Subcontractor bill verification checklist
A subcontractor bill arrives at month end with the subcontractor's own measurement on it, and there is never enough time. These are the checks worth making anyway — in the order that catches the most money for the least effort.
Opens in Excel, Google Sheets or LibreOffice, with Done / Owner / Notes columns to fill in. Free to use and share — no sign-up, no email required.
How to use it
- Open the file in Excel or Sheets and keep one row per check against each bill you certify.
- Start with the recoveries section — advances and material issued are where the largest single misses usually are.
- If a check cannot be answered from documents, that is the finding. Write it in Notes rather than passing the bill.
The measurement
Why it matters. A bill built from a percentage of completion is an opinion with a number on it.
What to look at. Measurement sheet or MB entry with dates and locations.
Why it matters. Accepting the subcontractor's measurement unchecked is the single most expensive habit in subcontract billing.
What to look at. Whose signature is on the measurement, and when it was taken.
Why it matters. Over-billing shows up in the running total long before it shows up in one bill.
What to look at. Previous bill's cumulative figure — does this bill start where that one ended?
Why it matters. If the DPR and the bill disagree, one of them is wrong and it matters which.
What to look at. Daily reports or progress records for the billing period.
Why it matters. Variations buried inside a normal line item become permanent and unquestioned.
What to look at. Is there a written authorisation for each extra item claimed?
The rate
Why it matters. Typed rates drift. This check takes minutes and finds real money.
What to look at. Work order rate vs billed rate, line by line.
Why it matters. A rate negotiated after work is complete is a rate you will lose.
What to look at. Date of the rate approval vs the date the work was done.
Why it matters. Running metre billed against square metre rates is a quiet, repeatable error.
What to look at. Unit column on the bill against the work order.
Why it matters. Escalation applied generously is rarely noticed until the project P&L is final.
What to look at. The clause itself, and the index or basis it names.
Recoveries and deductions
Why it matters. This is the most commonly missed deduction, and it compounds across bills.
What to look at. Ledger of advances against this package, and what has been recovered so far.
Why it matters. Material issued and never recovered is a direct transfer of margin.
What to look at. Material issue records for the period against the recovery line on the bill.
Why it matters. Debits agreed verbally at site rarely reach the bill.
What to look at. Site correspondence for the period — was anything agreed that is not on this bill?
Why it matters. Two bills on one package computed two different ways is common, and always in one direction.
What to look at. Retention on this bill against retention on the last one.
Why it matters. Deducting on the wrong base is a compliance problem, not just an arithmetic one.
What to look at. Confirm the base with your accountant once, then apply it the same way every time.
Certification and payment
Why it matters. Certification is a commitment to pay. It deserves a name against it.
What to look at. Who certified, on what date, and whether they were authorised to.
Why it matters. Duplicate certification happens most often when a bill is revised and resubmitted.
What to look at. Register of certified bills for this package.
Why it matters. Retention nobody tracks becomes retention nobody claims — or releases twice.
What to look at. Retention ledger per package, with defect liability dates.
Why it matters. Payments that quietly differ from certifications make every later reconciliation impossible.
What to look at. Bank payment against certified amount for the last five bills.
One bill, checked
Illustrative figures for a single package — sample data, not a customer's account.
Doing this without remembering to
sotyn.ai prices the bill from the agreed rate master rather than from the bill, applies advances, material issued, retention and TDS in one fixed order on every bill, and records who checked and who certified.
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