LEARN:

A sub-contractor audit tests a trade's work against the contract, the project ITP, and the relevant Australian Standards. The checklist below is the framework QBFS uses on builds across Australia. It's not a script — a real audit goes deeper than the checklist on whatever the audit reveals — but it sets the structure most audits follow.

Before the audit

Pre-audit preparation:

• Audit scope. Which trade or work package, which stage of work, which standards apply, what areas of the site.
• Document review. The sub-contract, the project ITP for this trade, the relevant Australian Standards, prior audit reports, prior NCRs, the trade's own QA records, any RFI responses affecting the work.
• Programme check. Where is this trade against their programme? Have they mobilised, started, completed?
• Site coordination. Who from the head contractor is attending? Who from the trade? When and where?
• PPE and induction. Standard site PPE, current site induction, any specific trade-area requirements.

A well-prepared audit goes faster on site and produces a sharper report.

On site, the structural checks

• Materials on site match the specification. Brand, grade, size, source. Where alternative products have been used, is the substitution documented and approved?
• Install sequence matches the manufacturer's instructions. Especially relevant for products with strict install protocols (waterproofing membranes, fire-rated systems, structural fixings).
• Hold-points have been inspected and signed off. Each hold-point in the ITP up to this stage should have a corresponding sign-off in the trade's QA record.
• Witness-points have been attended where required.
• Sample testing has been done where the ITP calls for it. Concrete cylinder results, soil compaction tests, water tightness tests, captured and filed.
• The work is in spec for measurable elements. Tolerances on dimensions, levels, finishes. Tape and level used.
• The work is in spec for visual elements. Quality of finish, alignment, integration with adjacent trades.

On site, the documentation checks

• Mill certificates and product certificates for all materials requiring traceability.
• Manufacturer install certificates where the install requires a certified installer.
• Conformance evidence captured at each hold-point per the ITP.
• Trade's own quality records complete, current, filed.
• Prior NCRs addressed, with evidence of close-out.
• As-built documentation matches the installed work.

On site, the workmanship checks

• Setting out and alignment. Lines, levels, plumb where the standard requires.
• Joints and connections. Closed properly, sealed properly, structurally appropriate.
• Edges and terminations. Treated to the standard's requirements (especially relevant for waterproofing, cladding, fire-rated systems).
• Penetrations and interfaces. Where one trade's work passes through another's, the interface meets both trades' specifications.
• Surface finishes. Free from defects that compromise function or aesthetic per the contract.

Trade-specific elements (varies by audit scope)

Different trades have different audit priorities. A few examples:

Waterproofing:

• Membrane brand and grade against specification
• Substrate preparation
• Coverage thickness and continuity
• Termination details (penetrations, junctions, drainage points)
• Manufacturer install certificate
• Water tightness testing record

Structural concrete:

• Reinforcement detailing matches drawings
• Cover and spacing
• Concrete grade and slump per pour record
• Cylinder testing record
• Curing protocol
• Post-tensioning records if applicable

Fire-rated separation:

• System matches the FRL specified
• Penetrations sealed to FRL
• Doors, frames, hardware to specification
• Manufacturer install records for fire-rated systems
• As-built fire compartmentation diagram

Acoustic separation:

• System matches the Rw / DnT specified
• Penetrations sealed for acoustic performance
• No flanking paths around or through the separation
• Test results if commissioning testing is required

The audit report

The audit produces a written report:

• Audit scope and methodology
• Trade and sub-contractor identification
• Conformance findings
• Non-conformance findings with photographs, references, recommended close-out
• Pattern observations
• Assessment of the trade's own QA records
• Overall conclusion

NCRs are issued separately for each non-conformance item, with the report referencing the NCR numbers for the audit trail.

After the audit

• Issue the report to the head contractor.
• Issue NCRs to the trade for each non-conformance.
• Schedule close-out verification. Each NCR gets a follow-up inspection to confirm remediation.
• Update the QA file.

For repeat trades on the project, audit findings feed the risk register and inform the next audit's scope.

Where QBFS conducts sub-contractor audits

QBFS conducts sub-contractor audits on residential, multi-residential, and commercial projects across Australia.

Call Paul on 0407 146 737.

Start With a Call

Best way to start is a phone call. Tell Paul the project, the issue, where you sit in the build cycle. The next step gets sorted on the call: site visit, desktop review, or a referral if QBFS isn't the right fit.