Collision Repair Sublet Management

Define the handoff before booking

Open one entry for each outside service, even when several services share a vendor. Identify the RO, vehicle, VIN, requested operation, vendor contact, and internal owner. State whether the vehicle will leave the shop or the vendor will work on site. An on-site service still needs a scheduled time, scope, and completion record.

Separate the commercial authorization from the technical requirements. Confirm who approved the work, the agreed amount or limit, and what requires another approval. Provide the vendor with relevant repair information through the shop's approved sharing process. Record the documents sent and the contact who accepted the booking rather than relying on a voicemail or an unacknowledged message.

Track the fields that drive action

Use the sublet follow-up worksheet as a shared follow-up list. Keep these fields visible without opening a separate message thread:

• Vehicle and location: RO, VIN or unit reference, current physical location, and departure or arrival time.
• Vendor and commitment: named contact, requested service, scheduled slot, and promised return or on-site completion.
• Required evidence: the report or document called for by the applicable repair plan and current OEM information, with received and reviewed status.
• Invoice: quoted amount, final invoice reference, verified cost, and any unresolved difference.
• Ownership: internal follow-up owner, next contact time, latest response, and next action.

Keep “work finished,” “vehicle returned,” “report reviewed,” and “invoice received” as separate states. A single completed checkbox conceals which part of the handoff remains open.

Make the next call specific

Consider an illustrative RO booked with an outside vendor on Tuesday, with return promised Wednesday at 2 p.m. At Wednesday's morning review, the owner confirms that the vendor has the vehicle and asks whether the agreed completion time still holds. The record shows who answered and when the next update is due.

If return moves to Thursday morning, record the reason and the new commitment without deleting the original. Check the effect on remaining assembly, inspection, and delivery planning. Then update the advisor with a concrete dependency: “Vendor return moved to Thursday morning; final inspection follows return.” An unexplained change to the delivery date leaves everyone else to reconstruct the cause.

A missed promised time should produce an assigned follow-up, not merely an older row. Escalate through the shop's agreed vendor contacts when a response or revised commitment is missing.

Use current OEM requirements

The sublet worksheet coordinates the work; it does not prescribe a scan, calibration, alignment, or other technical procedure. A qualified person must identify the applicable requirements using current information for the specific vehicle, equipment, and repair. Do not assume a generic vendor package satisfies every operation in the repair plan.

For example, Honda's collision repair library provides separate resources for post-collision diagnostic scanning and calibration requirements and for aiming driving support systems. Use the current manufacturer information to define the scope and evidence required for that job.

When a report arrives, route it to the responsible qualified reviewer. Confirm that it identifies the intended vehicle and work and that unresolved findings have an owner. An invoice saying “calibration” or a file attached to the RO is not, by itself, technical acceptance of the completed work.

Close the work and the cost

On return, record the vehicle's arrival and condition through the shop's normal process. Confirm that the requested service is complete, required evidence is received and reviewed, and remaining repair or inspection work is scheduled. If the vendor identifies extra work, document the new scope and authorization before treating it as part of the original instruction.

Match the final invoice to the agreed work and approved changes. Record the cost against the correct RO and compare it with the billed sublet amount. A missing invoice remains an exception; it is never a zero-dollar cost. If a credit is expected, follow it separately until the credit is verified.

Review repeated delays with the vendor using the actual booking, promise, return, and evidence dates. Distinguish a scheduling delay from time spent waiting for authorization, parts, a report, or an invoice. Each needs a different corrective action.

Keep sublets visible with the repair

AutoHound keeps sublet details and supporting documents on the repair order. Its Sublet Aging report tracks unfinished sublets, including off-site and on-site work, with overdue dates and contact details for follow-up. The workflow supports the shop's coordination and documentation; technical requirements still come from the applicable OEM information.

Shop checklist

• Confirm the vendor, scope, authorization, internal owner, and booking acceptance.
• Record physical location separately from work status.
• Set a promised return or completion time and a next follow-up.
• Identify required OEM-related reports and assign a qualified reviewer.
• Verify return, work acceptance, and remaining production steps.
• Match the invoice and verify credits before closing the cost record.

All worked examples are illustrative, not customer results or industry benchmarks. This guide covers shop workflow and recordkeeping, not legal, tax, or accounting advice. Confirm requirements with your qualified advisers.