How Prime Contractors Vet Subcontractors (and How to Get Hired Faster)
Primes do not pick subcontractors on a handshake. They check registration, capability, safety, past performance — and, more than anything, whether this subcontractor will create work or save work.
What primes check
- Registration and status. Is the company properly registered and current?
- Past performance and safety. Has it delivered, and delivered safely?
- Paperwork readiness. Can it produce a correct SF 1413, clean daily reports, and certified payroll without being chased?
The fast track
A subcontractor who already understands the paperwork and processes on federal contracts is easier to hire than a competitor who does not. That is the entire premise of Federal Sub Academy: train on the forms and the process, and become the subcontractor the prime does not have to teach.
When a prime knows a subcontractor will hand in the daily report right and certify payroll right, the decision gets easier — and the prime's life gets easier.