job — but most contractors treat it as an afterthought. The subcontractor who treats it as a core skill is the one primes hire first and keep longest.