Full definition
Subcontractor is defined as: A subcontractor is a party engaged by a supplier or contractor to perform part of the work the supplier has contracted to deliver.
Subcontracting is common in construction, facilities, IT services and creative work. The subcontractor has no direct contract with the client - the main contractor remains accountable - but the client's compliance requirements usually flow down.
Requiring the main contractor to hold a current evidence pack for every subcontractor on site is the standard way of managing this. Some sectors call it the second-tier or sub-processor register.