Why clients ask self-employed contractors for CAE
CAE, or Coordinación de Actividades Empresariales, is used in Spain when different businesses or self-employed people work at the same site or work centre. Its purpose is to coordinate documentary and preventive requirements. The request depends on the client, the activity, the site and the work being carried out.
A self-employed person may need documents about their business activity, insurance, PRL-related requirements and—where relevant—vehicles or equipment. There is no universal list that is correct for every client, so the starting point should always be the actual email, invitation or platform request.
From first request to an organised CAE file
Start by grouping the client requirements into practical areas: self-employed contractor or company documents, worker documents if someone else will enter, vehicles or machinery, and validity dates. This makes it easier to see whether you are missing a document or simply need to upload an existing one in the right place.
If the client uses Nalanda, Dokify, CTAIMA, e-coordina, Metacontratas, Obralia or another platform, the file needs to follow that platform’s structure. The platform is the channel for the process; the client requirements still determine what is accepted.
The ongoing part: dates, new clients and rejections
For many self-employed contractors, CAE is not a single upload. A document may expire, a new client may request a different platform, or a file may be rejected because it does not meet a site-specific condition. Keeping a clear record of what is valid and what is pending reduces disruption when a new job begins.
When a document must come from an insurer, PRL service, accountant or other qualified provider, it must be issued or validated by that provider. EntraObra helps coordinate the documentation and keep track of the process; we do not replace those providers.
What support can look like
You can send the email from your client, a platform invitation and the documents you already have. We help identify what is present, what needs checking and what must be requested or updated. Where access is available, we can support uploads, documentary follow-up, expiry monitoring and rejected-document management.
This support is designed to let you focus on the contracted work rather than repeatedly deciphering platform notices. It does not guarantee entry to a worksite: final authorisation remains with the client, site owner or platform.
- Review of client requirements
- Document organisation and preparation
- Platform support and documentary follow-up
- Expiry-date and status monitoring
- Coordination with the relevant external provider when documentation is missing
A sensible first step
Do not wait until the day you need to access the site. Send the requirements as soon as you receive them, even if your documents are not complete. That makes it easier to identify which actions require time and which files are already ready to present.
If there is an urgent issue, the best information is still the real requirement and the exact platform status. Clear information gives a better starting point than a generic checklist.