Most subcontractors don’t realise they’re bleeding profit-until it’s too late.
I didn’t either. Not until I saw just how much was draining out of my business every month through missed variations, unpaid dayworks, delay costs I couldn’t prove, and retentions that vanished.
Then I installed the same commercial system Tier 1 contractors use.
Now I get paid on time, my profits are up, and running the business is so much easier.
Contractors are getting smarter, faster, and more ruthless. If you’re not running a tight commercial system, you’re leaving thousands on the table every month — and risking your cashflow.
If you’re a subcontractor turning over €1M+ — but cashflow is tight, certs are late, and variations get cut to pieces — your subcontracting business might be like a Leaky Bucket, leaking profits, through missed variations, unpaid dayworks, delay and disruption and unpaid retentions.
The Profit Protection System™ plugs every leak so you get paid in full, on time, every time.
The Struggle
Martin’s Story (Before OS)
Hi, I’m Martyn Hughes, founder of TradeAid and Subcontractor OS. A few years ago, I was exactly where you might be right now:
Chasing money that should already be in the bank.
Watching my margins vanish in under-certified valuations.
Fighting to get variations approved.
Losing retention without even realising it.
Constantly firefighting instead of growing the business.
I wasn’t bad at the work — my team delivered quality every time. But I had to face a hard truth:
Doing the work well doesn’t get you paid.
Martyn Hughes
Founder Systainable Painters
Co Founder Subcontractor OS and TradeAid
The Wake-Up Call - Why Most Subcontractors bleed profit.
If you’re turning over €1M+ but cashflow is tight, certs are late, and variations keep getting chopped — your subcontracting business might be like a Leaky Bucket.
You’re pouring in time, money, labour, plant, and materials — but the profit drains out through:
Variations that get slashed or ignored
Dayworks you can’t prove (so you don’t get paid)
Certs that arrive weeks late
Retentions that disappear
Set-offs you didn’t see coming — until it was too late
❌ These aren’t just admin problems — they’re silent profit killers.
Most Subcontractors do great work, but they don’t have a Commercial System.
Tier 1 contractors never run projects without one.
They track every cert, variation, daywork, delay, and disruption with military precision.
That’s how they get paid in full.
On time. Every time.
Until now, subcontractors haven’t had access to these systems.
Introducing The Subcontractor OS - Profit Protection System™
We’ve taken the exact same commercial frameworks used by Tier 1 contractors — and made them simple, actionable, and subcontractor-ready.
Built from over €3B of real-world subcontract packages
Adapted for €1M–€10M+ subcontractors
No QS required. No law degree needed.
What It Does:
Helps you take full control of your cashflow
Stops you leaking margin on variations, delays, and dayworks
Recovers tens of thousands in lost profit
Eliminates firefighting by installing a repeatable commercial system
Frees up your time — and protects your bottom line
🚨 The Market Is Changing
Contractors are getting smarter, faster, and more ruthless.
If you’re not running a tight commercial system, you’re leaving thousands on the table every month — and risking your cashflow.
Subcontractor OS
Profit Protection System™
Think of it as your profit engine.
The Profit Protection System™ is a plug-and-play commercial system — a complete operating framework for your business.
It’s built on:
- World-class standard operating procedures
- Proven templates and workflows
- Notification triggers that never let a payment slip through the
cracks
- AI tools to speed up claims and paperwork
- 25 years of commercial expertise managing over €3B of
contracts.
This isn’t theory. It’s the same type of system Tier 1 contractors use to control their projects and their cashflow — now adapted for subcontractors for the first time.
You can run it yourself, hand it to a QS, or give it to a virtual assistant. The system does the heavy lifting.
“If you don’t control your payment process, someone else will and they don’t always have your best interests at heart.”
The Results (After installing The Profit Protection System)
Within weeks:
The Results (After Installing the Profit Protection System™)
Within weeks:
✅ I got paid my variations and dayworks on time — in my interim certs, not months later.
✅ My valuations were certified in full — exactly what I said I was owed.
