Subcontractor costs: protect margin before a fixed quote
Outside help can make a fixed quote safer or weaker depending on cost, timing, and scope. Price the subcontractor line before sending the quote.
Back to all briefsA subcontractor cost should be priced before the customer sees a fixed total. Confirm the outside scope, minimum charge, timing, markup, tax treatment, and payment terms so the quote still clears your margin and cash-flow floor.
Confirm the outside cost
Get the subcontractor's scope, minimum fee, travel, materials, rush premium, and expected schedule before building the customer quote. If the outside price is only an estimate, keep enough room for changes or make approval conditional.
Check margin before passing it through
Decide whether the subcontractor line is pass-through, marked up, bundled into labor, or held as a separate allowance. Then compare the customer-facing price with your margin target after payment fees, admin time, and any coordination work.
Write the rule into the quote
State what the subcontractor line covers, when changes require approval, and how payment timing works if you must pay the helper before the client pays you. Confirm contract, licensing, insurance, worker-classification, tax, and accounting rules before relying on the arrangement.