In Procore, the trade list is used to link companies in your company or project directory to specific trades. When you add trade names and associations to companies, you can quickly filter records while managing bids, tenders, inspections, or other activities across different modules. This not only streamlines communication but also ensures the accuracy of your project data. Whether you are managing bids, daily logs, or defect lists, you'll find that a well-maintained trade list helps improve efficiency and reporting across the board.
For many construction companies, especially those handling multiple trades on a single project, using the trade list in Procore helps create order in what might otherwise be a chaotic directory. By associating trade information with companies, you can quickly filter and locate specific vendors when creating bids or tenders. This organization ensures consistency in project documentation and helps generate custom reports that identify project needs by trade.
The trade list functionality also helps keep your directory clean and prevents duplicate entries from cluttering your system. When properly implemented, it transforms your vendor list from a simple directory into a powerful database that supports multiple aspects of project management. This organization becomes particularly valuable as projects grow in complexity and involve numerous subcontractors.
Adding trades to your Procore directory transforms it from a simple contact list into a strategic asset for your construction projects. When companies are linked with trade information, the directory becomes an organized database that supports efficient filtering and searching. Without proper trade classifications, you might struggle with duplicate entries or mismatched information that lead to errors in contracts, bids, or project schedules.
Trade classifications significantly improve bidding and tendering processes by making it clear which vendors specialize in which areas. By associating trades with company records, you reinforce accurate filtering and reporting capabilities. This means when you run a custom report or create a bid invitation, you can easily set filters based on trade to ensure only relevant subcontractors are considered for particular aspects of the project.
The benefits extend beyond just organization—they create a foundation for better decision-making throughout the project lifecycle. With properly classified trades, project managers can quickly identify which subcontractors to contact for specific work requirements. This efficiency saves valuable time during critical project phases and helps maintain momentum when addressing unexpected challenges.
Your trade list also improves accountability by clearly defining which companies are responsible for specific work categories. This clarity becomes invaluable during quality control processes, when assigning responsibility for corrections, or when evaluating performance for future project consideration. The small effort of maintaining an accurate trade list pays dividends throughout the entire project timeline.
Trades in Procore aren't limited to just one tool—they interact with various modules throughout the platform. In bidding and tendering tools, trade information helps match the right vendors to specific tender opportunities. This ensures that specialized work is only offered to qualified contractors, improving both efficiency and quality outcomes.
Daily log tools benefit from trade associations by ensuring the correct trade is notified and can act promptly when issues arise. When daily construction reports include trade information, it becomes easier to track which subcontractors were on site and what work was completed on any given day. This documentation proves invaluable for progress tracking and dispute resolution.
Directory filters become more powerful when trade information is properly maintained. Once a trade is deleted, it no longer appears as a filter option, which helps maintain data accuracy across the platform. This automatic updating ensures that users always see relevant, current information when making important project decisions.
Trade details enhance inspections and observations by clarifying the scope of work during quality evaluations. When inspectors can easily identify which trade completed specific work, they can provide more targeted feedback and ensure the right teams address any issues. Similarly, adding trade information to photos or defect items enables seamless tracking and assignment within the project.
Before adding trades to your Procore system, understanding the necessary permissions is essential for successful implementation. To add or create a custom trade, you will need 'Admin' level permissions in the Company Level Admin tool. This restriction ensures that only authorized personnel can modify the trade list that team members rely on for project organization.
User permissions form the foundation of effective trade list management. Always confirm that your role includes 'Admin' permissions before attempting to add, edit, or update trades. Without these permissions, you'll be unable to make changes to the trade list, which can cause frustration and delays in project setup.
Understanding the difference between company-level and project-level permissions is crucial for trade management. Adding trades occurs at the company level, which then reflects across all project directories, bidding tools, and other modules. This hierarchical structure ensures consistency across your organization while allowing for customization at the project level when necessary.
When establishing your trade list, consistency in naming conventions prevents confusion and duplicate entries. Develop standardized naming practices for trades and communicate these standards to all administrators. Remember that a company record can have multiple trade associations, providing flexibility to link several trades to a single company when appropriate.
