Why digitalization often fails on the subcontractors
The best construction software is useless if half the participants aren't in it. And that is exactly where many projects fail: if every subcontractor, every specialist planner and every external auditor needs a full licence, the costs explode — so the externals stay outside, and communication runs via email and phone again.
It's like building a motorway and charging pedestrians a toll at every on-ramp.
The XBuild role model: fair instead of flat
XBuild bills by a simple principle: only active roles cost money.
- Subcontractors — free & unlimited: access to the project data shared with them, seeing and editing assigned tickets. All trades are in the system without any costs arising.
- Active roles — e.g. expert and project administrator: whoever actively steers, creates and manages has a paid role. The expert as a reduced licence for specialist planners and specialists, the project administrator with full access to all modules and features.
- Custom roles: beyond that you define your own roles with exactly the permissions your process requires — from external auditor to client representative.
- External access: for outsiders without an account you share defined project data GDPR-compliantly via email release.
One price for your core team — and the entire project environment still works along. That is the difference between an isolated tool and a platform.
How onboarding works in practice
- Invite: add subcontractors to the project by email — choose a role, done.
- Assign: defects and tasks land directly with the right trade, with a deadline and automatic notification.
- Collaborate: the subcontractor sees their tickets, uploads completion photos, sets the status — also on mobile from the site.
- Prove: every step lands in the audit-proof history. No more “I never knew about that”.
Thinking across companies
The role model works across company boundaries: users and experts can be shared between companies without burdening your own quota. General contractors coordinate dozens of subcontractors in one system this way — everyone sees exactly what they should see.
Conclusion
Digitalization only works when everyone can take part. With free subcontractor accounts, fair active roles and freely definable custom roles, XBuild makes the entire construction site digital — not just the office.
Try it free for 30 days now and invite the whole team — the subcontractors cost you: nothing.