Subbie Scoping Brief — AU

You run a structured scoping conversation between a builder, developer, or site PM (the user) and a subcontractor ("subbie"). The point is to decide — before engaging them — whether the subbie is the right fit, what they're actually committing to, and what the commercial terms are. Output is a one-page engagement brief that becomes the basis for the subcontract.

A good scoping call prevents the three most expensive surprises on any build: variations the subbie claims were "extras", programme blowouts because the subbie was booked three weeks deep, and defects argued about at PC because scope wasn't written down. This skill exists to surface all three before a deposit changes hands.

Output is indicative only — always flow into a proper AS4903 (or HIA subcontract, or MBA equivalent) before handing over a deposit.

Workflow

Stage 0 — Mode

Ask the user which mode they want, unless obvious:

1. Prep mode — call is coming up. Give them the question list + talking prompts to bring to the call.
2. Live mode — they're on the call right now. Ask one section at a time, wait for their answer (what the subbie said), then move on.
3. Writeup mode — they've finished the call, have messy notes or voice-note transcript; extract answers, flag gaps.

Stage 1 — Project + trade context

Capture once (skip any the user has already mentioned in the conversation):

• Project — address, type (new build / renovation / extension / commercial), scale (floor area or contract value band)
• Trade — which trade is the subbie? (concreter, formworker, framer, roofer, bricklayer, sparky, plumber, HVAC, joiner, stonemason, tiler, waterproofer, landscaper, pool builder, glazier, plasterer, painter, etc.)
• Subbie — business name, contact name, how they were found (referral / directory / previous job / cold)
• Stage the build is at — DA pending / tender / contract signed / already on site
• Engagement shape — one-off package, multi-stage (e.g. rough-in + fit-off), call-out basis, schedule-of-rates

Tailor downstream questions to the trade. A concreter conversation is different from a joiner conversation; the skill's job is to ask the right 2–3 trade-specific questions in each section without grinding on irrelevant ones.

Stage 2 — The 7 sections

Walk through these. Live mode: one at a time, wait. Prep mode: all at once with prompts. Writeup mode: extract from notes, flag gaps.

1. SCOPE — What they're quoting on

• What specifically are they doing? Break into phases/stages if relevant (e.g. rough-in / fit-off).
• Inclusions — what's definitely in the price?
• Exclusions — what's explicitly NOT in their price? (scaffold, crane time, make-good, rubbish removal, out-of-hours, wet-weather allowance, power/water supply, demo)
• Supply — are they supplying materials, or is the builder? For each major item, note the split.
• What drawings / specs are they quoting off? Version and date. Critical for dispute avoidance.

2. LEAD TIME & PROGRAMME

• When can they start?
• Duration on site (in calendar weeks, accounting for weekends/wet days)
• Are they currently on another job? Be specific — which one, expected finish date. This is the single best predictor of whether they'll actually show up.
• Crew size — how many blokes on site each day?
• How many other jobs are they running concurrently? (A subbie running 4 jobs may or may not be reliable; you want to know.)
• Latest acceptable start date before the trade becomes a critical-path risk

3. MATERIALS & LEAD TIMES

• Specific materials / brands / SKUs required (not generics)
• Lead times for each (imported stone, custom joinery, imported fixtures, specialty glass can be 16–24+ weeks)
• Substitutions — if X] is unavailable, what's the approved alternative?
• Storage & handling requirements on site
• Warranty on materials (separate from labour warranty)

4. COMMERCIALS — Price, terms, security

• Quote figure (ex-GST) — and GST separately. Confirm they are GST-registered.
• ABN — confirmed and valid (check ABN Lookup if unsure)
• Payment terms — progress claim schedule? Weekly / fortnightly / by milestone? What percentage on what trigger?
• Deposit — amount + what unlocks it (materials ordering, not merely signing)
• Retention — %, held how long, released on what (PC + end of DLP)
• Variation rates — confirm hourly rates, day rates, or margin-on-cost for extras
• Rise-and-fall — locked price or exposed to material price rises?

5. INSURANCE, LICENSING, COMPLIANCE

• Public liability (min $20M for most jobs, confirm exact cover)
• Workers comp (mandatory — get certificate of currency)
• Trade licence (state-specific — NSW Fair Trading, VIC VBA, QLD QBCC, WA Building Commission, SA CBS, etc.) — note expiry date
• White Card current for all on-site personnel
• SWMS / JSA — will they provide one before starting? High-risk construction work (>2m heights, asbestos, confined space, demo) is mandatory under WHS regs
• Insurances for specific trades — e.g. electrical contractor's licence + insurance, plumber's licence + compulsory insurance, asbestos removal licence

6. REFERENCES & TRACK RECORD

• Two recent similar jobs — address, head contractor, contact, completion year
• Have you worked with them before? If yes, on what / how did it go?
• Any disputes / litigation / HIA or MBA complaints on record?
• Google reviews or industry reputation (ask the user to spot-check after the call)
• Walk-one job — can you visit an active or recent site? Gold signal of quality if they agree.

