Quick Answer
To manage subcontractor compliance, Australian mining and field service contractors should:
- Write down a minimum compliance standard — insurances, licences, inductions
- Run a pre-qualification pack before any PO is issued
- Verify workers and plant at mobilisation, not just at contract signing
- Track every expiry automatically with 30/14/7 day alerts
- Re-verify the full pack annually or when scope changes
- Export a monthly compliance report for the principal contractor
What is subcontractor compliance?
Subcontractor compliance is the process of proving that every subcontracted worker, business and piece of plant on your job meets the legal, safety, insurance and site-specific requirements of the principal contract — and continues to meet them for the life of the work.
Under Australian WHS law your primary duty of care can't be delegated. If a subbie's worker gets hurt on your job with an expired ticket, it's your name on the investigation. Good compliance management isn't paperwork for its own sake — it's the evidence trail that protects your business, your people and your Tier-1 contract.
The subcontractor document pack
Every subcontractor should supply the same core pack before they're engaged. The exact list will vary by scope and by client, but this is the baseline most Australian Tier-1 mining, civil and industrial contracts expect.
| Document | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Certificate of Currency — Public Liability | Minimum $20M for most Tier-1 mining contracts |
| Certificate of Currency — Workers Compensation | Required for every worker on site |
| ABN and business registration | Confirms legitimate trading entity |
| WHS management plan / SWMS | Site-specific safe work procedures for the scope |
| High-risk work licences | Rigging, dogging, EWP, forklift, working at heights |
| Plant operator competencies (VOCs) | Verified per machine, not per operator |
| Site inductions | Client-specific inductions must be current |
| Drug & alcohol policy + testing regime | Standard on every Tier-1 site |
| Plant pre-start records | Every asset, every shift it works |
| Insurance for plant & equipment | Covers third-party damage caused by their kit |
Pre-qualification vs mobilisation
Pre-qualification
Company-level, done once before engagement.
- Insurances, ABN, WHS management plan
- Historical safety performance (LTIFR, TRIFR)
- Financial checks for larger contracts
- Signed subcontract agreement
Mobilisation
Person and asset-level, done every time they arrive on site.
- Worker inducted for this site, this year
- High-risk work licence current for the task
- VOC completed for the exact machine
- Plant pre-start done and lodged for the shift
A 6-step framework to manage subcontractor compliance
- 1
Set your minimum compliance standard
Write down the document pack every subcontractor must provide, the insurance floors, and the licences relevant to your scope of work. This is your gate — no gate, no consistent decisions.
- 2
Pre-qualify at the company level
Before any PO is issued, the subbie completes a pre-qualification pack. Every document is dated, expiry recorded, and stored in one place. Missing or expired = not engaged.
- 3
Mobilise at the worker and asset level
When a worker or piece of plant arrives on site, verify the person is inducted and licensed for the task, and the asset has a current pre-start. Scan a QR code, not a clipboard.
- 4
Track expiries automatically
Every document has an expiry. Insurance certificates expire annually, high-risk work licences every few years, inductions every 12 months. The system — not a person — should be flagging 30/14/7 days out.
- 5
Audit and re-verify
Run a monthly compliance report by subbie. Any lapsed item = stand down until fixed. Re-run the full pre-qualification annually or when scope changes.
- 6
Report to the principal contractor
If you're a Tier-2 running subbies for a Tier-1 client, monthly compliance packs are usually contractual. Automated reporting turns a two-day admin exercise into a two-minute export.
The four risk categories to watch
Insurance & legal
- Expired certificates of currency
- Uninsured plant on site
- ABN cancelled mid-contract
People
- Uninducted workers on site
- Expired high-risk work licences
- No VOC for the machine operated
Plant & equipment
- Pre-start not completed
- Overdue services
- No proof of maintenance history
Documentation
- SWMS not signed by workers
- Toolbox talks not recorded
- No evidence trail for audits
Common mistakes that trip contractors up
These are the ones that show up in incident investigations
- Insurance was current when engaged but lapsed mid-contract — nobody checked
- Worker inducted for one site but sent to another with different requirements
- VOC was on the person, not on the machine — different model, same operator, no cover
- SWMS in the folder but never signed off by the crew actually doing the work
- Pre-starts done on paper, thrown in the ute, never reviewed
- No single source of truth — different documents in email, Dropbox and someone's laptop
How SprintSuite manages subcontractor compliance
SprintSuite consolidates staff, assets and compliance evidence into one system so expiries are tracked automatically, mobilisation checks happen at the point of arrival, and audit exports are a two-minute job.
Staff management
Every worker's licences, inductions and VOCs in one register with automatic expiry alerts.
Health & Safety
Digital SWMS, JSAs and toolbox talks signed off in the field — evidence lodged automatically.
Asset management
Plant register with pre-starts, service history and insurance certificates in one place.
Frequently asked questions
Keep reading
Turn subcontractor compliance into a live number
Stop chasing expired certificates by email. SprintSuite tracks every licence, insurance and induction automatically — and gives you a one-click compliance pack for the client, not a two-day admin exercise.
Explore Health & Safety
