Online Induction >> Contractor Management System
Published 19/02/2025

Contractor Management Checklist
- Best Contractor Checklist Items

A checklist for contractors as part of your contractor management procedure is a critical cog for ensuring the right items are checked off as part of engaging new contractors and compliance, risk, site inductions and emergency procedures are all accounted for.

A contractor management checklist is a specific checklist in the contractor management process. Contractors are engaged to work on site and as part of that a checklist helps ensure a consistent set of steps are acknowledged and actioned as part of those contractors working with your site or workplace.

It's crucial to manage the risks created by contractors due to their operations as it forms an essential part of the health and safety management system. After identifying the work to be done by a contractor, ensure that they fully understand all the risks involved. And, make sure that this critical information is concisely and clearly communicated before the start of the contract. The checklist might be part of your contractor management system and contractor induction. Checklists might also be part of your permit to work process too. A new employee induction will also commonly have a checklist for new starters.

View Contractor Management Checklist Templates and Examples

What is the contractor management checklist?

A contractor management checklist might be used in a number of different ways ranging from a check list of procedures and policies to be aware of before starting work on site through to job preparation check lists as a pre-start activity. It might be used to ensure that contractor work is done as per the health and safety policy, workplace standards and terms of the contract. It's part of a sound contractor management system for contracting companies such as building contractors, electricians, plumbing contractors, and labor hire.

When contractors work in your organization, it's important to ensure contractors are aware of your health and safety requirements. A contractor management checklist is a crucial tool for ensuring the safety, compliance, and efficiency of your organization's contractor workforce. By systematically outlining the steps and requirements for managing contractors, this checklist helps maintain a high standard of contractor performance and reduces the potential for safety incidents or compliance violations. With a comprehensive contractor management checklist in place, your organization can effectively assess and manage the risks associated with contractor activities, while also streamlining processes to optimize productivity. The key components of a robust contractor management checklist typically include prequalification procedures, contract documentation requirements, safety training protocols, ongoing performance evaluations, and incident reporting mechanisms. By encompassing these essential elements, the checklist serves as a roadmap for effectively managing all aspects of contractor operations within your organization. Furthermore, by providing clear guidelines and expectations for both contractors and internal stakeholders, the checklist promotes transparency and accountability throughout the entire contracting process.

But why is a contractor management checklist used in organizations?

As the regulatory landscape continues to evolve and organizations face increasing pressure to enhance their risk management practices, utilizing a contractor management checklist becomes even more critical. By implementing an effective checklist tailored to your organization's specific needs and industry requirements, you can proactively address potential risks associated with contractor activities while fostering a culture of safety and compliance within your workplace. Ultimately, a well-structured contractor management checklist empowers your organization to mitigate risks, improve operational efficiencies, and uphold high standards of contractor performance.

A good contractor management checklist ensures that the party hired fully meets their obligations as effectively and efficiently as possible to accomplish the contract's operational and business objectives. This tool contains all the critical information detailing what's needed from the contractor to undertake a particular job.

With a contractor management checklist, you will ensure that all procedures are safely followed and be better positioned to oversee the contract at every phase of its lifetime. A well-established checklist will significantly help you in effectively delivering regulations and attaining the set contract goals.

What to include in the contractor management checklist?

Focus on clarifying what your organization is doing and what it doesn't, address all the legal requirements, and understand the systems to be implemented. Any hired contractor must be competent enough to complete the work assigned.

Example Contractor Management Checklist
The following are the common topics that should be covered in a contractor management checklist:

- Induction and training
- Management practices of the organization
- Contractor assessment and verification
- Risk management
- Monitoring
- What to do upon completion of the work

The checklist may be divided into sections such as contract commencement, ongoing contract management, contract renewal or extension, and ending the contract. The checklist's ongoing contract management section can be periodically used. However, contracts vary, and the type of contract determines the timeframes for reviewing the contract. Subsequently, you may need to have the contractor questionnaires completed that include the questions below:

- Has the contractor site induction been done?
- How does the contractor maintain competency?
- Does the contractor have the required insurance documents in place?
- Can the contractor provide a copy of their health and safety policy?
- Has the contractor been issued with an enforcement notice by the relevant authority?
- Are the certificates of currencies current?
- Can the contractor provide RAMS (risk assessments and method statements) associated with the work to be done?
- Is the contract agreement on file and in date?
- Is there a timely action to be taken in case the contractor performance is unsatisfactory?
- Have the work permits been completed?
- Is the contract payment linked to satisfactory contract performance?
- How is their previous health and safety performance?
- Are the applicable licenses on file and in date? i.e., business licenses and personal qualifications
- Has the contract delivered all the desired outcomes
- Has the access arrangement been terminated?
- Did the contractors meet all the contractual obligations?
- Do the system and procedures allow for timely consideration of the need to renew or extend the contract?

You may also consider inspecting the work to ensure that the contractors are following their RAMS. Checklists are intended to assist an organization in managing contractors. If a particular question is answered by the organization with a "No," the risks need to be investigated further and the possible control measures identified and implemented. Effective management of contractors is an integral part of any organization wishing to achieve its business goals efficiently. Also, managing and reviewing your contracts regularly is an important practice as it ensures the ongoing risk management is done correctly.

Below we talk about the most common items to include in a checklist:

Most common checklist items for contractors

These might be included as part of our contractor induction

Acknowledgement of induction completion
Understanding safety procedures
Acknowledgement of smoke free workplace or designated smoking areas
Viewing emergency procedure
Viewing evacuation points
Acknowledgement of site tour completion
Understood how to report an incident or safety observation
Understood how to report a new workplace hazard
Prestart items
Understanding parking
Listening to the emergency evacuation sounds
Understanding speed limits on site
Providing insurances
Uploading tickets
Acknowledging site policies

Digitally record what was acknowledged, when and by whom

Using an online check list for contractors you can record when they ticked them off, who ticked them off and what was ticked off and that they viewed and understood the matching check list item to properly ensure that contractors are prepared for site, compliant, aware of the risks and procedures.

Put materials against check list items

It's all well and good to have a check list but what about the material that the check list items relate to? Ensuring that they are attached to the check list item so that as clicked and read, the contractor is acknowledging what they see versus just a general check list the click down through and haven't actually read.

Want to try creating a check list?