Dayworks – Why Labour Costs Disappear (and How to Stop It)
On most sites, dayworks sheets are still filled in on paper. The leading hand or supervisor records the crew, the hours, and the work completed, then signs the sheet. The Site Manager is meant to sign it off as well.
In practice, the Site Manager is often unavailable when the crew is ready to leave. The unsigned sheet goes in a vehicle or a folder, and is only noticed a week or more later. By then, nobody clearly remembers the exact hours, who was there, or precisely what was done. When the variation claim is submitted, the dayworks evidence is weak or missing — and the labour cost is reduced or declined.
Why this happens so often
- The sheet is completed but never signed by the Site Manager on the day.
- Unsigned sheets are easy to lose or overlook.
- Memory fades quickly once a week or more has passed.
- The link between the labour and the original Site Instruction is weak or missing.
- By the time the claim is prepared, the supporting evidence is incomplete.
The work was done, but it can no longer be properly proven.
What good dayworks evidence looks like
A solid dayworks record should clearly show:
- The project
- The Site Instruction (or clear description of the work) it relates to
- The workers involved and the hours spent
- Who completed and signed the sheet
- Enough supporting detail that a third party can understand what was done and when
How Subbie HQ changes the process
With Subbie HQ, dayworks can be recorded clearly, linked to the relevant Site Instruction, and made available for signature while everyone still remembers the details.
- The sheet can be signed on site if the Site Manager is available.
- If not, it can be emailed immediately to the Site Manager so it can be reviewed and signed later that day or the next.
- The email creates a clear timestamped record of when the work was claimed.
- The subcontractor's own QS can be copied in so they know to follow it up.
- The system can track sheets that were not signed on site and were sent for later approval.
- Once the Site Manager approves the dayworks (ideally through the existing approval feature), the record is marked complete and properly linked to the Site Instruction / variation.
This removes the most common failure point: the gap between doing the work and having a signed, usable record of the labour.
Subcontractors who treat dayworks as commercial evidence — captured and sent for approval on the same day — recover far more of their true labour cost. Those who leave unsigned paper sheets sitting for a week or more usually leave money on the table.
That same-day, properly linked approach is exactly what Subbie HQ is designed to support.