Adding trades to your Procore system follows a straightforward process that begins with proper navigation. Start by logging into Procore with your admin credentials and navigate to the Company Level Admin tool from your dashboard. This centralized location houses all company-wide settings, including the trade list management features.
Once in the Admin tool, locate and click on "Company Settings" in the left-hand sidebar. Under this section, you'll find the "Trades" option where all trade list management takes place. This dedicated area allows administrators to view existing trades and add new ones as needed for project organization.
The actual process of adding a trade is simple and direct:
After adding the trade, verify that it appears correctly in your list and check that the spelling and active status are as intended. Once confirmed, your new trade becomes immediately available across Procore's various tools, enhancing your ability to organize vendors and track work by specialty.
Maintaining an effective trade list requires ongoing attention and standardized practices. Consistent naming conventions form the foundation of a well-organized trade list. Decide on standard terminology for common trades—for example, choosing between "HVAC" (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) and spelling out the full term—and apply these standards consistently throughout your organization.
Regular reviews of your trade list prevent common issues before they impact your projects. Schedule quarterly audits to identify and merge duplicates, remove outdated entries, and ensure all information remains current and relevant. These maintenance sessions keep your directory clean and your filtering options precise, which improves overall system usability.
Effective trade list management depends on proper training and clear guidelines. The following elements should be part of your trade management strategy:
For larger organizations, coordination between teams becomes essential for trade list integrity. The administrators who manage the Company Directory should maintain regular communication with project managers and team leads. This collaboration ensures the trade list accurately reflects current project requirements and organizational structure, preventing disconnects between office and field operations.
The trade list functionality in Procore delivers practical benefits across numerous project activities. When creating bids or tenders, project managers can filter potential vendors by trade, ensuring that only qualified subcontractors receive bid invitations. This targeted approach saves time and improves the quality of responses by focusing on vendors with relevant expertise.
Daily logs and manpower tracking become more meaningful when trade information is properly integrated. Site supervisors can easily document which trades were present on any given day and what work was completed. This detailed tracking creates a comprehensive record of project progress that proves valuable for scheduling, billing, and dispute resolution.
Inspection processes benefit significantly from proper trade classifications. When quality control teams conduct inspections, they can associate findings with specific trades, streamlining the communication of issues to responsible parties. This direct routing of information accelerates resolution and helps maintain project momentum during critical phases.
Photos and documentation gain context and searchability when associated with trade information. Project teams can quickly filter media by trade to find relevant images or documentation. This organization becomes particularly valuable during project closeout or when addressing warranty issues, as historical records can be easily retrieved based on trade classifications.
Even with careful setup, users occasionally encounter issues with trade list functionality. Duplicate entries represent one of the most common problems in trade list management. Over time, similar trade names may be created by different administrators, leading to confusion and inefficient filtering.
The solution to duplicate entries involves regular audits and standardization. Use Procore's merge feature, available to Company Level Admin users, to combine duplicate entries without losing associated data. This cleanup not only streamlines the directory but ensures that all related projects reference the correct, standardized trade names.
Missing trade filters in reports can frustrate users attempting to analyze project data. When trades don't appear as expected in filtering options, verify these potential causes:
Permission-related issues sometimes prevent users from managing the trade list effectively. If a user cannot add or edit trades despite having apparent access to the Admin tool, verify their specific permission level. Only users with 'Admin' level permissions on the Company Level Admin tool can create or modify trade entries, regardless of their permissions in other areas of the platform.
Custom reports become significantly more powerful when they incorporate trade information. By including trade fields in your report configurations, you can generate targeted analyses that provide valuable insights into project performance. These reports can highlight which trades are meeting deadlines, exceeding budgets, or requiring additional quality control attention.
Setting up trade-based reports requires thoughtful configuration. Start by identifying which metrics matter most for trade performance on your projects. Common measurements include labor hours, material costs, quality issues, and schedule adherence. Once you've determined your key metrics, build custom reports that group this data by trade to reveal patterns and opportunities for improvement.
