Applications, valuations and retention tracking.
Commercial subcontracting does not end at the invoice. Work done on site has to be valued, applied for, certified, invoiced, paid — and retention has to be tracked to release. This guide explains the governed path from a draft application to the final account, so that the work you did becomes money in the account.
Why invoicing is not enough
Domestic trade apps stop at the invoice. Commercial subcontracting does not. Work is valued against the contract sum, applied for monthly, certified by the client or their surveyor, invoiced, and paid — often with retention held back for months or years. If the application is late, the valuation is wrong, the certification is not tracked, or the retention release deadline passes, the money stays on the table.
Applied, certified and paid are separate facts. The gap between them is the commercial position — and it needs to be live every day, not reconstructed when someone chases it.
Draft application
An application for payment is prepared from the original or adjusted contract sum, progress and valuation basis, approved or submitted variations, previous applications, and retention rules. Materials on or off site, agreed deductions and contra charges are included where relevant. The application is a draft — prepared by AI, reviewed by a human — not a number typed into a box.
- ✓Built from adjusted contract sum, progress, previous applications and variations
- ✓Retention rules applied automatically — not calculated by hand each month
- ✓Materials on/off site, deductions and contra charges included where relevant
- ✓Draft — AI prepares, a human reviews and approves
Internal review
The draft application passes internal review before submission. Applied amounts, previous certified amounts, variations included, retention held and deducted, and supporting evidence are all checked. The cash position is live — so the application is not just a form, but a commercial position that needs to be correct before it goes to the client or contract administrator.
- ✓Applied amounts and previous certified amounts reconciled
- ✓Retention held and deducted checked against the contract rules
- ✓Supporting evidence attached — progress, variations, materials
- ✓Cash position reviewed before submission, not after
Authorised issue
The application is submitted to the client or contract administrator. Applied, certified and paid amounts are separate facts — what you applied for, what they certified, and what they paid are tracked independently. A short payment, a withholding, or a deduction is tracked with its reason, its evidence, and its date.
- ✓Applied, certified and paid amounts tracked as separate facts
- ✓Short payments and withholdings tracked with reason and evidence
- ✓Pay-less notices and payment notices tracked to deadline and receipt
- ✓Final date for payment watched — chases drafted before it slips
Certification and payment
The client or contract administrator certifies the application — and the certified amount may differ from the applied amount. The certification is recorded, the invoice is raised where required, and the payment is tracked to receipt. The gap between applied, certified and paid is the commercial position — and it is visible every day, not just when someone chases it.
- ✓Certification recorded — certified amount may differ from applied
- ✓Invoice raised where the contract requires it
- ✓Payment tracked to receipt — date, amount, and any shortfall
- ✓Gap between applied, certified and paid is visible every day
Retention and final account
Retention is held against the contract value and released according to the contract terms — typically in two halves: practical completion and making good defects, or at a defined period after completion. A1 OS tracks the retention held, the release conditions, the deadline, and the release status — so retention does not quietly expire because nobody remembered to claim it. The final account reconciles every variation, every application, and every payment to the adjusted contract sum.
- ✓Retention held tracked with release conditions and deadlines
- ✓First-half and second-half release tracked to the contract terms
- ✓Retention release chases drafted before the deadline passes
- ✓Final account reconciles variations, applications and payments to the adjusted contract sum
A1 OS tracks the money every day.
A1 OS prepares the application from the project's commercial state, tracks the certification, watches the retention release deadlines, and drafts the chase before the payment date slips — so nothing quietly expires. Applied, certified and paid are tracked as separate facts. The cash position is live every day. AI prepares; you decide.