Short answer: every subcontractor gets rows for licence, public liability, workers compensation (or evidence of sole-trader status) and SWMS, each with an expiry, and a request form that asks them for the new certificate 30 days before it lapses.
Why it matters
If a subcontractor is injured or causes damage while their cover is lapsed, the head contractor's insurer and the principal's lawyers come to you. Portals and principals ask for subcontractor evidence at prequalification and then never again; the lapse happens in between.
What to record
Subcontractor entity and ABN, contact, licence number and expiry, public liability insurer, limit and certificate date, workers compensation policy or sole-trader declaration, SWMS date, and which of your jobs they are on. Attach each certificate to its row.
The workflow
At onboarding, a form the subcontractor fills in with uploads. Thirty days before any date, an email to the subcontractor from the register asking for the renewed certificate, with a link to the same form. The register shows, per job, which subcontractors are current; the job can't be staffed from a list that isn't.
Do it once, properly
Stewart Systems builds this as part of the Register, in your own Google Drive or OneDrive, with the phone form and the warnings, usually live within one to two weeks. Free template · Full industry guide · Get a price for your business
Written by Christian Stewart, Stewart Systems, Wollongong. Published 2026-09-29. Records and flags, not legal, WHS or insurance advice; rules change, check the regulator for the current one.