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Sharing & Visibility Rules

Summary

Sharing & Visibility Rules define who can see what inside BuilderPal—across projects, documents, tasks, and communication. BuilderPal keeps each team’s internal work private while surfacing only the information required for collaboration between General Contractors (GCs) and Subcontractors.

Why It Matters

The problem: Construction teams need structured collaboration, not oversharing. GCs must coordinate multiple trades, while subcontractors must protect their internal workflows and documents.

The benefit: BuilderPal creates a clean separation between teams while automatically surfacing the information needed to work together—reducing confusion, preventing oversharing, and keeping every team in control of its own work.

How It Works

1. Project Ownership

BuilderPal uses project ownership to determine what each team can see.

GC-Owned Projects

The GC’s team can see:

  • All GC-owned projects
  • All tasks, documents, schedules, and job chats within those projects
  • All subcontractor surface-level documents (not the sub’s full project)

Subcontractor-Owned Projects

Created automatically when the GC awards a subcontract.

GC teams:

  • Cannot open the subcontractor’s project
  • Only see surfaced information relevant to the subcontracted scope
  • Cannot see the sub’s schedule, internal tasks, or documents not uploaded by the sub

Subcontractor teams:

  • Do not see the GC’s full project
  • Only see the tasks and documents that the GC assigns or shares

2. What Subcontractors Can See

Subs can see:

  • Tasks assigned to them by the GC
  • Tasks created inside their subcontractor project
  • Files the GC shares downward
  • Their private GC↔Sub job chat
  • The optional general project chat (if they choose to join)

Subs cannot see:

  • The GC’s project
  • Other subcontractors
  • GC internal schedules, documents, or communication
  • The GC’s team members unless shared on an action

3. What the GC Can See From Subcontractors

GCs cannot access the subcontractor’s actual project.

Instead, BuilderPal surfaces the subcontractor’s uploads into:

A. GC Project → Subcontractors Page → Documents Module

Shows:

  • Files uploaded by the subcontractor into their own project
  • Files the GC has shared with them

B. GC Project → Documents → Subcontractors Folder

One folder per subcontractor, containing:

  • All documents the sub uploaded (surfaced)
  • Any GC-shared documents

GCs cannot see:

  • The subcontractor’s internal tasks
  • The subcontractor’s project schedule
  • The subcontractor’s internal documents unless uploaded through their project

4. Document Sharing Rules

When Subs Upload Documents

Subs upload into their subcontractor project, not into the GC’s folders.

BuilderPal then automatically mirrors their documents upstream into:

  • GC Project → Subcontractors module
  • GC Project → Documents → Subcontractors folder

Subs never upload into:

  • “Shared From Contractor” (this is read-only for GC-shared files)
  • GC project folders

When GCs Share Documents

GC files shared downward appear in the subcontractor’s project in:

  • Shared From Contractor (read-only)

5. Schedule Visibility

Subcontractors See:

  • Only tasks assigned to them
  • Tasks they’ve created inside their subcontractor project

Subs do not see:

  • GC’s full schedule
  • Other trades
  • GC sequencing unless manually exported and shared

GC Sees:

  • All GC tasks
  • All tasks assigned to subcontractors
  • Any sub-created tasks that fall within their subcontractor project scope

6. Job Chat Visibility

Each subcontractor has:

A. A private GC ↔ Sub chat channel

  • Exclusive to the GC team and that subcontractor’s team
  • Used for scope-specific questions, updates, files

B. A general project chat channel (optional for everyone)

  • No one is auto-added
  • GC team and subs may join if they choose

Subs cannot access:

  • GC-only channels
  • Other subcontractor channels

7. Task & Activity Visibility

Subcontractors Can See:

  • Tasks assigned by the GC
  • Tasks they create themselves

GCs Can See:

  • All GC tasks
  • Tasks assigned to subcontractors
  • Tasks subcontractors create as part of their subcontracted work

GCs cannot see:

  • Internal subcontractor tasks inside the subcontractor project unless surfaced

8. My Tasks Workspace Visibility

The My Tasks Workspace is personal to each user.

  • Belongs to the user, not the team
  • GC Admins cannot see anyone else’s My Tasks Workspace
  • Subcontractors cannot see GC workspaces
  • Only tasks assigned to you or created by you appear here

It functions as a personal organizational dashboard—completely private unless you choose to invite someone.

Real-World Example

  1. A GC awards a plumbing subcontract.
  2. BuilderPal creates a Plumber Subcontractor Project (owned by the plumber).
  3. The GC assigns tasks to the plumber.
  4. The plumber uploads drawings → they surface automatically into the GC’s subcontractor folders.
  5. The GC shares updated site drawings → they appear in the plumber’s Shared From Contractor folder.
  6. Both teams communicate in the private GC↔Plumber chat channel.
  7. No team sees information unrelated to their scope.

When to Use This Article

Use these rules when you need to understand:

  • Why subcontractors cannot see the full project
  • Why GC cannot open subcontractor projects
  • Where subcontractor files show up for the GC
  • How tasks and schedules stay separated yet coordinated
  • How job chat channels are structured
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