My field teams are already stretched thin. Will this add to their workload?

No. Shape makes record-keeping a byproduct of daily site work. Field teams use simple tools to get their work done, and the platform automatically builds your project records from that activity. A foreman communicates about a problem in Channels and that becomes a timestamped record. A site manager logs today's progress in Shift Manager where yesterday's report pre-fills. Someone flags a blocker in Issue Tracker on their phone in seconds. The site team uses simple tools to get their work done, and the platform automatically builds your project records from that activity.

How complete are the records for defending against claims?

You get a comprehensive picture of subcontractor performance and problems: Communication records with conversations about work quality, commitments made, and problems raised, all saved with full context. Issue records with problems caused by subcontractors including photos, affected locations, responsible parties, discussion threads, and resolution status. Daily performance records showing what subcontractors delivered each day, downtime they caused, resources allocated, and materials used. Everything links to schedule activities and project locations, giving you a complete timeline of subcontractor work and any problems they caused.

How do I know the records are complete enough to defend a claim?

Shape includes built-in quality monitoring that shows you documentation completeness across your team. You see who's capturing detailed records and who needs coaching. Each record gets a completeness score based on required information. This means you can identify and fix gaps proactively, not when it's too late.

How do we recover costs when subcontractors cause problems?

Shape gives you the evidence trail needed for contra-charges: The original issue with photos of incorrect work, damage, or problems caused. The impact showing which activities were delayed, how long work stopped, what resources were affected. The resolution detailing what it cost to fix, who did the remedial work, how long it took. The timeline with complete audit trail showing when the problem occurred, when it was raised, what commitments were made, and when it was resolved. You can export this into a chronological PDF report ready to submit with your contra-charge documentation.

How is this different from our existing daily reporting system?

Traditional daily reports capture general site activity but miss the detail needed for subcontractor disputes. Shape captures the specific information you need: Which subcontractors worked where and for how long, what issues they caused or were affected by, commitments they made in conversations, problems they were notified about and when, and schedule impacts from their delays or mistakes. The difference is granularity. You're not just recording that work happened, you're building an audit trail of subcontractor performance, problems, and interactions that protects your commercial position.

How much does poor subcontractor documentation typically cost contractors?

It varies by project size and complexity, but on projects with dozens of subcontractors, the cumulative impact is significant. It's not always one massive dispute, it's the steady erosion of margin from: Paying claims you can't effectively dispute because your records are weak, absorbing remedial work costs when you can't prove who caused the problem, eating schedule delay penalties when you can't demonstrate subcontractor responsibility, and project team time spent chasing down information and fighting disputes with incomplete evidence.

SHAPE FOR SUBCONTRACTOR CLAIMS

Build evidence that defends your position with subcontractors

Defend against unjustified claims and charge back costs when mistakes happen. Capture the complete audit trail of subcontractor work.

SPEAK TO A PROJECT ADVISOR

LEADING CONTRACTORS USE SHAPE TO DEFEND AGAINST SUBCONTRACTOR CLAIMS AND CONTRA-CHARGES

THE PROBLEM IS...

When your records are weak, subcontractors hold all the cards.

Subcontractors may have better records than you

Whoever has the documentation writes the narrative. If they have records and you don't, you have no defence against their claim, whether it's accurate or not.

You incur costs for subcontractor mistakes

Incorrect installations, damage to other work, schedule delays. You're responsible to fix it all. Without evidence, you can't charge those costs back.

You’re relying on forms that don’t get filled out

Daily reports are time-consuming, so they don't get completed consistently. Details about subcontractor work, problems, and commitments go undocumented.

Use Shape to 1capture records automatically, 2build a subcontractor audit trail, and 3have proof ready for claims and contra-charges.

Use Shape to

Capture comprehensive site records automatically

Skip the forms. Capture records from site chats.

Communicate, raise issues, and log progress through a simple messaging app. All conversations, photos, issues, and progress updates automatically get structured into your project records.

Learn more about Channels →

See who’s doing quality records and who isn’t

See exactly who's logging detailed issues and progress, and who isn't. Each record gets a completeness score, so you can fix gaps before you need the evidence for a claim.

Learn more about Data Book →

Get a complete audit trail of subcontractor work

Track every issue and commitment

Log problems as they happen: incorrect installations, damage to other work, areas left messy, or work blocking progress. Capture who's responsible, what's affected, photos of the problem, and the full discussion thread throughout its resolution.

Learn more about Issue Tracker →

Monitor daily progress and blockers

Capture what subcontractors actually delivered each day, including downtime, resources used, and issues that delayed work. Reports pre-fill from yesterday, making them quick to complete while building a detailed record over time.

Learn more about Shift Manager →

Get notified when issues become delays

Work stoppages, delays caused by subcontractors, and issues blocking progress automatically trigger alerts. Review potential problems in an inbox-style workflow before they escalate into formal disputes.

Learn more about Change Tracker →

Have defensible evidence ready for claims and contra-charges

Export ready-to-submit PDF evidence

Import your schedule and connect site records to activities. See exactly how subcontractor issues affected your timeline with dated evidence of what happened, who was responsible, and when delays occurred.

Prove subcontractor schedule impact

Easily pull together everything related to a specific issue: photos, conversations, commitments, timeline of events. Export structured reports ready to submit for contra-charges or claims defense.

Stop subcontractor issues from derailing your project

See how leading contractors keep their subcontractors accountable and resolve problems before they impact the schedule.

SPEAK TO A PROJECT ADVISOR

“A lot of the time, the way that you build the project, there's a lot of change involved. Shape allows you to track all of those changes. You can see the journey that Shape created for you by all of the updates that you do through there.”

Dan van Wyk

Project Manager, Sweet Projects

"Shape was quickly adopted by our team due to its user-friendly interface. We no longer waste time on manual paperwork or lengthy email chains, trying to resolve coordination or blocker issues."

Sunny Hundal

Mechanical Package Manager, Emico Ltd.

"Shape provided a clear, simple, and accessible database for tracking project issues, giving us better visibility into programme impacts, delays, and improving contract management."