How to send each contractor their own defect list
A useful contractor report contains the work that contractor can act on, with enough location and photo detail to avoid another site visit just to understand it. Here is a practical assignment and reporting process, including how the Pro contractor filter works.
By Blu Mint Digital. 4 minute read. Last reviewed .
Start with a consistent contractor name
A report filter can only work with the assignment you entered. Decide on one company name for each contractor and use it throughout the project. “Eastside Painting”, “Eastside” and “Painter” may mean the same business to you, but they are different labels in a register.
In Site Audit, the contractor report filter uses the assigned company. A person’s name in the assigned-contact field does not replace the company assignment. Check both fields: the company determines the report group, while a named contact helps identify who should respond.
Before your first distribution, review the register for blank assignments and spelling variations. Keep an unresolved assignment visible rather than guessing which company is liable. A record can identify the person coordinating an investigation without declaring who caused the defect.
Split shared work by the action required
Some repairs involve more than one trade. A wall affected by a leak may need investigation, repair of the source and reinstatement of the finish. Sending the same vague “repair wall” instruction to three companies creates uncertainty about sequence and ownership.
Record distinct actions separately when they need separate responses. Explain the relationship in the descriptions. For example, the decorating action can say that it follows the investigation and any required drying or repair, with the responsible coordinator confirming when it can proceed. The actual method and timing belong with the people competent to assess the work.
Do not mark the whole observation complete because one participant has finished their part. Check the remaining actions and the final condition. Our reinspection checklist provides a structure for that verification.
Generate the contractor’s PDF in Site Audit Pro
- Open the project and check that the issues have the intended contractor company assigned.
- Open Generate Report.
- Under Issues to include, choose the contractor instead of All contractors.
- Choose the report contents, generate the PDF and open it.
- Check the item count and inspect the included locations and descriptions before sharing.
The contractor-specific export is a Pro feature. If there are no assigned companies, the contractor selector has no companies to show. Return to the issue records and check the assignment fields. The free version can produce the project’s complete PDF; the pricing page explains the export differences.
Changing the contractor filter does not make a status filter. A company’s report can still include its resolved items. Review the statuses in the output so the recipient can distinguish outstanding work from the history. Restore All contractors when you need a full project report.
Ask for a response the register can use
Give the attachment a clear project and issue-date context in your covering message. Ask the contractor to respond against each item with a proposed action, access requirement and expected completion date. If an item is disputed, ask for the reason and supporting information instead of treating silence as acceptance.
A practical instruction is: “Please review the attached list for apartment 12. For each outstanding item, confirm the proposed action, the access you need and the date you expect to attend. Refer to the item title and location from this report.” Use the email examples for a fuller version.
Site Audit shares an exported document. Assigning a company in the app does not automatically notify that contractor or give them access to your project. Choose and complete your email or other delivery method, then retain the sent copy.
Bring the replies back into one working record
Keep one person responsible for updating the register from replies and site observations. Otherwise a contractor’s email, a client’s spreadsheet and the app can each appear to be the latest version. Record agreed dates and the current status, and retain the original issued PDF as a snapshot.
When someone reports that an item is fixed, arrange the appropriate check. Record what was verified and what could not be checked. A contractor’s photograph can help prepare the visit; it does not necessarily show the complete result or prove that every related item is resolved.
Worked example: three companies, one project
Suppose a small project has twelve items: five assigned to a painter, four to a joiner, two to a tiler and one awaiting assignment. Generate and review three company PDFs. Keep the unassigned item on the coordinator’s full list and give it a next action to establish responsibility.
The painter reports all five complete. On the return visit, four can be checked and one room is locked. Record four verified outcomes and one access limitation. The aim is an accurate register, not a zero count produced by assuming an inaccessible item is finished.
If a coordinator also needs sortable data, the CSV export uses the selected contractor filter too. Check that selection before exporting a file intended to represent the whole project.