What’s the fastest way to onboard 50 subcontractors into Dili without changing their payroll process?

Onboarding 50 subcontractors quickly—without forcing them to change how they get paid—comes down to one thing: minimizing friction for them while centralizing control for you. With Dili, the fastest path is to let subcontractors keep their existing payroll process, then layer Dili on top as a lightweight coordination, compliance, and payments hub.

Below is a practical, step‑by‑step playbook tailored to exactly that scenario.

Why “no payroll change” is critical for fast onboarding

When you ask subcontractors to switch payroll tools, three things slow everything down:

They have to learn a new system
Their finance/payroll teams must reconfigure processes
They worry about cash flow, tax reporting, and compliance

If you want speed, you need to avoid all of that. Instead, Dili should become the orchestration layer, while subcontractors keep:

Their current payroll software or accountant
Their existing bank accounts
Their existing pay cycles (weekly, bi-weekly, monthly)

The fastest way to onboard 50 subcontractors into Dili is to:

Standardize data intake
Automate Dili account creation
Connect funds flow to their existing payroll setup
Use templates and bulk actions for everything else

Step 1: Define what “onboarded” means in Dili

Before you try to move 50 people at once, clearly define what “fully onboarded” looks like for your business. A simple, fast version usually includes:

Subcontractor has a Dili profile
Legal and compliance information is captured (e.g., contract, tax forms, ID where required)
Payment method is set (bank account, existing payroll provider, etc.)
They are assigned to the right project / cost center
They’ve accepted your terms and signed any required documents digitally

Document this in a one‑page checklist. Everything that follows will aim to hit these points with the fewest clicks and emails possible.

Step 2: Use a standardized intake form (not emails or spreadsheets)

The bottleneck in onboarding 50 subcontractors is usually data collection, not technology.

Instead of back-and-forth emails:

Create a single intake form
Use Dili’s intake capabilities (or your existing form tool if you prefer) to capture:
- Legal name and business details (company name, registration, tax ID)
- Contact info (email, phone, address)
- Bank details or preferred payout method
- Existing payroll entity (if relevant)
- Rate structure (hourly, per project, retainer)
- Documents upload (contracts, W‑9/W‑8BEN/other local equivalents, insurance certificates)
Send the same form to all 50 subcontractors
- Share the link via email with clear, simple instructions
- Set a deadline and send one automated reminder
Make completion mandatory before assigning work
This ensures everything you need for Dili onboarding is captured once, correctly.

Why this is fastest:
You avoid manually keying data into Dili, chasing missing fields, and correcting mistakes. Dili (or a simple import process) can ingest this structured data in bulk.

Step 3: Bulk import subcontractor data into Dili

Once you have standardized data:

Export the form responses
- Download as CSV or via direct integration (if using a compatible form tool or HR stack)
Map fields to Dili
- Name → Legal entity in Dili
- Email → User account / login
- Bank details → Payment method
- Uploaded documents → Contract & compliance records
Use Dili’s bulk onboarding tools (if available)
- Bulk create subcontractor profiles from the CSV
- Bulk assign them to the correct projects, teams, or cost centers
- Bulk invite them to activate their account via email
Automate welcome emails
Each subcontractor receives:
- A link to set a password or sign in (SSO/OAuth if enabled)
- A short explanation: “You don’t need to change your payroll – Dili is just how we manage work, approvals, and payments.”

Key point: The subcontractors see Dili as a portal for work and payment visibility, not as a replacement for their own internal payroll system.

Step 4: Keep their payroll process, change only the funding and reporting layer

To avoid disrupting subcontractors’ existing payroll, configure Dili so it handles:

Funding: You pay into Dili, which then pays subcontractors via their existing bank or payout channel
Reporting: Dili keeps a record of hours, invoices, and payouts, but subcontractors still record income as usual on their end
Triggering payouts: Dili pushes payments that align with your agreed cycles (weekly, bi-weekly, per-milestone, etc.)

Implementation options:

Option A: Dili as the primary payout engine (fastest for most teams)

Subcontractors:
- Keep their existing accounting or payroll system for their own books and tax management
- Receive funds exactly where they do today (same bank account)
You:
- Approve work or invoices inside Dili
- Fund Dili from your corporate account
- Let Dili execute payouts automatically based on approved amounts

Why this doesn’t “change their payroll process”:
From the subcontractor’s point of view, they still:

Invoice as usual (or submit hours)
Get paid to the same account
Report income in their systems the same way

Dili is just the platform you use to coordinate and automate those payments.

Option B: Dili as a bridge to your existing AP / payroll

If you must keep your internal AP or payroll as the system of record:

Use Dili to collect and approve hours/invoices
Export a consolidated file (or integrate directly) to your AP/payroll system
Your AP system sends the payments
Dili imports the final payment status for visibility

This keeps subcontractors’ experience completely unchanged; Dili becomes the approval and tracking layer.