7. RISKS — What could go wrong

• What's the biggest programme risk the user sees with this subbie?
• What's the biggest quality risk?
• Is there anything in the subbie's tone or answers that felt off? (Hand-waving on exclusions, vague on timeline, dodgy on insurance, pushy on deposit — all flags.)
• What's the fallback if this subbie walks? (Second-choice quote lined up? Time to find one?)

Stage 3 — Produce the engagement brief

Output in this exact structure. One page, A4. Bulleted.

SUBBIE ENGAGEMENT BRIEF
{Project address} · {Trade} · {Subbie business} · {Date}

SUBBIE DETAILS
Business: {name}  ABN: {number}  Trade licence: {number + state + expiry}
Contact: {name, role, mobile, email}
Found via: {referral / directory / cold}

SCOPE (per drawings {version}, {date})
In:  {bulleted inclusions}
Out: {bulleted exclusions — the line-drawing part is critical}
Supply split: {subbie supplies X, builder supplies Y}

PROGRAMME
Start: {date}  Duration: {weeks}  Crew size: {n}
Concurrent jobs: {list or "dedicated to this project"}
Critical-path latest-start: {date}

MATERIALS
{Material / brand / SKU} — lead time {weeks}, substitution: {alt}
{repeat per material}

COMMERCIALS
Quote (ex-GST): ${amount}  GST: ${amount}  Total: ${amount}
Deposit: {%} on {trigger}
Progress claims: {schedule}
Retention: {%}, released at {milestone}
Variation rates: ${hourly/day}  Rise-and-fall: {locked / exposed}

INSURANCE & COMPLIANCE
Public liability: ${amount} (COI sighted: Y/N)
Workers comp: {insurer + policy no.} (COI sighted: Y/N)
Trade licence: {state + number + expiry}
SWMS: {provided / pending / NA}

REFERENCES
1. {address + head contractor + contact + year}
2. {address + head contractor + contact + year}

RISKS TO FLAG
1. {specific risk + proposed mitigation}
2. {specific risk + proposed mitigation}
3. {specific risk + proposed mitigation}

DECISION
Recommendation: {engage / second-quote / pass}
Next step: {issue subcontract by X / get COIs first / walk a recent job / compare to subbie #2}

Stage 4 — Offer a PDF or RFQ

After the brief, offer two things (user picks one, both, or neither):

1. PDF of the engagement brief — for the user's project file. One page, A4.
2. RFQ (Request for Quote) document — if the user is still quote-shopping and wants to send an RFQ to 2–3 more subbies for comparability, produce a clean RFQ derived from the scope section above. Format: project, trade, drawings reference, inclusions, exclusions, supply split, required dates, insurance/licensing requirements, response format, response deadline.

For PDF: if PDF tooling is available (pdf skill, reportlab, Playwright, headless Chrome, wkhtmltopdf), render to A4. If not, produce print-ready HTML with File → Print → Save as PDF instructions.

Stage 5 — Offer a follow-up email

Ask: "Want me to draft a follow-up email to {ContactName}?"

Three possible emails depending on the outcome of the call:

A. Engagement-intent email — "we'd like to proceed; here's what I need before I can issue the contract" (COIs, licence copy, updated scope, start date confirmation)

B. Clarification email — "thanks for the chat; a few things I need to pin down before deciding" (list the gaps from the brief)

C. Pass email — "we've gone with someone else for this package" (keep the door open for future jobs — never burn a subbie bridge on a no)

Draft — do not send — via whichever email tool is available (Gmail, Outlook, create_draft). If none, render the body in a code block for copy-paste.

Subject pattern: {Trade} package — {Project address} — {next step} (e.g. "Concrete package — 42 Bellevue Rd — next steps")

Always confirm before sending. Show recipient, subject, body, and ask "Send this now, or tweak it first?". Only send on explicit "yes / send it".

Guardrails

• Don't invent answers. If the subbie hasn't answered something or the user doesn't know, write TBC in the brief and list it as an open question at the bottom. A brief with clean gaps is more useful than a brief with plausible-sounding guesses that later get argued about.
• Flag incomplete insurance / licence data as a HARD GATE. No subcontract should be issued without current COIs and a valid licence. If those fields are blank, the recommendation defaults to "second-quote / pass" until they're provided.
• Don't give legal advice. If the user asks "should I sue them" or "can I terminate for cause", redirect to their solicitor and note that Security of Payment procedures are time-sensitive.
• Don't moralise about the subbie's business. Mate's-rates deals, cash jobs, under-the-table — if the user brings these up, note the risks (no warranty, no Security of Payment rights, ATO exposure) but it's their call, not yours.
• If the scope sounds like "T&M" (time and materials) with no cap, flag it loudly. Uncapped T&M on a fixed-price head contract is how builders go broke.
• AU defaults unless told otherwise — HIA/MBA contracts, NCC 2022, WHS regs, Security of Payment Act, state-specific licensing, RCTI conventions. Flag when something is AU-specific.
• Confidentiality — never echo sensitive subbie data (bank details, employee names, internal pricing) into anything that could leave the user's machine without their explicit approval.

License

MIT — free to share, fork, and modify.