Training Course: Site Coordination and Subcontractor Management Essentials Course – Jeddah (KSA), 6–10 Dec 2026

Introduction:

Site coordination and subcontractor management is the day-to-day work of organising a construction site so that trades, materials, information and inspections arrive in the right order, and of directing the subcontractors who carry out most of the work. This one-week course is for site engineers, supervisors, junior project and package managers, planning and QA/QC staff and contractor and subcontractor coordinators, and each delegate leaves with a site coordination and subcontractor control toolkit. It is taught at foundation level through case studies and site-based exercises, using the Last Planner System, a collaborative method for short-term planning, as a reference.

Course Objectives:

• Define the roles, reporting lines and decision rights on a construction site, and distinguish the responsibilities of the main contractor from those of each subcontractor
• Apply a three-to-six-week look-ahead plan and a weekly work plan to remove constraints before work starts and run focused coordination meetings
• Distinguish an RFI from a site instruction and a variation, and apply the right record and approval route to each
• Select subcontractors and define scopes and work packages that reduce gaps and overlaps at trade interfaces
• Interpret progress, quality and HSE data from daily reports, inspection and test plans and photo logs to act on slippage and non-conformance
• Apply measurement, payment application and close-out procedures that keep subcontractor accounts agreed and avoid disputes

Target Audience:

• Site engineering professionals who direct daily work fronts and must decide which trade proceeds when activities clash
• Site and construction supervision professionals who oversee crews and must judge whether work is ready to start, inspect or hand over
• Junior project and package management professionals who administer subcontracts and must decide how to respond to delays, claims and variations
• Planning professionals who maintain schedules and must choose which constraints to escalate in the look-ahead plan
• Quality, HSE and QA/QC professionals who run inspections and must decide when work is accepted, held or rejected
• Contractor and subcontractor coordination professionals who manage interfaces and must judge whether scope, information and access are in place

Course Outline:

Day 1: Site Organisation, Roles and the Coordination Landscape

• Site Organisation Chart: Roles, Reporting Lines and Decision Rights on Site
• Main Contractor vs Subcontractor: Splitting Responsibility for Work, Safety and Quality
• Nominated vs Domestic Subcontractors: How Appointment Route Changes Site Control
• Site Logistics Plan: Access, Laydown, Hoisting and Welfare Areas for Trades
• Coordination Health Check: Assessing Current Site Communication and Information Flow

Day 2: Planning Methods: Look-Ahead Plans, Interfaces and Trade Sequencing

• Master Schedule vs Look-Ahead Plan: Linking Long-Range Dates to Weekly Work
• Last Planner System: Collaborative Pull Planning and Weekly Work Plans on Site
• Constraint Log and Make-Ready Process: Clearing Information, Materials and Access Early
• Interface Matrix: Mapping Handover Points Between Civil, Structural and MEP Trades
• Daily Huddles vs Weekly Coordination Meetings: Agendas, Attendees and Action Logs

Day 3: Selecting, Onboarding and Controlling Subcontractors Day to Day

• Subcontractor Prequalification: Capacity, Resources, Safety Record and Financial Stability Checks
• Scope of Work vs Work Package: Defining Inclusions, Exclusions and Interfaces
• Subcontractor Onboarding Pack: Site Rules, Induction, Method Statements and Contacts
• Inspection and Test Plans: Hold Points, Witness Points and Inspection Requests
• HSE Coordination on Site: Permits to Work, Toolbox Talks and Joint Inspections

Day 4: Change, Payment and Problem Cases on Site

• RFI vs Site Instruction: Raising Queries and Recording Directions Without Ambiguity
• Variation Control: Identifying, Notifying, Pricing and Approving Changes to Subcontract Scope
• Measurement and Payment Applications: Valuing Work Done and Certifying Interim Payments
• Daily Reports and Photo Logs: Building Site Records That Support Later Decisions
• Dispute Avoidance Techniques: Early Warnings, Contemporaneous Records and Escalation Ladders

Day 5: Case Study Practice: Building the Site Coordination and Subcontractor Control Toolkit

• Case Study Look-Ahead Exercise: Producing a Six-Week Plan With Constraint Log
• Case Study Interface Review: Completing an Interface Matrix for Finishing Trades
• Snagging vs Defects Liability: Running Punch Lists Through Handover and Close-Out
• Subcontractor Scorecard Build: Rating Progress, Quality, HSE and Commercial Behaviour
• Toolkit Assembly and Peer Review: Finalising Look-Ahead Template, Matrix and Scorecard

Skills You Will Gain:

• Look-Ahead Planning
• Constraint Management
• Interface Mapping
• Trade Sequencing
• Subcontract Scope Definition
• Inspection and Test Planning
• Variation and RFI Control
• Subcontractor Performance Evaluation

Why Attend This Course:

• From chasing trades on the day to planning work fronts weeks ahead with a constraint log
• From unclear scopes and clashing trades to work packages and interfaces agreed before mobilisation
• From verbal instructions and missing records to RFIs, site instructions, daily reports and photo logs that stand up in later discussions
• From informal opinions on subcontractors to a site coordination and subcontractor control toolkit with a look-ahead template, interface matrix and scorecard

Conclusion:

Site coordination and subcontractor management turns a schedule and a set of subcontracts into safe, sequenced and inspected work on the ground. The course makes three distinctions clear: a master schedule against a look-ahead plan, a scope of work against a work package, and an RFI against a site instruction or variation. It suits site engineers, supervisors, planners, QA/QC staff and coordinators at an early or middle stage of their careers who need a practical foundation, rather than senior managers seeking contract strategy or claims expertise.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):

What should a delegate know before a site coordination and subcontractor management course?

Basic familiarity with construction drawings, schedules and site routines is enough. Delegates gain more by bringing an example look-ahead plan, subcontract scope or daily report from their own site to use in the exercises.

How does a site coordination and subcontractor management course differ from a contract administration or claims course?

It concentrates on running the site day to day: planning work fronts, sequencing trades, inspecting work and keeping records. Contract administration and claims courses focus on contract clauses, entitlement and formal dispute procedures at a more senior level.

What is a look-ahead plan in site coordination and subcontractor management?

A look-ahead plan is a short-term schedule, usually covering three to six weeks, drawn from the master schedule. It lists upcoming activities by trade and the constraints, such as drawings, materials or access, that must be cleared before each activity starts.

What does a delegate take back from a site coordination and subcontractor management course?

Each delegate takes back a site coordination and subcontractor control toolkit: a look-ahead template with a constraint log, an interface matrix for trade handovers and a subcontractor scorecard covering progress, quality, HSE and commercial behaviour.