Highwire

Highwire provides contractor prequalification assessments and field applications intended to reduce risk to capital projects and operations. Its assessments cover more than 60,000 contractors across company, finance, safety, and insurance information, with contractor-specific risk context and support for continued engagement and improvement. Field teams can use the mobile app to record inspections and findings, attach media, and share reports, including when offline. AI analytics examine contractor safety documentation to identify leading-indicator findings. Highwire connects with Procore to link projects and sync approved contract data, but that integration does not support SSO. An API provides access to contractor, project, inspection-finding, and other platform data. Highwire Companion is a browser extension for searching contractor profiles and viewing safety, compliance, and prequalification information on other websites. The platform supports SAML and OIDC single sign-on, including integrations with Okta, Microsoft Entra, and Google Workspace. Highwire offers a free plan and a client free trial, with no trial duration stated. Client pricing is a custom quote based on assessment needs and contractor count. Highwire became independent in 2008 after starting as an internal contractor risk assessment system at Harvard.

Highwire brings contractor assessments, field inspections, analytics, and integrations into a platform for project and operations risk management.

Highwire is suited to organizations managing contractor risk across capital projects and operations. Its mobile inspection tools may also fit field teams that need to record findings and share reports, including offline.

Highwire suits project owners and operations teams that need to qualify contractors and keep safety risks visible in the field. Its broad assessment coverage and inspection workflows are compelling for risk management, but custom pricing makes it a less straightforward choice for teams that need a clear cost before engaging a vendor.

Overview

Highwire assesses more than 60,000 contractors across company, financial, safety, and insurance criteria. It combines those assessments with field safety tools and contractor-specific risk context, supporting continued engagement rather than a one-time qualification decision. The company became independent in 2008 after beginning as an internal contractor risk system at Harvard.

The product also supports contractor onboarding, tax documents, and compliance management. Its focus is project and operations risk, not a general-purpose contractor payment or workforce platform.

Key features

Assessments and ongoing risk

Coverage across more than 60,000 contractors gives teams a substantial base for prequalification. The platform pairs that breadth with contractor-specific risk context and ongoing improvement workflows, which should suit organizations that need to monitor contractor readiness over time. Assessment packages and contractor volume also shape pricing, so the same flexibility that can fit different programs makes costs harder to compare upfront.

Field safety and analytics

The mobile app handles inspections, findings, media attachments, and report sharing, including offline work. That makes it better suited to field teams who need to capture conditions where connectivity may be unreliable than a qualification-only service. AI-based safety analytics examine contractor documentation for leading-indicator findings, adding a way to surface signals beyond inspection records.

Integrations and security

The Procore integration links projects and syncs approved contract data into Highwire, but it does not support SSO for that integration. Highwire separately supports SAML and OIDC single sign-on, including Okta, Microsoft Entra, and Google Workspace. Its client API covers contractor, project, inspection-finding, and other platform data; the Highwire Companion browser extension lets users search contractor profiles and view safety, compliance, and prequalification information from other websites.

Highwire lists ISO 27001:2022, SOC 2, PCI DSS, Texas RAMP, and the GDPR Data Privacy Framework Program among its third-party audits and certifications. It hosts application and data on AWS and maintains backups for point-in-time database recovery. Phone and email support, plus a Help Center with guides, tutorials, and FAQs, provide several support routes.

Pricing

Highwire uses a freemium model, with a free plan and custom client pricing. The Highwire Client Pricing plan has custom pricing based on assessment needs and contractor count, and includes Prequalification, Advanced Safety, Inspections, and Incidents. That makes it potentially suitable for organizations tailoring a risk program, but it is not possible to budget from a published plan price.

Teams comparing vendors should confirm the trial terms and request a quote based on their assessment package and contractor volume.

Platforms

Highwire supports Android, iOS, and web, with an API and browser extension for connected workflows. Offline field work is a practical advantage for inspections away from dependable connectivity.

Who it's for

Highwire is a strong fit for owners and operators of capital projects who need contractor prequalification alongside field inspections, safety analytics, and ongoing risk management. Teams already working in Procore may benefit from project and approved-contract data syncing, though they should account for the integration's lack of SSO support. Organizations seeking contractor payments, global payroll, or broad workforce administration should consider a more specialized alternative.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Assessments cover more than 60,000 contractors and multiple risk dimensions, giving project teams a broad prequalification base.
• Pros: Offline inspections, media attachments, and report sharing support field safety workflows beyond initial screening.
• Pros: API access, Procore syncing, SSO options, and a browser extension offer several ways to connect contractor information to daily work.
• Cons: Client pricing depends on package and contractor count, so teams cannot readily compare full costs from published rates.
• Cons: Procore integration does not support SSO, a gap for organizations that expect single sign-on across connected systems.
• Cons: The product is centered on project risk, not contractor pay or broad workforce management.

Alternatives

For contractor management options, see Contractor Management Software.

• Magnit VMS is a paid alternative with Android, iOS, web, and API support; its pricing requires contacting Magnit for a demo.
• Ontop is a paid platform with a free plan and no free trial. Its Ontop Reserve plan is $14.90 a month, with cashback and transfer benefits subject to category eligibility and monthly caps.
• WorkMarket is a paid alternative available on Android, iOS, web, and API; its Recurring Edition price requires login to view.
• Native Teams is a paid option without a free plan; Contractor Pay starts at €19 a month per employee.
• Payoneer Workforce Management offers a Contractor Management System at $19 a month per contractor, with payments, invoices, expenses, and support for 70+ currencies; pricing may vary by country.
• Deel is a paid workforce option without a free plan; its Core plan is $5 a month and includes worker profiles, organizational charts, time off, workflows, approvals, and people analytics.
• YourTradebase is a paid alternative with a free trial and a £29 a month plan, without long-term contracts.
• Papaya Global is a paid option without a free plan; its Payroll Plus plan is $29 a month and focuses on managed global payroll and related processes.

Verdict

Choose Highwire if contractor qualification and continuing field safety oversight are central to your capital projects or operations. Its combination of broad assessments, offline inspections, analytics, and integrations makes it a focused risk-management platform. Look elsewhere if you need transparent published pricing or a broader contractor-pay and workforce suite.