What it produces
An approved amount in the ERP for every sub pay app, with the right holds set and a clear notice back to the sub.
Workflows
Sub Pay App Review
the general contractor's check of a subcontractor's monthly payment request against its schedule of values and compliance documents
The job in one minute
Who owns it
AP and the project accountant, with the PM approving work in place and the controller deciding holds.
How often
Daily, with a surge at month-end.
Why it hurts
Money leaks through small gaps, each one a comparison nobody had time to make. Dollars quietly move from a finished line to an open one while the totals still tie. General conditions get billed far ahead of the work. A change order still under negotiation shows up on the app. Retainage runs at the wrong rate. Stored materials appear with no proof of title. The waiver names last month's amount. On federal work, a loose review at the sub level becomes a false certification at the prime level.
Systems it touches
The ERP's subcontract and compliance screens, Procore Invoicing, GCPay, Textura, CMiC Collaborate, Outlook, AP and OCR tools, Excel, SharePoint and banking portals.
Connectors move the records and ERP holds block payment. The agent makes the checks that decide whether the hold should be set.
- ERP's subcontract and compliance screens
- Procore Invoicing
- GCPay
- Textura
- CMiC Collaborate
- Outlook
- AP
- OCR tools
- Excel
- SharePoint and banking portals
12 steps · 4 actions · 6 decisions · 2 human reviews
The workflow, step by step
Action Decision Human review Select a step in the flowchart to jump to it.
1Intake steps 1–2
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Action · Portal
Collect each app from its portal or the AP inbox and file it by subcontract and period.
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Decision · Agent
Accept only if the subcontract is open, the application number is next in sequence and the period matches the cutoff. Otherwise it goes back with a reason.
2Schedule of values steps 3–7
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Action · Agent
Read the G702 and every G703 line into fields.
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Decision · Agent
Recompute the math. Any difference over a cent is an exception.
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Decision · ERP
Scheduled values match the ERP subcontract, last month's totals carry forward line by line, and no line passes 100 percent.
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Decision · Agent
Only approved change orders appear, and retainage uses the subcontract's rate, base and step-down milestone.
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Decision · Agent
Every stored-material dollar has a supplier invoice and delivery ticket, plus owner approval for off-site items.
3Approval steps 9–12
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Human review · PM
The PM sees only failing lines, beside the approved values and last month's figures, and approves, reduces or rejects.
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Action · ERP
Enter the approved amounts in the ERP, attach the app and backup, and read back totals and holds. They must match the approval and the gate result.
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Human review · Accounting releases
Accounting releases a hold only after the missing document is logged. The agent never releases holds.
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Action · Agent
Send the sub the approved amount, each reduction with its reason and any missing documents.
✓ Done
Rules vs judgment
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Exact rules
- The math, schedule of values against the ERP and last month, change order status, retainage, sequence and cutoff, holds after entry.
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The model reads
- Scanned or photographed apps, non-AIA forms, waivers, insurance certificates, invoices and delivery tickets, a sub's free-text note. A rule still decides.
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A person decides
- Work in place, backcharges, waivers with exceptions, and paying past a failed gate.
When it stops
Sub renamed or split a line
The PM sees old and new lines side by side.
Same application number twice
Rejected with the earlier record cited.
Unapproved change order on the app
Removed from the approved amount, and the sub is told why.
Waiver amount differs from the payment
The gate fails and a corrected waiver is requested.
ERP screen changed after an upgrade
The run stops at that step; the owner re-shows it once.
Owner has not paid on a pay-when-paid job
Approved but not released, with the release state shown.
What you end up with
Every approved dollar backed by a check someone actually made, PMs spending their minutes only on the lines that need them, holds that match reality, and subs who know exactly why a line was cut. Product →
Questions
Can the agent approve a pay app without the PM?
It can clear the math and the paperwork. It cannot walk the third floor. Keep the review on work in place.
How are unit-price subcontracts checked?
By quantity: billed quantity times unit price, capped at the subcontract quantity unless a change order raised it.
Does this replace Procore Invoicing, GCPay or Textura?
No. Those collect apps and route approvals. The agent works inside them and the ERP, doing the comparisons they leave to people. Lien Waivers →
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