Contractor paperwork sanity check.
Ten boring checks before a small job turns into a paperwork autopsy. Print it, copy it, or send it to the person currently storing the project in their head.
Checklist
If three or more of these are missing, the admin layer is already leaking margin. Quietly, like every expensive problem does at first.
Estimate / quote
Is the scope clear enough that a client cannot quietly imagine extra work for free?
Change approval
Is every price or scope change documented before the work starts?
Invoice
Does the invoice show line items, payment terms, totals, and who should pay what?
Daily site log
Can you prove who was on site, what happened, what delayed work, and what was delivered?
Materials
Can you see what was ordered, from whom, when it should arrive, and what is still missing?
Job cost
Can you compare estimated cost versus actual cost before the margin is already dead?
Subcontractors
Can you see approved amounts, paid amounts, balances, and pending invoices?
Punch list
Does every closeout item have an owner, due date, status, and sign-off path?
Handover
Are keys, manuals, warranties, certificates, and client sign-off tracked in one place?
Backup
Are final files stored somewhere safer than one tired person’s WhatsApp thread?