How to Manage Subcontractor Work Orders in Onsite

How to create and manage Subcontractor Work Orders in Onsite — adding scope items and sections, linking tasks for automated progress tracking, setting payment milestones, raising subcontractor bills, viewing materials issued, and creating payment requests.

Before You Start

The subcontractor must be added as a party in the project’s Party tab before creating a work order
Tasks must exist in the Task tab before you can link them to work order items
Materials must be in the project’s Material tab before they can be issued to the subcontractor

The Subcon Work Order List

Open the project and click the Subcon tab.

Column	What It Shows
S.No.	Auto-generated work order number (e.g. WO-12)
Sub Contractor	Subcontractor party name
Work Order Title	Title of the work order
Milestone	Milestones completed vs total (e.g. 1/3)
Physical Progress	Percentage of work completed — auto-calculated from linked tasks
Work Order Value	Total value of the work order
Financial Progress	Amount billed against this work order so far
Approval Status	Approved or Pending

Creating a Work Order

Click + Sub Con Work Order in the top right.

Field	Required	What to Enter
Subcontractor	Yes	Select the party
Work Order Title	Yes	Name for this work order (e.g. “Civil Structure — Block A”)
Work Order Date	Yes	Date of the work order

Click Save. The work order opens with four tabs: Items, Milestones, Bills, and Materials.

Work order header shows:

Field	What It Shows
Order Value	Total value of all items in the work order
Work Done (%)	Physical progress auto-calculated from all linked task progress
Billed	Total amount billed against this work order to date

Part 1 — Items Tab

The Items tab defines the scope of work for the subcontractor — what they are contracted to do, at what rates, and against which project tasks.

Adding Items

Click + Add Item or use the dropdown to choose a faster import option:

Option	When to Use
+ Add Item (manual)	Enter a new item from scratch
From Library	Pick items from the company Rate Library with rates pre-filled
From BOQ	Import items directly from the project’s BOQ
From Other Subcon	Copy items from another work order on the same project

New Item Form

Field	Required	What to Enter
Item Name	Yes	Name of the work item (e.g. “Brickwork in CM 1:4”)
Unit	No	Unit of measurement (sqft, RMT, nos, cum, etc.)
GST %	No	Applicable GST rate for this item
Add Measurement	No	Toggle to enter dimensions (N x L x W x H) instead of a plain quantity
Estimated Qty	No	Total expected quantity for this item
Unit Price	No	Rate per unit in Rs
Add Supply and Installation Rate	No	Toggle if supply and installation are priced separately
Add Cost Code	No	Links this item to a project budget line
Item Code	No	Optional internal reference code

Items List View

Once saved, each item row shows:

Column	What It Shows
Item	Item name
N x L x W x H	Dimensions if measurement mode was used
Unit Price	Rate per unit in Rs
QTY	Total quantity
Progress	Actual quantity completed (from linked task)
Amount	Unit Price multiplied by QTY

Adding Sections

Click Add Section to group items under a heading (e.g. “Civil Work”, “MEP”, “Finishing Works”). Enter the Section Name and click Save.

Sections organise large work orders with multiple categories of work and make bills easier to read.

Linking a Task to an Item

Linking a task to a work order item automatically updates physical progress as the site team records progress on the task. No manual progress entry is needed on the work order.

Click Link Task on the item row
A task picker opens showing all project tasks with their dates
Tick the checkbox for the relevant task
Click Next

Once linked:

The item’s Progress column shows the actual quantity completed from task entries (e.g. 266 sqft)
The work order header’s Work Done % updates automatically whenever task progress is updated

💡 Link all work order items to tasks whenever possible. This removes manual progress tracking from the work order and ensures that the Physical Progress percentage in the work order header is always live and accurate.

Part 2 — Milestones Tab

Milestones define when payment is due to the subcontractor — at what completion stage and for what amount. Each milestone is tied to a percentage of the work order value and has a due date.

Milestone List Columns

Column	What It Shows
Name	Milestone label (e.g. “Mobilisation”, “50% Complete”, “Final Payment”)
Value	Percentage of order value
Amount	Calculated rupee amount based on the percentage
Due Date	When this milestone payment is due
Dependencies	Milestones that must be completed before this one triggers
Status	Pending or Completed
Invoice	Linked subcon bill (if billed)

Adding a Milestone

Click + Add Milestone.

Field	Required	What to Enter
Milestone Name	Yes	Clear label (e.g. “Mobilisation Advance”, “Slab Completion”, “Handover”)
Milestone Value	Yes	Enter as a percentage of the Order Value (e.g. 30 for 30%). The Rs amount calculates automatically.
Due Date	Yes	When this milestone payment is due
+ Add Dependency	No	Link to another milestone that must be completed first before this one becomes payable
Upload Files	No	Attach supporting documents or approval letters

Click Save.

💡 Total milestone percentages should not exceed 100% of the Order Value. Set milestones at clear project checkpoints — mobilisation (10 to 15%), structural completion (40 to 50%), finishing (30 to 40%), and defect liability period end (5 to 10%). This controls cash outflow against measurable progress.

Part 3 — Bills Tab

The Bills tab shows all subcontractor bills raised against this work order.

Column	What It Shows
Sub Contractor	Subcontractor name
Invoice Date	Date of the bill
Total Amount	Bill amount

Adding a Subcon Bill from the Work Order

Click + Subcon Bill.

The work order is pre-selected
Items appear with Billed and Un-Billed quantity columns per item — showing how much of each item has already been billed and how much remains
Tick the items to include in this bill
Enter the Invoice Qty for each item — the quantity being billed in this invoice
Configure tax, discount, deduction, and retention as needed
Toggle Item Level Tax if different items attract different GST rates
Click Save

The bill appears in:

The Bills tab of this work order
The project’s Transaction tab
The subcontractor’s Party ledger as a payable entry

💡 The Billed vs Un-Billed quantity columns prevent overbilling. Before adding a bill, review these columns to confirm how much scope remains unbilled. A subcontractor should not be billed more than the estimated quantity for any item.

Subcon Bills can also be created from the project’s Transaction tab directly. Go to Transaction, click + Transaction, and select Subcon Bill. The work order picker will appear. Both routes create the same bill — use whichever starting point is faster.

Part 4 — Materials Tab

The Materials tab shows all materials that have been issued from the project’s stock to this subcontractor for this work order.

Column	What It Shows
Material	Material name
Total Received	Total quantity issued to the subcontractor so far
Current Stock	Current quantity the subcontractor holds

Click + Subcon Issue to issue additional materials from the project inventory to this work order.

For full guidance on issuing materials to a subcontractor, see How to Manage the Complete Material Flow in Onsite — Step 6.

Part 5 — Payment Requests

A Payment Request is an advance or pre-bill payment request raised for the subcontractor. It goes through the approval workflow before a payment can be made.

Raising a Payment Request from the Work Order

From the work order’s Items tab, click + Payment Request.

Field	Required	What to Enter
Request No.	Read only	Auto-generated (e.g. PR-3)
Date	Yes	Auto-filled with today’s date
Party Name	Read only	Auto-filled from the work order
Type	Yes	Select request type (e.g. Advance against Subcon Work Order)
Amount	Yes	Amount being requested in Rs
Due Date	Yes	When payment is expected
Notes	No	Context or reference (e.g. “Mobilisation advance as per clause 4.2”)
Upload Files	No	Attach supporting documents