The general contractor is a manager, and
possibly a tradesman, employed by the client on the advice of the architect,
engineer or the architactural technologist or the client him/herself
if acting as the manager. A general contractor is responsible for the overall
coordination of a project. A general contractor must first assess the
project-specific documents (referred to as bid, proposal or tender documents).
In the case of renovations, a site visit is required to get a better
understanding of the project. Depending on the project delivery method, the
contractor will submit a fixed price proposal or bid, cost plus price or an
estimate. The general contractor considers the cost of home office overhead,
general conditions, materials and equipment as well as the cost of labor to
provide the owner with a price for the project.
Contract documents include drawings, project
manual (including general, supplementary and/or special conditions and
specifications), addendum or modifications issued prior to proposal/ bidding
and prepared by a design professional such as an architect. The general
contractor may be the construction manager or construction manager at high
risk. General
Responsibilities
A general contractor is responsible for
providing all of the material, labor, equipment (such as engeneering vehicles and
tools) and services necessary for the construction of the project. The general
contractor hires specialized subcontractors to perform all or portions of
the construction work.
The General Contractor is also responsible for
the quality of all work performed by any and all subcontractors. The General
Contractor's number one priority is safety on the jobsite.
Responsibilities may include applying for
building permits, advising the person they are hired by, securing the property,
providing temporary utilities on site, managing personnel on site, providing
site surveying and engineering, disposing or recycling of construction waste,
monitoring schedules and cash flows, and maintaining accurate records.
General
contractor example
A
property owner or real estate developer develops
a program of their needs and select a site (often with an architect). The
architect assembles a design team of consulting engineers and other experts to design the
building and specify the building systems. Today contractors frequently
participate on the design team by providing pre-design services such as
providing estimations of the budget and scheduling requirements to improve the
economy of the project. In other cases the general contractor is hired at the
close of the design phase. The owner, architect, and general contractor work
closely together to meet deadlines and budget. The general contractor works
with subcontractors to ensure quality standards.
