CGI streamlines subcontractor certified payroll compliance and enhances operational efficiency

Client Overview:

Concrete General, Inc. (CGI) is a leading heavy-civil prime contractor well known for its large-scale infrastructure projects in the Washington, D.C. metro area with a commitment to quality and expediency. The firm partnered with Kaster to streamline certified payroll processes, improve subcontractor compliance organization, and enhance internal operational efficiency.

Challenges Before Kaster:

• Disjointed Email Processes: Weekly certified payroll submissions from hundreds of subcontractors across dozens of projects were handled via a dedicated email, leading to misplaced files and inefficient retrieval.
• Manual Work & Errors: Time-consuming manual tasks like downloading, renaming, and storing files created inefficiencies, with varying methods across projects leading to inconsistent organization.
• Communication & Visibility Issues: Multiple communication channels and lack of visibility caused delays in resolving subcontractor issues and addressing compliance matters, ultimately impacting payments.

“Certified payrolls and files would get lost in a pool of emails at times, which created more work on both ends and was time-consuming.” - Kaylee Rodriguez-Torres, Administrative Assistant, Concrete General, Inc.

Implementation of Kaster:

CGI partnered with Kaster to centralize and automate its certified payroll management, with the rollout focused on three key areas:

• Centralized Storage: All certified payroll documents in one place, accessible to project engineers, subcontractors, and other relevant team members. Files were synced with a Sharepoint integration, enhancing accessibility across the organization.
• Custom Global Reports: Users could now track and manage weekly certified payroll submissions from all subcontractors and projects on a single screen, automating the process of organizing submissions and maintaining reports.
• Streamlined Subcontractor Submissions: Kaster provided an easy, efficient way for hundreds of subcontractors on dozens of projects to submit their certified payrolls weekly and update their job activity status, ensuring clear communication and compliance tracking across projects.

Feedback and Impact:

• Improved Organization & Access: Kaster centralized document storage by period and project, reducing lost files and simplifying data access.
• Streamlined Communication: Real-time chat and a global contact directory enhanced communication, fostering accountability and transparency with subcontractors.
• Efficiency & Subcontractor Adoption: The global report feature and user-friendly interface sped up data processing and increased subcontractor adoption rates.

“The global report really changed things for me… I was able to see everything on one screen, and it became a smoother process overall for the subcontractors.”

Measurable Success:

• Eliminated Payment Disruptions and Improved Cash Flow: By maintaining real-time compliance across all subcontractors, CGI eliminated the delays caused by non-compliance. This led to faster processing of payments, improving overall cash flow.
• Sustained Compliance Across All Projects: Kaster ensured continuous compliance for all subcontractors on all projects. CGI could easily track and manage submissions, preventing compliance issues from arising and maintaining owner requirements without disruptions.
• Improved Subcontractor and Owner Relations: With streamlined communication and faster resolution of compliance matters, both subcontractor and owner relations significantly improved. Subcontractors appreciated the simplified submission process, while owners benefited from timely, enhanced compliance transparency, fostering trust and better collaboration across projects.

“If we were to pull the plug on Kaster… Chaos. I don’t know what we would resort back to.” - Kaylee Rodriguez-Torres, Administrative Assistant, Concrete General, Inc.

Joseph Leiva, PE

October 30, 2024