Keep the right to be paid
for every change.
For specialty contractors: every requirement in your subcontract and the prime contract terms it brings in, with the notice clocks that decide whether a change gets paid.
for the GC to pay your share of retention once received.
On California public work, or 2% a month on what is held back.
Source: California Public Contract Code §7107
The work got done.
Getting paid for it is the hard part.
Changes add 5 to 10% to contract value on most projects (Serag & Oloufa, ASEE, 2007).
The prime contract can set your notice deadline. If the GC must notify the owner within a short window, yours is shorter still.
Read moreYear after year, among the top causes of construction disputes (Arcadis, Global Construction Disputes Report).
Closeout requirements decide when your retention comes back, and they are easy to lose track of.
One event.
Every clock.
See which notice window is really yours, when it starts, and what the record shows against it.
- Day 0Event, or first recognition of the condition§50-17 · Whichever comes first starts the clockTriggerTrigger
- Before workWritten notice before beginning the claimed work§50-17 · "in all cases"Notice requiredNotice required
- Day 10Written notice of intention to claim, to the Engineer§50-17 · Within ten (10) calendar daysDeadlineDeadline
- Work doneUpdate the written claim within 5 calendar days§50-17 · Failure to do so is a waiverDeadlineDeadline
- CloseoutNo differing-site-conditions request after Substantial Completion or final payment§50-17 · Whichever comes firstCut-offCut-off
From your bid to your last retention payment.
- 01Upload your subcontract and the prime terms it brings in.
Copies of what you already have. Nothing to install.
- 02Every requirement, cited to its document.
So you can see which clock is really yours, and when it starts.
- 03Give notice in time, with the backup.
In your name, on your timing.
Paid for the work you did.
Know what the subcontract commits you to before you price it, and what each change will need to get paid.
- What the subcontract and the prime terms commit you to, before you price
- Every notice window that applies to you, with its trigger
- The backup each change will need, identified early
- Closeout requirements proven, so retention comes back
Common questions
Does Halozen work for subcontractors?
Yes. Halozen reviews your subcontract and the prime contract terms it brings in, with the notice clocks that decide whether a change gets paid.
What are flow-down clauses and why do they matter?
Flow-down clauses bring prime contract terms into your subcontract. They can carry notice periods, documentation rules and payment conditions you never saw at bid time, so it pays to read them before the work starts.
Can Halozen help a subcontractor with retainage?
It lists the retainage and release terms in your subcontract and the prime terms that flow down, with what has to be on file for release. Payment status comes from the records you upload.
Show us the change
that's still unpaid.
One project, with the scope and fee agreed before work begins. NDA first.
No implementation. Start with the records you already have.