Managing maintenance subcontractors without app logins
Almost every FM company in the Kingdom relies on subcontractors for some trades: lifts, chillers, fire systems, specialist cleaning. They are also where control slips. Jobs are passed on by phone, attendance is confirmed by a message, photos arrive days later, and when the client disputes a job there is little to show. This guide covers how to run subcontractors properly without asking them to use your systems the way your own staff do.
Why app logins fail with subcontracted labour
Many systems assume that everyone who touches a job has an account. With subcontractors that breaks down quickly:
- Shared phones and changing crews. The technician who attends today may not be the one who attended last week.
- Per-user pricing. If every login costs money, companies stop creating them, and the field work goes back to WhatsApp.
- Language and training. An app built for office users is a poor fit for a technician on a roof in August.
- Their own systems. A specialist firm may use its own tools and will not adopt yours for one client.
The fix is not to force accounts, but to stop needing them.
What a job link should contain
A job link is a secure web address, unique to one work order, that opens on any phone without an app. It should show:
- The site, the location within it and how to get access.
- The fault as reported, with the resident's photo if there is one.
- The priority and the time by which the job must be resolved.
- A checklist of what must be recorded: arrival, readings, photos, materials, sign-off.
- A way to accept or decline the job, and to report it complete.
The link gives access to that one job only, not to your other clients or buildings, and it can be withdrawn when the job is reassigned.
Evidence that ends disputes
| Evidence | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Arrival stamped by the technician on site | Proves the attendance clock was met |
| Before and after photos | Shows the fault and the fix, not just the claim |
| Checklist answers and readings | Proves the scope was completed, not just visited |
| Materials used | Supports the cost and the invoice |
| Sign-off by the resident or site supervisor | Confirms resolution from the client's side |
When this is captured on the job itself, at the time, a disputed job can be answered in minutes instead of days.
Keep a compliance file for every firm
Before a firm receives work, keep its documents on file with their expiry dates: commercial registration, VAT registration, GOSI certificate, and insurance where the trade needs it. Government and large corporate clients commonly ask FM companies for these, and an expired certificate on a subcontractor can become your problem in an audit or a tender. Set reminders well before expiry, and decide whether a firm with an expired document can still receive jobs or is blocked until it is renewed.
Flow your SLA down
Your client's SLA only holds if your subcontractors have a shorter one. If you promise a client resolution within 24 hours for urgent faults, give the subcontractor a resolve time inside that, so you have margin to escalate. Agree this in each subcontract, together with their rates, so cost and time are both known before the job is sent. Our guide to SLA response and resolution times explains how to set the clocks themselves.
Subcontractor invoices under ZATCA Phase 2
Your subcontractors' invoices to you are business-to-business tax invoices. Once a subcontractor falls within ZATCA's Phase 2 integration, its invoices must be generated by a solution connected to ZATCA's Fatoora platform and cleared before you receive them, and most firms in the trade will be in scope by 1 February 2027. A typed PDF from a subcontractor will no longer be a valid tax invoice after their integration date. See our guide to ZATCA Phase 2 for FM companies.
How Mubaney handles subcontractors
In Mubaney, each job reaches the contractor or technician as a secure link by WhatsApp or email, with no login and no app, and works offline on site. Technicians stamp their arrival, take before and after photos and complete the checklist; the evidence is attached to the work order and measured against the client's SLA. Each firm has its compliance documents with expiry tracking, its contract and rate card, and a scorecard of its performance. Contractors are free: Mubaney is priced per building, not per user.
FAQ
Can subcontractors complete jobs without an account?
Yes, if the system sends each job as a secure link. The link opens that one job on any phone, lets the technician record arrival, photos and checklist answers, and gives no access to anything else.
How do I prove a subcontractor attended the site?
Ask the technician to stamp arrival on the job link when on site, together with a photo, rather than confirming by message later. The time stamp then sits on the work order with the rest of the evidence.
Which documents should I keep for each subcontractor in Saudi Arabia?
At least the commercial registration, VAT registration and GOSI certificate, plus insurance for higher-risk trades, each with its expiry date. Check what your own clients require, since government and large corporate clients often ask for these.
Should subcontractors have a shorter SLA than my client's?
Yes. Give each subcontractor a resolve time inside the time you have promised the client, so you have room to escalate or reassign if they slip.
Do subcontractor invoices need to be ZATCA-compliant?
Yes. A subcontractor's invoice to your company is a tax invoice between businesses. Once the subcontractor is within Phase 2, it must be issued through a solution connected to ZATCA's Fatoora platform and cleared before you receive it.