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Contractor management

What Makes a Good Contractor Management System?

By Maddy GlynnDigital Marketing Specialist
Published on August 1, 2019

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Efficient contractor management in the workplace is essential to help give businesses an edge in the fast-paced digital world.

An organisation's biggest asset is the ability to effectively control all activity in a workplace and lean toward profitability.

With contractor management systems centered around site performance, it's easier than ever to improve your bottom line, visualise poorly performing workflows, and make changes to strengthen the business.

However, choosing an effective contractor management system can be difficult, so we'll take a look below at a few points you'll need to know, and take a look at why your business needs one!

What is a Contractor Management System

In the simplest terms, contractor management systems allow project managers and site managers the insight and power to easily direct their contractors and subcontractors to specific tasks. You'll find glanceable data, direct lines of communication and more within a dynamic management system.

These systems also enable instant information sharing for topics such as inductions and more. If you require contractors to sign in, undertake induction processes or fill out permits before a task, a management system will allow for this too.

Adding to the perks of a contractor management system, these platforms also ensure your company is compliant by recording workflows and information supplied. You'll always have the peace of mind that your contractors have the correct health and safety information, have been inducted and are only working on tasks they're qualified to work on.

Why Companies Need Contractor Management Systems

As businesses around the globe strive to become ever more competitive and efficient in their workflows, contractor management systems have transformed into a critically important tool.

There’s no more natural way to see what’s going on at work than with a management system, and with dynamic real-time systems like Sine, you’re able to adapt workflows and delegate tasks to those best suited to undertake a job.

A few reasons companies need contractor management systems, or rely on them, include:

To See Hours Worked - a look into who's working when and for how long. Working hours provide project managers with the ability to increase, decrease or adapt working hours for contracts to better suit contractors or the business.

To Contact Staff - quick and easy ways to get in touch with contractors onsite or off-site to share project updates, changes and more. It's an effortless way to keep all staff in the loop about their daily workflows on devices dedicated for work.

To See Contractor Locations - utilising geofencing, site managers can see who's at work, who isn't and whether contractors have visited the worksite late. Managers can see whether contractors are routinely on time and ready to get on with the job, or if their hours should be changed.

To Share Documentation - essential documentation sharing features that enable induction information and other HSE information can be shared to all contractors instantly through management systems.

Along with the above reasons, there are an array of other features that make an excellent contractor management system. We’ll take a look at a few of these below.

What to Look For in A Good Contractor Management System

There are a few integral features that you should always be on the lookout for when choosing a sound contractor management system.

You will want your management system to be comprehensive and well-rounded, but also to be as intuitive and easy to use as possible. Keep in mind that the best contractor management systems blend seamlessly into all workplaces.

We suggest that project managers always search for the following features in a contractor management system:

Automatic Check-in and Geofencing Capabilities

Leading contractor management systems make use of personal and work device GPS to automate all check-in and workplace induction proceedings. All contractors will be immediately checked in, provided with essential documentation as well as task information related to the day ahead, without them having to do a thing.

Digital Inductions and Work Permits

Look for intuitive work permit and digital induction features that allow project and site managers to quickly and easily provide all task-specific documentation. You'll have the ability to block specific, under qualified team members from working on particular jobs until they've looked into the induction material. You'll be keeping them safe and reducing the risk of injury or WHS compliance issues.

Time Tracking

With essential time tracking features, you're able to have glanceable real-time insight into how long contractors have worked on a project and whether they're overstaying, or leaving before an agreed time. These features allow businesses to keep a close eye on hours worked and reduce losses from incorrect timekeeping.

Live Reporting and Dashboard Support

A somewhat overlooked feature is a dashboard that's intuitive and natural to use. Notable contractor management systems offer a tonne of insight and data in an easy, glanceable interface to save time and reduce confusion. It becomes problematic when project managers find it challenging to understand the data they're being presented with, leaving the management system's data unused.

Live Messaging Support

To cap off the features found in the most well-rounded contractor management systems, you should be on the lookout for an intuitive and engaging way of messaging features. These features ensure contractors can quickly check their messages and stay up to date with project changes as well as emergency information.

As you can see from the aspects we outlined above; a good contractor management system is one that is intuitive, easy to use, and displays all of its collected data in an easy to digest away. It's always best to select a management system that contractors are not only going to find easy to use but are also going to want to use.

Sine Core + Workflows contractor management system

Permits to work

By combining the power of Sine Core and Sine Workflows, you'll be unlocking the perfect contractor management system for all your needs and to create a zero harm workplace.

Sine Core will allow you to keep track of contractors from an easy-to-use dashboard. Then, by adding Sine Workflows, you'll be able to keep your contractors and workforce compliant at all times with real-time tracking of inductions, work permits, access request, or any workflow to keep your site safe and secure.

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