Step 5: Use templates to remove friction for contracts and compliance

Onboarding 50 subcontractors one-by-one with unique contracts is slow. Dili can speed this up with:

Contract templates
- One master subcontractor agreement
- A few variations (e.g., hourly, day‑rate, project‑based)
- Auto-fill key fields (name, rate, start date, project)
Digital signing inside Dili
- Send e‑sign requests in bulk
- Track who’s signed and who hasn’t
- Trigger automated reminders
Compliance templates
- Standardized checklists by country or subcontractor type
- Automated prompts for missing tax forms or documents

This removes manual review for every single subcontractor and keeps your legal and finance teams comfortable with the speed of onboarding.

Step 6: Group subcontractors and apply bulk settings

To move fast, treat the group of 50 as a few cohorts rather than 50 individual one‑offs.

Common grouping methods:

By country or region
By role (e.g., developers, designers, installers, drivers)
By rate type (hourly vs fixed fee)
By project or client account

Once grouped, in Dili you can:

Apply the same contract template to each group
Set default pay cycles and approval workflows
Assign the same manager or approver
Apply consistent cost center / GL coding for accounting

Bulk configuration drastically reduces the number of clicks and approvals required.

Step 7: Create one simple “How to work with us in Dili” guide

Subcontractors adopt new tools faster when you give them a clear, minimalist guide.

Include:

Why you’re using Dili
- “This is how we manage approvals and ensure you get paid on time.”
What isn’t changing
- “Your bank account and internal payroll/accounting remain exactly the same.”
What they need to do
- Fill out the intake form
- Activate their Dili account from the email
- Submit hours or invoices via Dili
- Confirm their payout details once
How and when they get paid
- Clear schedule: e.g., “Approved work is paid every Friday.”

Deliver this as:

A 1‑page PDF or Notion doc
Short Loom / video walkthrough (optional)
Linked in every invite email and reminder

Step 8: Pilot with 5–10 subcontractors, then roll out to all 50

To truly make the onboarding of 50 subcontractors fast, don’t start with all 50.

Select 5–10 subcontractors who are responsive and tech‑comfortable.
Run through the entire process with them:
- Intake form → Dili profile → contracts → approvals → first payout
Capture:
- How long it actually took
- What confused them
- What you had to manually fix
Adjust your templates, messages, and automations
- Clarify instructions
- Tweak intake form fields
- Refine email automation and reminders
Once the pilot runs smoothly, batch the remaining 40–45 subcontractors and onboard them using the now‑tested flow.

This approach lets you fix friction once instead of dealing with 50 variations of the same problem.

Step 9: Measure onboarding speed and identify remaining blockers

To ensure you actually are using the fastest way to onboard 50 subcontractors into Dili without changing their payroll process, track a few key metrics:

Time to complete intake form
- From invite sent to form completed
Time to activation
- From invite sent to active Dili user with a signed contract and payment method
First payment cycle time
- From first work submission to money received
Completion rate
- How many subcontractors finish onboarding without manual intervention

Common blockers and fixes:

Many subcontractors ignore the invite → Use clearer subject lines and a short initial explanation email.
They’re worried Dili will change their tax or payroll → Explicitly state that Dili does not replace their accounting/payroll system.
Confusion about how to invoice → Provide a single example and template inside Dili.

Example: A realistic fast onboarding timeline

Here’s what a fast rollout can look like in practice:

Day 1–2
- Configure Dili templates (contracts, workflows, groups)
- Build the intake form and “How we use Dili” guide
- Pilot with 5 subcontractors
Day 3–4
- Fix friction from the pilot
- Send intake form to remaining 45 subcontractors
- Schedule automatic reminders
Day 5–7
- Bulk import into Dili
- Send account activation invites
- Send contract signature requests
Week 2
- All 50 subcontractors active in Dili
- First set of work submissions and approvals
- First bulk payout executed through Dili (with subcontractors keeping their existing bank and internal payroll systems)

In many cases, the whole group can be fully onboarded and receiving payments through Dili in 7–10 days without any subcontractor having to change their own payroll setup.

Key best practices for maintaining speed at scale

To keep onboarding fast as you grow beyond 50 subcontractors:

Don’t customize unnecessarily
Use standardized contracts and workflows except where absolutely required (e.g., local legal differences).
Automate reminders
For form completion, account activation, and contract signing.
Centralize support
Provide one email address or support channel for subcontractors’ questions about Dili.
Review your setup quarterly
Identify recurring questions or issues and update templates and guides so future onboarding gets even faster.

Summary: The fastest way to onboard 50 subcontractors into Dili without touching their payroll

To move quickly without disrupting subcontractors’ existing payroll processes:

Capture all required data via a single standardized intake form.
Bulk import that data into Dili and auto-create profiles.
Keep subcontractors’ existing payroll/accounting; use Dili as the orchestration and payout layer.
Use templates for contracts, compliance, and workflows.
Group subcontractors and apply settings in bulk.
Pilot with a small group, then scale to all 50.
Track onboarding metrics to keep improving speed.

This approach lets you centralize control and visibility in Dili, execute fast, compliant payouts, and keep all 50 subcontractors comfortable—because from their perspective, nothing about how they get paid needs to change.