Prequalification
Before a subcontract can be signed, FullClarity checks that the subcontractor's compliance documents — insurance certificates, licences and the like — are in order. This check is called prequalification. It stops you issuing an approved purchase order to a subcontractor whose documents haven't been verified.
When the check happens
Prequalification is checked once, at the moment you sign a subcontract — when it moves from Awarded to Signed. Signing is the step that raises the approved commitment purchase order, so it is the step that is protected.
The check isn't run when you create the subcontract, award it, or at any other step.
Where the answer comes from
The answer comes from the subcontractor's documents in Certified Documents. FullClarity reads them fresh every time you press Sign. You don't have to do anything on the subcontract to "refresh" it — once a document is approved in Certified Documents, the next Sign attempt sees it.
The Prequal Status field shows the check's result
The subcontract's Prequal Status field shows the outcome of the last check — Valid, Expiring Soon, Expired, Incomplete or Not Applicable — and is display-only. It refreshes when you open the subcontract, when you change the vendor, when you press Sign, and once a day, so it's a reliable at-a-glance read of where a subcontractor stands. You can still check the subcontractor's documents directly in Certified Documents for the detail behind the result.
How the result is worked out
Each of the subcontractor's documents counts towards one overall result, and the worst document decides it:
| Result | When | What happens when you sign |
|---|---|---|
| Valid | At least one approved document, and nothing below applies | Signing goes ahead |
| Expiring Soon | An approved document expires within the next 30 days | Signing goes ahead — arrange the renewal |
| Incomplete | Any document is still in progress | Signing is blocked |
| Expired | Any document has expired | Signing is blocked |
| Not Applicable | The subcontractor has zero documents, or Certified Documents isn't installed on your account | Signing goes ahead |
A subcontractor with no documents at all reads as Not Applicable, so signing goes ahead — there's nothing for the check to fail against. If you need documents on file for this subcontractor, request them in Certified Documents; the result will re-evaluate on the next check once documents exist.
A document counts as in progress when its status is Initialized, Requested, Pending Approval, Preparing Manual Request or Renewal Requested. One in-progress document is enough to block signing, even if the subcontractor's other documents are all approved.
Some statuses don't count either way — Received, Declined, Rejected, Cancelled, Renewed and Not Requested. A document in one of these states neither helps nor blocks.
If Certified Documents isn't installed on your account, the check is skipped, signing goes ahead, and the Prequal Status field shows Not Applicable.
The check looks at what has been submitted
Prequalification looks at the documents the subcontractor has, not at a list of the documents they're required to have. A subcontractor with one approved document and nothing else outstanding reads as Valid. Make sure every document you need has been requested in Certified Documents before you sign.
When signing is blocked
When you press Sign and the check fails, the subcontract stays at Awarded and you see a page headed This status change was not allowed, with the reason and a link back to the subcontract. Nothing is saved and no purchase order is raised.
To clear it:
- Open the subcontractor's documents in Certified Documents.
- Approve, renew or replace whichever document is in progress or expired.
- Return to the subcontract and press Sign again.
Overriding a block
An administrator override exists for exceptional cases, with a mandatory reason recorded against the subcontract. There is no on-screen way to apply it yet, and it can't be applied from the Sign button. If you need to sign a subcontract despite a block, contact your FullClarity support contact.
What gets recorded
Every signing records the prequalification result on the subcontract's audit history — Valid, Expiring Soon, Not Applicable, or the override and its reason. This is the record that the subcontractor's compliance was checked at the moment the contract was executed.