Sub-Contractor Audits
A sub-contractor audit tests a trade's work against the contract, the project ITP, and the relevant Australian Standards. QBFS conducts sub-contractor audits across residential, multi-residential, and commercial projects nationally. Each audit produces a written report with conformance recorded, non-conformance photographed and referenced, and a path to close-out. The work is independent. The audit follows the evidence, not the trade's preferred narrative.
What's audited
A typical sub-contractor audit covers:
Workmanship — does the installed work match the contract specification, the design documents, and the relevant Australian Standards?
Materials — are the products on site the ones specified? Where alternatives have been used, is the substitution approved and documented?
Installation sequence — has the work followed the manufacturer's installation instructions and the project ITP's hold-points?
Documentation — has the trade kept the conformance evidence the ITP requires, including mill certificates, test results, sign-offs, and photographs?
Non-conformance closure — are prior NCRs addressed, with evidence?
Health and safety — where the audit scope includes WHS, conformance with site WHS expectations is recorded.
The audit's depth scales with risk. High-risk trades such as waterproofing, structural, and fire and acoustic separation get more time on site. Lower-risk trades get a tighter check.
When sub-contractor audits run
Three common engagement triggers:
Proactive auditing — built into the project's QA program, with audits running at hold-points during the trade's work window. Catches drift before it compounds.
Mid-project audit — a builder has concerns about a specific trade and wants an independent read. Typical when a trade's quality complaints have escalated or when the trade's own QA records look thin.
Pre-handover audit — before practical completion, a builder commissions audits across high-risk trades to confirm the work about to be signed off actually conforms.
Each triggers a slightly different audit scope. Proactive audits are tight, repeating, and built into the project rhythm. Mid-project audits are deep on the trade in question. Pre-handover audits are wide across all high-risk work.
What the audit report contains
Audit scope and methodology — what was audited, against what standards, and on what date.
Trade overview — the sub-contractor, the trade package, and the work in progress or completed at the time of audit.
Conformance findings — items conforming to the contract, ITP, and standards.
Non-conformance — each item with photographs, location, the specific standard or specification it doesn't meet, and the recommended close-out action.
Pattern observations — where multiple non-conformance items suggest a systemic issue such as a training gap, a sub-contractor process problem, or a supervision shortfall, the pattern is called out.
Sub-contractor's own QA assessment — whether the trade's own records, photographs, and conformance evidence are adequate.
Why the audit pays for itself
Same-day fixes vs post-handover rectification — a non-conforming installation caught at audit is a same-day correction. The same defect at twelve-month warranty review is a major rectification with all the disruption that entails.
Sub-contractor behaviour change — trades adjust to the standard expected once they know an independent consultant is auditing them. Several audits across a portfolio reset the bar for trades the builder uses repeatedly.
Insurance and dispute position — a documented audit history materially strengthens a builder's position on home warranty matters and defects disputes.
Across Australia
The audit methodology is national. State-specific home-building and domestic-building legislation is captured in the audit where it applies — Victoria and NSW residential builder obligations are the most active. Travel is built into the engagement scope where the project sits outside the consultant's regular catchment.
Tell Paul the project. The next step gets sorted on the call.
Common questions, answered.
- What's the difference between a sub-contractor audit and a site inspection?
A site inspection is general; a sub-contractor audit is targeted at a specific trade’s work against a specific set of references — contract, ITP, and standards. Audits are auditable: methodology recorded, findings referenced, evidence captured.
- Will the trade cooperate with an audit?
Most do. Reputable trades welcome independent verification because it strengthens their own quality position. Trades that resist usually have something to hide — the resistance itself is a signal worth following up.
- Do audits cover sub-sub-contractors?
The audit scope is the trade engaged under the relevant sub-contract. If the engaged trade has sub-contracted further, the audit tests the installed work regardless of who actually did it, and the engagement chain is captured in the report.
- How long does an audit take?
A targeted single-trade audit is typically a half-day to full day on site, with the report following within five to ten business days. Multi-trade pre-handover audits run longer.
- Can you do the audit without the head contractor knowing?
Discreet audits are possible where the engaging party is the developer, owner, or lender rather than the builder. The audit reports go to the engaging party only. Most audits are commissioned by the builder for their own QA purposes and are visible to the trade.
- What does an audit cost?
The fee scales with audit scope, trade complexity, and report depth. Call Paul on 0407 146 737 with the project details for a fee proposal.