✅ I recovered payment for delay and disruption on site — money I used to lose.
✅ I stopped all set-offs and deductions I didn’t agree to.
✅ I got my retention back on time, every time.
✅ I could issue delay notices within minutes — with total confidence.
✅ The shoe was on the other foot — I was putting the main contractor under pressure.
And the ripple effect was huge:
My cashflow became predictable.
My profits jumped.
I had more time to work on my business.
Evenings and weekends came back — no more firefighting.
I felt in control for the first time.
It didn’t just fix one project. It changed how I ran my business forever.
What You Can Expect
Within Days:
You’ll install a proven commercial operating system — the same commercial framework Tier 1 contractors use — ready to install into your business.
Within 30 Days:
You’ll start seeing tangible results in your monthly valuations, approved variations, and cashflow certainty — without chasing or firefighting.
Within 90 Days:
You’ll have a fully functioning commercial engine running inside your business — one that recovers lost margin, protects every euro, and keeps your profit on track, project after project.deserunt, recusandae. here
Testimonials
Our Clients Feedback
“Subcontractor OS gave me the tools to finally take control of my cashflow. I’ve stopped leaving money on the table and I feel in control for the first time in years.”
Damien
“Since installing Subcontractor OS, we’ve tightened up every process. Variations are caught early, cashflow is predictable, and disputes are almost non-existent.”
Soraya
“The system gave me the clarity to focus on the right accounts and frameworks to drive results. It’s transformed how we run every project.”
Dirk
What Makes the Subcontractor OS - Profit Protection System™ Different?
Most subcontractors try to fix their commercial problems by:
- Taking short QS or legal courses.
- Hiring freelance QSs.
- Putting junior QSs in charge of big jobs.
But it is not delivering them the results they deserve.
The Profit Protection System fixes that.
It’s a battle-tested commercial plug and play operating system.
What Makes the Profit Protection System™ Different
Let’s be honest…
Courses give you theory — not a live, working system.
Freelance QSs are juggling too many clients to give your jobs the attention they deserve.
Junior QSs don’t have the firepower to win the tough battles with main contractors.
And hiring a full commercial team? That overhead will bleed your margin dry.
So what’s the alternative?
The Profit Protection System™ gives you the best of both worlds:
✅ The firepower of a Tier 1 contractor’s QS team
✅ The speed and simplicity of plug-and-play templates, workflows, and AI tools your team can run themselves
It’s like having a commercial team — without the payroll.
Built on 25 years of hard-won commercial expertise:
Developed by Stephen Duggan —
Guest lecturer in Construction Law at Trinity College Dublin
Former commercial advisor at the Construction Industry Federation (CIF)
Commercial Director and Managing Director for over 25 years
Managed over €3 billion in live construction contracts
Martin knew something wasn’t right in his business.
He was turning over good money, but cashflow was tight, variations were being slashed, and every cert came back with deductions he didn’t agree with.
So he reached out to Stephen Duggan.
Together, they built the first version of Subcontractor OS — taking the exact commercial systems Tier 1 contractors use, and adapting them specifically for subcontractors.
But Martin didn’t just learn the system.
He lived it.
He refined it.
And together, they built it into the exact SOPs, templates, and workflows subcontractors can use today — no matter the size of their business.
Inside the System: What You Actually Get
The Profit Protection System™ includes:
✅ Proven SOPs, templates, forms, and legal/compliance checklists
✅ Step-by-step video guides for every key commercial process
✅ Built-in AI tools to:
Draft contract-compliant notifications in minutes
Value variations and dayworks without a €70K QS
Build delay & disruption claims in hours, not weeks
And here’s the best part:
Whether you have no QS, a single QS, or a full commercial team, this system makes them devastatingly effective.
QSs don’t get this kind of training in college.
This is 25 years of in-the-trenches commercial warfare — embedded into a plug-and-play operating system.
You don’t need a commercial director.
You don’t need to hire anyone new.
You can install this into your business in a matter of weeks.
🧠 This isn’t theory or training.
