Creating and Managing Subcontracts

A step-by-step guide to setting up, editing and tracking subcontracts

Overview

Create a New Subcontract

Adding Trade Summary Lines via the Import Tool

Adding a Subcontract Change Order (SCO)

Exclude SCOs from Budget (Optional)

Subcontract Retentions 

View All Subcontracts for a Project

Email or Download Subcontract Order

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Overview

In Lentune, managing your subcontracts is an essential part of the payment claims workflow.

This guide walks you through how to create a subcontract, add Trade Summary lines, manage Subcontract Change Orders (SCOs) and apply retention policies — all in a few easy steps.

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Create a New Subcontract

1. Adding a Subcontract

To create a new subcontract:

1. Head to Payment Claims > Subcontracts
2. Click New Subcontract
3. Select the Project
4. Choose the Supplier
5. Select a Cost Code
6. The Description will auto-fill based on your selections (but feel free to edit it!)
7. Click Save

2. Trade Summary Lines

Once these initial details have been entered, you can build out further details for your subcontract.

From the Edit Subcontract window:

1. Click Add Line
2. Enter: Work Description, Cost Code (this will prefill, but you can change it), Amount
3. Click Create Trade Summary Line

Repeat the above steps to add each additional Trade Summary Line.

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Adding Trade Summary Lines via the Import Tool 

If you’re working with multiple lines, use the import tool to save time:

•  In the Edit Subcontract screen, click Import/Export
• Choose Export (items and SCOs) and download the file
• Update the file in Excel and save your changes
• Return to Import/Export and select Import (items and SCOs) to upload the file

Lentune will now create new Trade Summary Lines based on your import.

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Adding a Subcontract Change Order (SCO)

To add a variation to a subcontract:

1. Go to Payment Claims > Subcontracts and select your subcontract
2. In the Edit Subcontract screen, go to the Change Orders (SCOs) tab
3. Click Add SCO
4. Enter:
   •    Description
   •    Cost Code
   •    Amount
   •    Subcontract Reference (auto-suggested, but editable)
   •    Optional: Assign it to a Project Variation (VO)
   If you leave this blank, the SCO will be added as an unassigned variation line with a budget equal to the amount entered.

Click Save when you’re done.

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Exclude SCOs from Budget (Optional)

By default, when you create a Subcontract Change Order (SCO), Lentune automatically creates a variation line on the project with a budget equal to the SCO amount. This means both your revised budget and committed cost increase at the same time.

But if you’d prefer that SCOs don’t impact your project budget, you can switch to an alternative workflow. With this setting enabled, SCOs still increase your committed cost — but don’t create a variation line or affect your budget.

You can enable this option in your Payment Claims Settings.

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Subcontract Retentions

To make sure you’re holding, tracking, and releasing the right retention amounts, each subcontract should have a Retention Policy set. You can either:

• Use the Default Policy from your Subcontractor Settings, or
• Add a custom, contract-specific policy directly to each subcontract.

Retention amounts are calculated based on the levels defined in the policy — so whether you’re working with a simple single-tier setup or a more complex multi-level structure, you’re covered.

Add a Retention Policy Manually

1. Go to Payment Claims > Subcontracts
2. Double-click the relevant subcontract
3. Click Retention Policy
4. Click New Retention Level and enter:
   •    Minimum amount
   •    Maximum amount
   •    Percentage

Click Save when you’re done.

Repeat the steps above if you need to add multiple retention levels.

👉 Learn more about releasing subcontract retentions
👉 Check out our retention reporting tools

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View All Subcontracts for a Project

To see a project-wide view of all subcontracts:

1. Go to Payment Claims > Projects
2. Select the project and open the Subcontracts tab

You’ll see a full list of subcontracts and key details.

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Email or Download Subcontract Order

From your subcontract screen, you can select a subcontract and download or email a PDF of the subcontract order.

1. Select a subcontract from the Subcontracts screen
2. Choose:
   •    Download Subcontract Order to generate a PDF
   •    Email Subcontract Order to send it directly to your supplier’s contact

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Last updated: 27 March 2025