# Project Management for Trade Contractors

> Project management for trade contractors: RFPs, proposals, work orders, measurements, RA bills and labour records in one format on every project.

Canonical: https://superwise.site/roles/trade-contractors/
Last updated: 2026-11-03

SuperWise is project management for trade contractors who run many sites at once: the same work orders, measurement sheets, RA bills and labour records on each project, in one place.

Every site keeps its own register. The head office reads each one differently.

## A trade crew's day on SuperWise

1. **Morning, 8:00. The package arrives with its tasks.** A schedule template carries the package's tasks, durations and predecessors into the new project, so the crew lead starts from the same structure as every other site.
2. **On site, 11:20. Labour and delays recorded where they happen.** Labour challans record workers by category, with a photo and a GPS location. If the work front is not ready, the crew lead logs an issue with its type, priority and the organisation responsible.
3. **In the office, 17:30. The running bill, from measurements.** Measurement sheets record the work against the BOQ item and the work order. The RA bill for the period reads the approved quantities and stops at the work order quantity.

## Three workflows for every package

### One award trail from RFP to work order

An RFP lists the scope from BOQ items. Proposals are compared, one is awarded, and the award creates the work order, with the approval steps kept at each stage.

### The same daily record on every site

Every site reads its records into the same DPR sections, so the head office compares sites without translating formats. It downloads as PDF or Excel.

### Bills raised from approved measurements

Measurement sheets use the measurement book format against a BOQ item and a work order. The RA bill claims the cumulative quantity, capped at the work order, with retention and mobilisation recovery deducted.

## What changes for trade contractors

- **The same records on every project.** Before: Each site lead kept the register their own way, and the head office translated formats before it could compare. Now: Schedule templates and construction packages carry one task structure into each project, and the same challans and reports run on every site.
- **Dated evidence for work-front delays.** Before: When another trade held the front, the delay lived in phone calls and memory until a claim needed dates. Now: Deliveries, labour challans, equipment logs and issues are dated records, so a delay caused by another contractor has a log behind it.
- **Awards and bills on one trail.** Before: Awards, work orders and bills sat in separate files, and approvals were chased by message. Now: An RFP leads to proposals, a proposal to a work order, and measurement sheets to RA bills, with the approval steps kept at each stage.

## Modules a trade contractor uses

Package contracts run through work orders and RA bills, while purchase orders cover material, labour and equipment. The [RA bill feature](https://superwise.site/features/ra-bill-certification/) shows the billing rows in detail.

| Module | What you do in it |
| --- | --- |
| Requests for proposal (RFP) | Publish a scope taken from BOQ items to the contractors you invite, with a submission deadline. |
| Proposals | Enter or receive each contractor's rate for every scope line, compare the bids and award one, which creates the work order. |
| Work orders (WO) | Issue the contract at BOQ rates with a retention percentage and a mobilisation amount, and amend it with a recorded reason. |
| Construction packages | Tag schedule tasks with a package, so that progress, delay and cost read package by package. |
| Measurement sheets | Record the work done in measurement book format against a BOQ item and a work order. |
| Running account bills (RA bills) | Raise the running bill for an execution period, with the cumulative quantity capped at the work order quantity. |
| Labour challans | Record workers by category and contractor, with a photo and a GPS location. |

## One way of working on every site

A trade contractor's projects drift apart when each site lead keeps records their own way. A schedule template holds a WBS, tasks, durations, predecessors and milestones, and each task carries a package, a department, resources and BOQ links. A project built from the template starts with one structure.

The daily progress report ([DPR](https://superwise.site/glossary/daily-progress-report/)) reads each site's records in the same eleven sections, so the head office compares sites without translating formats. It downloads as PDF or Excel.

## Evidence when another trade holds you up

Trade contractors depend on other trades for the work front. Labour challans record who worked, in which category, with a photo and a GPS location. Delivery challans record the material received, and equipment logs record machinery.

When the front is not ready, the issue is logged with its type, priority and opened date. Issues link to a responsible organisation, department or schedule task, so the log shows who held the work up.

## Frequently asked questions

### How does an RFP become a work order?

You build the RFP from BOQ items and publish it to the contractors you invite, and they respond with proposals priced per scope line. You compare the proposals and award one, which creates the work order, and the others are marked as awarded to another contractor. Work contracts bill through work orders and RA bills, not purchase orders.

### Can an invited contractor log in to SuperWise?

An invited contractor reaches the vendor portal with an access code and sees only their own organisation. The product guide documents three portal actions: quotations for an RFQ, proposals for an RFP and a bill inward. Your own team enters the rest of the project records, such as measurement sheets and RA bills.

### How can a trade contractor show another contractor caused a delay?

With the dated records the site kept. Labour challans, delivery challans and equipment logs show what was on site each day, and an issue records the type, the responsible organisation and the opened and closed dates. A DPR for the period collects them. SuperWise holds the evidence and your team presents it.

### How are retention and mobilisation advance handled?

A work order holds a retention percentage and a mobilisation amount. Each RA bill deducts retention as the bill amount times that percentage, and recovers the mobilisation advance pro rata across bills or as a lump sum, as the contract states. The bill shows both deductions, so the net payable can be checked by hand.

### Can we try SuperWise before we subscribe?

Yes. Start a free trial from the sign-up page and try the records on this page on a live project. If you run many projects at once and want to talk through plans for them, book a demo and ask us. The trial and the demo cover the same modules.

## Related
- [RA bill software](https://superwise.site/features/ra-bill-certification/)
- [Digital measurement book](https://superwise.site/features/digital-measurement-book/)
- [Construction site management software](https://superwise.site/solutions/construction-site-management-software/)
- [Construction contractors](https://superwise.site/roles/construction-contractors/)
- [Construction supervisor](https://superwise.site/professions/construction-supervisor/)
- [Request for Proposal (RFP)](https://superwise.site/glossary/request-for-proposal/)
- [Work Order (WO)](https://superwise.site/glossary/work-order/)
- [Running Account bill (RA bill)](https://superwise.site/glossary/running-account-bill/)
- [Daily Progress Report (DPR)](https://superwise.site/glossary/daily-progress-report/)