Trade-based reporting delivers practical benefits throughout the project lifecycle:
These insights transform your trade list from a simple organizational tool into a strategic asset that supports data-driven decision making. By leveraging trade information in your reporting strategy, you gain visibility into performance patterns that might otherwise remain hidden in project data.
Consider a commercial construction project involving dozens of subcontractors across multiple specialties. Before project kickoff, the project management team accesses the Company Level Admin tool to add trades like "Electrical," "Plumbing," "HVAC," "Concrete," and "Drywall." Each trade is carefully named according to company standards to ensure consistency across projects.
Next, the team updates vendor records in the Company Directory, tagging each with appropriate trade classifications. Some vendors receive multiple trade tags to reflect their diverse capabilities. This detailed classification ensures that when generating bid lists, the team can filter precisely by trade requirement, sending electrical work only to qualified electrical contractors.
With the foundation established, the project team creates custom reports that detail all vendors by trade. These reports support both bidding processes and ongoing management, making it easy to identify which trades are represented on the project and which might require additional vendor options. The reports also help identify potential resource conflicts when multiple trades need to work in the same areas.
Throughout construction, site supervisors use trade-associated filters in daily logs and inspections to record work progress by specialty. When quality issues arise—such as a plumbing installation that doesn't meet specifications—the trade filter allows the team to quickly identify the responsible vendor and initiate corrective action. This targeted communication accelerates resolution and helps maintain the project schedule.
Trade classifications significantly improve communication efficiency on construction projects. When issues arise in the field, having clear trade associations allows for targeted communication rather than broad announcements. This precision ensures that only relevant parties receive notifications, reducing information overload and focusing attention where it's needed most.
Project meetings become more productive when organized by trade. Rather than having all subcontractors attend every coordination meeting, project managers can schedule focused sessions with specific trades to address their unique challenges and requirements. This targeted approach respects everyone's time while ensuring thorough communication about critical issues.
Trade-based communication extends beyond the immediate project team to include owners and stakeholders. When providing project updates, organizing information by trade creates logical categories that help non-technical stakeholders understand progress and challenges. This structured communication builds confidence in the project management approach and demonstrates professional organization.
Documentation organized by trade creates valuable historical records for future reference. When warranty issues arise or when planning similar projects, teams can quickly access trade-specific information from previous work. This knowledge management approach preserves institutional learning and helps prevent recurring issues on future projects.
The trade list functionality represents just one aspect of Procore's comprehensive construction management platform. By fully implementing trade classifications, you leverage more of your software investment and create connections between different modules. This integration maximizes return on investment by enhancing functionality across the entire platform.
Training team members on proper trade list usage ensures consistent implementation throughout your organization. Consider developing quick reference guides that explain how to add trades, associate them with companies, and use trade filters in various modules. These resources help new users adopt best practices quickly and maintain system integrity as your team grows.
Regular evaluation of your trade list structure helps identify opportunities for improvement. As your business evolves, you may need to add new trades, consolidate existing ones, or adjust naming conventions to better reflect industry terminology. This ongoing refinement ensures your trade list remains aligned with your organizational needs and industry standards.
Remember that your Procore implementation partner or the Procore support team can provide guidance on optimizing your trade list configuration. These resources often have experience with similar organizations and can share best practices that have proven successful in comparable environments. Don't hesitate to leverage these expertise sources when refining your approach to trade management.
Adding and maintaining trades in Procore might seem like a minor administrative task, but it creates a foundation for efficient project management across your entire organization. With a well-structured trade list, your team gains powerful filtering capabilities, improved reporting options, and enhanced communication tools that save time and reduce errors throughout the project lifecycle.
The process requires minimal time investment but delivers significant returns in organizational efficiency. Begin by reviewing your current trade list for consistency and completeness, then establish standard naming conventions that align with your industry terminology. Train your administrative team on proper trade management procedures and schedule regular maintenance reviews to keep your system optimized.
Remember that the true value of trade classification emerges when it's consistently applied across all projects and modules. Encourage project teams to properly associate trades with vendors and activities, and demonstrate how these associations enhance reporting and communication capabilities. By making trade management a standard part of your Procore workflow, you'll build a more organized, efficient construction management system that supports your company's growth and success.