It’s a Total Commercial Operating System that:
Captures every euro or pound you’re owed
Prevents profit leaks before they happen
And puts you back in control of your cashflow
All without the expensive overhead of a full commercial team.
Inside the Profit Protection System™
1. Variation Vault™
Capture, price, and get paid for variations before they leak into final account.
Templates for notices, substantiation, and pricing
AI-powered variation claim builder
Early-capture workflows
2. Daywork Lockdown™
Your defence against “he said, she said.
Pre-filled logs, instruction templates, and photo records
End-of-day signoff flow
Bulletproof documentation
3. Valuation Control Engine™
Get certified on time, in full — every month.
Interim application templates & bundling tools
Cashflow projection and compliance tracker
Late cert alert system
4. Retention Recovery Protocol™
Recover withheld funds without chasing.
Automated notice tracker
Timing prompts built around the Construction Contracts Act
Escalation templates
5. Delay & Disruption Claim Builder™
Price delays and disruption with confidence.
Evidence logs & AI-powered letters
Disruption calculators
Substantiation workflows
6. QA-QC Signoff Flow™
Reduce defects and disputes before they start.
Site checklists & sign-off sheets
Risk mitigation protocols
FLOD™ quality system integration
7. Final Account Framework™
Close jobs clean, without firefights.
Submission packs & templates
Catch missed scope, defects, and variations
Avoid disputes at the finish line
8. Set-Off Defence Toolkit™
Push back on deductions and chargebacks fast.
Counterclaim templates
Evidence checklists
Positioning playbook
Before vs. After OS
Before OS
Chasing late payments
Variations missed or cut
Retention forgotten
Disputes drain your energy
Constant firefighting
After OS
Payments on time, in full
Variations approved early
Retention recovered on time
Disputes resolved fast
Confident, controlled growth
Case Study: €175K Recovered
A subcontractor doing €2.5M turnover installed the Profit Protection System™.
Industry averages say:
3–5% of turnover is lost in missed variations/dayworks.
That’s €75K–€125K gone each year.
Add retention, delays, and set-off losses — you’re easily at €175K+ in unrecovered margin
Now imagine:
That €175K back on your bottom line.
What that means for your hiring.
What that means for your stress levels.
What that means for your life.
Your Two Choices
Right now, you can:
1. Do nothing — keep firefighting, chasing payments, and losing margin you’ve already earned.
2. Install a proven framework — plug the leaks, control your cashflow, and get paid what you’re owed.
The system is ready.
The training is free.
The only thing missing is your decision.
🔄 What This Really Means for You — Beyond the Numbers
Yes — the Profit Protection System™ can put an extra €100K–€250K on your bottom line. But the real transformation happens outside the balance sheet.
When the leaks are plugged:
Stress melts away.
No more waking up at 3 am, replaying arguments with QSs in your head. No more staring at the ceiling, wondering if you’ll make payroll. You know exactly where you stand — and exactly when money will hit your account.
Time comes back to you.
You’re not stuck in the office at 9 pm chasing certs or rebuilding a variation claim from memory. You walk out of the site gate, your phone stays in your pocket, and you sit down to dinner without your mind being somewhere else.
Confidence returns.
Instead of feeling like you’re always reacting, you’re leading. You see problems coming before they land. You issue notices without fear. You negotiate from strength — because your paperwork is airtight.
Family life feels lighter.
Holidays aren’t spent hunched over a laptop in the hotel room. You’re on the beach, phone face down, watching your kids play — actually present in the moment.
Weekends are yours again.
No more Saturdays drowning in paperwork you should have been paid for months ago. You’ve got space to focus on the bigger picture — or simply enjoy the life you’ve built.
Your team steps up.
They know exactly what’s expected, and they’ve got the tools to deliver. You’re not micromanaging — you’re leading.
This isn’t just about recovering lost profit.
It’s about recovering the life you thought running your own business would give you.
Contact US
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +353877166884
Address: The Bank Enterprise Hub,
Rosslare Harbour,
Co. Wexford.
Y35RX62
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