Contractor management software for schools: compliant before the gate
A school's contractors carry half its statutory workload (gas, electrics, fire systems, lifts, asbestos) and all of its awkward questions: is their insurance current, is their DBS position known, did the certificate from March ever arrive, and who exactly said this firm was approved? Contractor management software answers those questions before the van reaches the gate: an approved list with each firm's insurance, accreditation and DBS status visible at a glance, renewals chased automatically before they lapse, and every job, update and certificate landing on records the school actually keeps.
Expiry dates don't send reminders. Your system should.
Every school has the spreadsheet: contractor names, insurance renewal dates, an accreditation column half-filled, last reviewed the term before last. It fails silently: public liability cover lapses in June, nobody notices until the audit in November, and for five months the school's roofing contractor worked uninsured on its roofs.
The register replaces vigilance with automation. Each firm's public and employers' liability dates, accreditations (CHAS, Gas Safe, NICEIC, BAFE and the rest) and DBS position sit on their record, colour-coded across the estate. As expiry approaches, the system requests the renewed documents from the contractor itself; if a date passes, the gap is on the leadership dashboard, not buried in a spreadsheet. Approved status is explicit, so "who said this firm was approved?" always has an answer.
The same automation runs the work: reminders ahead of each service visit, escalating chases when a job slips, and the certificate captured when the work completes: the loop described in our planned maintenance guide.
What the contractor record must hold
One row per firm, serving every site they work on, and every line below should chase itself.
| Item | Why it matters | What the system does |
|---|---|---|
| Public & employers' liability insurance | An uninsured contractor on site is the school's problem, not just theirs | Expiry tracked; renewal documents requested automatically as dates approach |
| DBS position | Schools must know the vetting position before the visit | Status per firm at a glance; gaps flagged; renewals requested |
| Accreditations | Gas Safe, NICEIC, CHAS, BAFE, LEIA: competence you're entitled to check | Held with expiry dates against the firm's record |
| Approved status | "Who approved this firm?" needs an answer with a name on it | Explicit approved flag, visible wherever the firm is assigned |
| Jobs and service visits | Their reliability is data, not folklore | Every assignment, reminder, chase and completion on the record |
| Certificates and documents | The gas certificate must be findable in three years | Uploaded by the contractor on the job, kept in your SharePoint |
How to choose contractor management software
Eight questions before you sign.
Are renewals chased automatically?
Insurance and DBS expiry should generate a request to the contractor, not a diary note for your site manager.
Do contractors work without logins?
A magic link per job gets updates; a portal with passwords gets excuses. Every credential you issue is future admin.
Do certificates land on the job?
Attached by the contractor at completion, stored in your own tenant, findable by duty and date years later.
Are service visits scheduled and reminded from the same system?
The firm that services your boilers should be reminded before the visit falls due, with lead time matched to the work.
Does one firm serve many sites?
At trust scale, contractors must exist once (one compliance record, chased once), as covered in our academy trust CAFM guide.
Can a job carry a contractor and a site team member?
Real visits need someone to open the plant room. Dual assignment or double phone calls.
Is contractor performance visible?
Jobs done, jobs late, chases needed, when the contract review comes, bring data.
Where do the records live?
Insurance documents, DBS positions and certificates are exactly the records you'll need long after any subscription ends. EstateProof keeps them in your own Microsoft 365 tenant.
The best contractor portal is no portal
Contractors don't fail to update systems out of malice: they fail because your school is one of forty clients, each with its own portal and password. So EstateProof sends each job as a magic link: the firm confirms attendance, posts progress, and attaches the certificate from a phone in the van, with nothing to install and nothing to remember. Updates land on the work order timeline the school and trust already watch.
What the firm experiences as one tap, the school receives as an audit trail, which is the whole trade. See the loop end to end in our school maintenance management software guide.
What does it cost?
Published, per site per year, ex VAT, unlimited users, banded 1 to 3, 4 to 10 and 11+ sites. Contractor management is core, not an add-on.
Silver From £650 per site per year
FMProof: the contractor register and magic-link portal, work orders, dual assignment, planned maintenance with automated chasing, and the leadership dashboard. The tier this page is about.
Gold From £1,150 per site per year
Adds InspectProof: digital inspections, AI email and photo triage, and the safety screen.
Platinum From £1,650 per site per year
Adds GovernanceProof: board packs, e-signed approvals and policy publishing, on the same records as the estate.
Per site per year, ex VAT, at the 11+ band; smaller estates pay more per site. Price your estate in 30 seconds, or see EstateProof configured for multi-academy trusts and schools.
Questions buyers actually ask
What is contractor management software for schools?
A system that holds the approved contractor list with each firm's insurance, accreditation and DBS position; chases renewals automatically before they lapse; assigns and instructs jobs; and captures the certificates and updates on the same records the school works from. It replaces the spreadsheet of expiry dates that someone was supposed to be watching.
How does DBS checking work for school contractors?
Contractors working in schools need appropriate vetting arranged by their employer, and the school needs to know the position before the visit. The system holds the DBS status against each contractor, flags gaps at a glance, and requests renewed documentation as expiry approaches, so the check happens before the gate, not after the visit.
Do contractors need a login?
No. Each job reaches the contractor with a magic link: they confirm attendance, update progress and attach documents or certificates from any device, with no password and nothing to learn. Their updates land on the same work order timeline the school sees.
Can one contractor serve several schools in a trust?
Yes: that's the point at trust scale. The contractor exists once, with one insurance and DBS record serving every school, and the trust sees each firm's compliance position and workload across the estate. Renewals are chased once, centrally, rather than by nine separate site managers.
What does contractor management software cost?
Contractor management is part of EstateProof's core: from £650 per site per year ex VAT (Silver) including the contractor register, magic-link portal, assignment and automated chasing. Gold from £1,150 adds inspections and AI triage; Platinum from £1,650 adds governance. Unlimited users, banded 1 to 3, 4 to 10 and 11+ sites.
See a contractor's job go end to end
Thirty minutes, no hard sell: assignment, magic link, certificate, evidence. Or open the live demo now, no sign-in needed. Call 020 4558 7729 or email info@estateproof.co.uk.