How to Grant and Revoke Contractor Access Without Losing Sleep

A Construction Company’s Guide to Managing Contractor Logins the Smart Way

Construction companies live and die by contractors.

Electricians, engineers, architects, inspectors, IT vendors, consultants—your projects depend on outside people getting access to your systems so work can move forward.

The problem?
Giving access is easy. Remembering to take it away… not so much.

That’s how you end up with:

• Old accounts still active

• Former contractors who can still log in

• “We’ll remove it later” turning into never

Let’s talk about how construction companies can securely grant and automatically revoke contractor access—without chasing spreadsheets or relying on memory.

Why Contractor Access Is a Big Deal in Construction

Construction environments change constantly:

• Contractors come and go

• Projects start and end

• Teams scale up and down fast

But access doesn’t always follow the same schedule.

When contractor accounts aren’t removed:

• Old logins become security risks

• Sensitive data stays exposed

• Audits get uncomfortable

• Insurance questions get awkward

At TotalCare IT, we see this all the time. Not because anyone is careless—but because access management usually lives in someone’s head instead of a system.

The Problem With “We’ll Remember to Remove It”

Manual access management relies on:

• Emails

• Sticky notes

• Calendar reminders

• Someone remembering at the right time

That works… until it doesn’t.

Forgotten accounts—often called “ghost accounts”—are one of the easiest ways attackers get into systems. No one monitors them because no one thinks they exist.

Security shouldn’t depend on someone’s memory—especially in a fast-moving construction environment.

The Smarter Way: Group-Based Contractor Access

Instead of managing each contractor individually, construction companies should use group-based access.

Here’s the idea:

• All contractors go into one clearly labeled group

• Access rules apply to the group

• Removing someone from the group removes access everywhere

No hunting through systems. No missed accounts. One change handles everything.

Step 1: Create a Dedicated Contractor Access Group

In Microsoft Entra (formerly Azure AD), create a group with a clear name like:

• “External Contractors”

• “Temporary Project Access”

This group becomes your control point.

When a contractor starts:

• Add them to the group

When they finish:

• Remove them from the group

Simple. Clean. Repeatable.

Step 2: Enforce Strong Login Security Automatically

Contractors shouldn’t be logging in with just a password.

You can require:

• Multi-factor authentication (MFA)

• Limited session durations

• Secure sign-in methods

This ensures that even if credentials are compromised, access isn’t easily abused.

Think of it like issuing badges instead of keys—and setting them to expire.

Step 3: Limit Contractors to Only What They Need

Not every contractor needs access to everything.

A consultant might need:

• Email

• Teams

• A specific SharePoint folder

They probably don’t need:

• Financial systems

• HR data

• Company-wide file access

Using access policies, you can:

• Allow only specific apps

• Block everything else

This follows the principle of least privilege—which is just a fancy way of saying “don’t give out extra keys.”

Step 4: Set Automatic Expiration (So Access Ends on Time)

Here’s where the magic happens.

Instead of relying on reminders, you can:

• Set access to expire automatically

• Require re-authentication after a set period

• Instantly revoke access when someone is removed from the group

Once a contractor’s job ends, access ends too—automatically.

No cleanup days. No “oops, we forgot.”

Step 5: Add Extra Protection for Personal Devices

Contractors usually use their own laptops and phones. That’s fine—but it needs guardrails.

You can:

• Require secure authentication methods

• Limit access from risky devices

• Block access if security requirements aren’t met

This protects your systems without trying to manage someone else’s hardware.

What This Looks Like in the Real World

Once this is set up:

• Contractors get access quickly when they start

• Access is limited and secured automatically

• Access disappears the moment the job ends

No spreadsheets. No guesswork. No lingering accounts.

How TotalCare IT Helps Construction Companies Manage Contractor Access

At TotalCare IT, we help construction companies:

• Design secure contractor access systems

• Set up automated access policies

• Reduce risk without slowing down projects

• Eliminate forgotten accounts for good

We understand how fast construction environments move—and we design systems that keep up.

Ready to Eliminate “Ghost Accounts” for Good?

If your contractor access process depends on someone remembering to clean up later, it’s only a matter of time before something gets missed.

The fix isn’t more effort—it’s better automation.

Contact TotalCare IT today and let’s lock down contractor access without adding work to your plate.