A general contractor
is a
licensed organization or individual that contracts with another organization
or individual (the owner) for the construction of a building, road or other
facility.
A general contractor
is defined as such if it is the signatory as the builder of the prime
construction contract for the project. A general contractor is responsible for
the means and methods to be used in the construction of the project in
accordance with the contract documents. Said contract documents usually include
the contract agreement including budget, the general and special conditions and
the plans and specification of the project that are prepared by a design
professional Such as
Architects or
Designing Home Planning
Service that use
Architect Codes and
Standards. A general contractor usually is
responsible for the supplying of all material, labor, equipment, (engineering
vehicles and tools) and services necessary for the construction of the project.
To do this it is common for the general contractor to subcontract part of the
work to other persons and companies that specialize in these types of work. For
instance
Excavating
Contractors
Carpenters,
plumbers, Dry wall installers, painters etc These are called subcontractors.
General contractors conducting work for government agencies are typically
referred to as prime contractors. The responsibilities of a prime contractors
working under a contract are essentially identical to those outlined above. In
many cases, prime contractors will delegate portions of the contract work to
subcontractors.
