Working with Contractors and Agents in Applications

Use the Contractor page displayed in the Redwood Experience to view or add contractors who are performing work for a permit or planning application. If the intake form for the application collects contractor or authorized agent information, the Contractor page initially displays the information provided during the intake process. Agency staff and registered users applying for applications and viewing application details in the Redwood Experience see the latest contractor license information without the need to manually refresh the information.

Applicants can designate a contact person for a contractor license and give the contact access to the application. Agency staff and contractors or contacts with application access can indicate whether a contractor is currently performing work. Contractor data is automatically refreshed from the agency's contractor records or integration with an external source.

The Contractor page in the application or transaction details also displays validation alerts for contractors added during application intake and after submittal. Agencies sometimes add extra validations when you add contractors to make sure that contractor licenses meet certain requirements. The license requirements can include a specific license type, classifications, job cost for permits, and insurance attributes. Validations can also check the license expiration date. The alert lists the missing requirements for the active licenses associated with the transaction. Depending on the validation setup, you may not be able to submit the application if requirements aren’t met, unless you are agency staff with a contractor management role.

Adding Contractors to an Application

The fields on the contractor pages for a contractor license associated with a permit or planning application correspond to the same-named fields on the agency's main contractor pages. For descriptions of these fields, see Working with Contractor Licenses.

You can add contractors and their license information to a transaction, but the steps may vary slightly depending on agency setup. Permits and planning applications that require applicants to select a contractor license from the agency's list of approved contractors can add contractors as described here.

The Limit License Usage to Authorized Contacts switch in the agency-level contractor license options determines whether an applicant can search the full listing of approved contractors or only those they have been approved for.

• If the switch is turned on, only the contractor licenses that you are authorized to use are available for selection. If no licenses are available, you won't be able to add a contractor license to the transaction.

• If the switch is turned off, you can select from any of the agency-approved contractor licenses. Here are the steps for adding a contractor when you have access to the complete contractor list:

Here's how to add contractors to a permit application:

1. On the Permit Applications or Planning Applications list page, click the row for the application you are working with.

2. In the left navigation panel of the permit application details, expand the People section.

3. Select Contractor in the expanded section.

4. If the applicant is either a contractor or a contractor's authorized agent, turn on the switch to indicate yes. This option is only available for agency staff.

5. On the Contractor page for the application, click the Add (+) button.

6. On the Add contractor drawer, select a contractor license related to the application from the Select a Contractor drop-down list.

7. Click the Select Contacts button to select a contact, contact type, application access level, and indicate whether this is the primary contact and click Done.

8. Click the Add button to save the contractor to the application.

Using Advanced Search to Find a Contractor

1. On the Contractor page for the permit, click the Add (+) button.

2. On the Add contractor drawer, click the Advanced Search link.

3. Mark the I know the exact license number. checkbox if you want to retrieve the contractor information by the exact license number, and enter the number in the License Number field.

   This option is only available when your agency integrates with a licensing body. The search looks for a matching license in the agency-maintained contractor list then in the licensing body's database.

4. To find a contractor using the search, enter text in the Business Name, Owner Name, or License Number fields, or select a License Type from the drop-down list.

5. Click the Find Contractors button.

6. Select a row in the search results that appear on the drawer to select a contractor. Only approved contractors appear in the results.

   If the agency has turned on the switch to Limit License Usage to Authorized Contacts during setup, then you can only see the contractor licenses that you're authorized to use.

7. Click the Select Contacts button to select a contact, contact type, application access level, and indicate whether this is the primary contact and click Done.

8. If one or more conditions have been applied to the license that prevent you from selecting the contractor, you can click the View Details link to view the condition summary for the license. Click Cancel on the Add contractor drawer to exit or start over if you want to find a different contractor.

9. Click the link to Find Recently Selected and Associated Contractors to return to the Select a Contractor drop-down list.

10. Click the Add button to save the contractor to the application.

Updating or Removing Contractor Information for an Application

On the Contractor page for the application, you can update some contractor information or remove contractors from the permit or planning application.

Note:

Contractor license details can't be edited in the application during intake or after application submittal. However, changes can be made in the contractor record list or the external source to appear in the application. Once added to the application, the contractor information is automatically refreshed from the agency's contractor list or an external source, depending on agency setup.

Agency staff and contractors or contacts with permit or planning application access working on their own applications can make updates until the application is closed or canceled, whereas only the agency staff with an appropriate role can remove contractors after the transaction is closed or canceled.

1. If you're agency staff, turn the switch on for yes or off for no to answer Is the applicant either a contractor or a contractor’s authorized agent?. Public users, who are usually homeowners, are not contractors or authorized agents. This switch is only available on permit and planning applications.

2. Click the three-dot Actions icon button and select from the available actions for a contractor license row, depending on your permissions and contractor implmentation:

   • Edit - Click to open the Contractor details drawer. You can also click the row in the grid to open the drawer.

     The contractor details are automatically refreshed on permits and planning applications until they reach an end status. Throughout the application lifecycle, the contractor license information gets updated from the agency's main contractor list—or in some cases, an external source—and can’t be modified on the application. However, if you have appropriate permissions, you can use the In Use switch to indicate whether the contractor is in use on the permit or planning application, and update the contractor contacts.

   • Delete - Only system administrators and agency management with appropriate permissions can delete contractors from the grid after application submission.

3. On the Contractor details drawer, you can make these changes:

   Page Element	Description
   In Use	Turn on this switch to indicate whether the selected contractor is currently performing work. Contacts for contractors that are in use appear on the Contacts page in the application details.
   Contact Persons	Add or change the contact person for the contractor. You can select multiple contacts for the license. For each contact, click the Select Contacts button and choose the contact type. The available contacts are people associated with the contractor license on the Contacts page in the contractor record details. The contact initially has a level of application access based on the agency setup for the Contact Type that you select. But access can be upgraded in the application details. For more information, see Working with Application Contacts. Click the Delete trash can icon to remove a contact person from the application.

4. Click Update to save your changes and close the contractor details.

Viewing Contractor History

As agency staff and registered users work with permit and planning applications in the Redwood Experience, they see the latest contractor license information. To preserve historical accuracy throughout the application's lifecycle, snapshots of the contractor license details are taken as the delivered application workflow progresses and saved on the permit's Contractor History page. Only agency staff with permissions have access to contractor history.

Agency staff can click the View History button on the Contractor page to open the Contractor History page, which displays the contractor license details for each contractor at the time the status was reached.

Note:

If workflow is altered, the contractor history isn't captured, unless it corresponds to a productized end status, such as Completed, Certificate of Occupancy, or Denied. Historical details are also captured at delivered workflow statuses including Submitted, Withdrawn, and Expired, as well as when an application is reopened (agency chooses the status) or renewed (Submitted status).

The contractor license detail history for each contractor is retained on the transaction record when the application reaches an ending status. Depending on when the contractor was added to the permit or planning application, the system captures multiple point-in-time records of the license details, which are permanently stored with the permit or planning application. For information about customizing the timing of additional historical snapshots, see Setting Up Contractor License History.