The "Black Box" Problem: External contractors often fix machines without leaving a record, leaving you blind to the root cause or the actual work performed.
The Liability Gap: If a contractor gets hurt or leaves a machine in an unsafe state (LOTO), you are liable unless you have digital proof of their actions.
The Fabrico Solution: How to use "Guest Access" to force contractors to log their work, time, and parts before they get paid.
In many factories, up to 30% of the maintenance budget is spent on external contractors.
You hire specialists for HVAC, PLC programming, or specialized welding.
But while you track your internal team's every move, contractors often operate in a "Black Box."
They arrive, sign a paper logbook at the front desk, and disappear into the plant.
They fix the issue (hopefully).
They send an invoice two weeks later with a vague description: "Repaired Pump."
This is a disaster for reliability. You have no history, no root cause data, and no proof of safety compliance.
If you want to run a tight ship, you must treat contractors exactly like your internal technicians. Here is how to manage external vendors using Fabrico.
The first step is cultural, not technical. You must establish a rule with your vendors: "If the work isn't logged in Fabrico, the invoice won't be approved."
Contractors might grumble, but they want to get paid. By making the CMMS the "System of Record" for billing, you ensure 100% data capture.
You don't want to pay for a full software license for a contractor who visits once a month.
The Fabrico Solution:
Use Guest Access or a Kiosk Tablet at the maintenance shop.
Check-In: The contractor scans a QR code to "Clock In" to the job.
Assignment: They view the specific Work Order assigned to them (e.g., "Annual Chiller Service").
Check-Out: They log their notes and "Clock Out."
This gives you an exact timestamp of their arrival and departure, preventing billing padding (e.g., charging for 4 hours when they were on-site for 2).
External workers are statistically more likely to have accidents because they don't know your specific plant hazards.
Paper "Permit to Work" forms are often lost or ignored.
The Fabrico Workflow:
Before the contractor can see the "Repair" instructions, Fabrico forces them to complete a Digital Safety Permit.
"Have you performed Lockout/Tagout?"
"Are you wearing the correct PPE?"
"Do you accept the site safety rules?"
They must sign digitally. This creates an immutable legal record that protects your company if an incident occurs.
When a contractor fixes a machine, they often take the knowledge with them.
Old Way: Invoice says "Fixed Motor."
New Way: Fabrico requires the contractor to select a Failure Code (e.g., "Motor > Bearing > Lack of Lubrication") and upload a photo of the damaged part.
Now, "Mike" (Maintenance Manager) owns that data. He can see that the contractor has replaced the same bearing three times this year, indicating a deeper design flaw that needs engineering attention.
"Paula" (The CFO) wants to know which vendors are worth the money.
By tracking contractors in Fabrico, you can build a Vendor Scorecard:
Response Time: How fast did they arrive after the call?
First-Time Fix Rate: Did they have to come back?
Cost Compliance: Did the invoice match the hours logged in the app?
This data allows you to negotiate better rates or switch vendors if performance drops.
You are paying for the result, but you are also paying for the Data. Don't let contractors walk away with the history of your assets.
By bringing contractors inside your digital workflow, you close the final gap in your maintenance reliability strategy.
Take control of your vendors.
[Book a Demo with Fabrico] to see how our Guest Access features streamline contractor management.
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