667:. General Contractors build their business by networking with potential clients, buying basic construction tools, and ensuring that their subcontractors complete high-quality work. General Contractors do not usually complete much construction work themselves, but they need to be familiar with construction techniques so they can manage workers effectively. Other reasons include access to specialist skills, flexible hiring and firing, and lower costs.
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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; subcontractors specialise in areas such as electrical wiring, plumbing, masonry, etc.
683:
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
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General contractors who conduct work for government agencies are often referred to as "builders". This term is also used in contexts where the customer's immediate general contractor is permitted to sub-contract or circumstances are likely to involve sub-contracting to specialist operators e.g. in
534:
An Act To eliminate the practice by subcontractors, under cost-plus-a-fixed-fee or cost reimbursable contacts of the United States, of paying fees or kick-backs, or of granting gifts or gratuities to employees of a cost-plus-a-fixed-fee or cost reimbursable prime contractors or of higher tier
418:, the general 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.
452:
A general contractor's 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
509:, the terms general contractor (or simply "contractor"), prime contractor and main contractor are often interchangeable when referring to small local companies that perform residential work. These companies are represented by trade organizations such as the
382:, a contractor may be a sole proprietor managing a project and performing labor or carpentry work, have a small staff, or may be a very large company managing billion dollar projects. Some builders build new homes, some are remodelers, some are developers.
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when issuing contracts for construction work, and thus the term 'general contractor' fell out of use except in large organizations where the main contractor is the top manager and a general contractor shares responsibilities with professional contractors.
421:
Contract documents may include drawings, project manuals (including general, supplementary, or special conditions and specifications), and addendum or modifications issued prior to proposal/bidding and prepared by a design professional, such as an
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Experience in the construction industry as well as references from customers, business partners, or former employers are demanded. Some jurisdictions require candidates to provide proof of financing to own their own general contracting firm.
413:
A general contractor must first assess the project-specific documents (referred to as a 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
445:
to perform all or portions of the construction work. When using subcontractors, the general contractor is responsible for overseeing the quality of all work performed by any and all of the workers and subcontractors.
545:
Licensing requirements to work legally on construction projects vary from locale to locale. In the United States, there are no federal licensing requirements to become a general contractor, but most
557:
With a few exceptions, all businesses or individuals who work on any building, highway, road, parking facility, railroad, excavation, or other structure in
California must be licensed by the
449:
It is a best practice for general contractors to prioritize safety on the job site, and they are generally responsible for ensuring that work takes place following safe practices.
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countries, the term 'general contractor' was gradually superseded by builders during the early twentieth century. This was the term used by major professional, trade, and
429:
Prior to formal appointment, the selected general contractor to whom a client proposes to award a contract is often referred to as a "preferred contractor".
1045:
Carril, Rodrigo; Duggan, Mark (2020). "The impact of industry consolidation on government procurement: Evidence from
Department of Defense contracting".
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require general contractors to obtain a local license to operate. It is the states' responsibility to define these requirements: for example, in the
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site, management of vendors and trades, and the communication of information to all involved parties throughout the course of a building project.
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General
Contractors often run their own business. They hire subcontractors to complete specialized construction work and may manage a team of
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The Design and
Construction Process. Project Management for Construction: Fundamental Concepts for Owners, Engineers, Architects and Builders
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1080:
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49:
624:. Aspiring general contractors communicate with subcontractors and may learn the management skills they need to run their own company.
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Nagle, James F.; DeMella, Jonathan A. (Winter 2011). "A Primer on Prime
Contractor-Subcontractor Disputes under Federal Contracts".
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is a term defined in the US law. Statutory definitions of prime contract, prime contractor, subcontract, and subcontractor are in
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develops a program of their needs and selects a site (often with an architect). The architect assembles a design team of
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The general contractor may be responsible for some part of the design, referred to as the "contractor's design portion" (
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and tools) and services necessary for the construction of the project. A general contractor often hires specialized
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General
Contractors often learn about different aspects of construction, including
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561:(CSLB) if the total cost of one or more contracts on the project is $ 500 or more.
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subcontractors for the purpose of securing the award of subcontracts or orders.
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426:. The general contractor may be the construction manager at high risk.
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Government-Prime
Contractor-Subcontractor Relationships: An Analysis
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is required as part of the licensing process, with the exception of
309:. Statements consisting only of original research should be removed.
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537:(Pub. L.Tooltip Public Law (United States) 79–319, 60 Stat. 37)
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employed by a client, usually upon the advice of the project's
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Intermediate
Building Contract with contractor’s design (ICD)
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Fundamentals of
Building Construction Materials and Methods
838:"What's the difference between a developer and a builder?"
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Some general contractors obtain bachelor's degrees in
371:), is responsible for the day-to-day oversight of a
101:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
767:. Oxford: Architectural Press, 2011. 289. Print.
468:United Kingdom, Commonwealth and Australia usage
897:. 5th ed. Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons.
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605:, construction safety, or other disciplines.
8:
955:
910:, current edition 2019, accessed 7 July 2021
64:Learn how and when to remove these messages
565:In every state that requires a license, a
559:California Contractors State License Board
893:Allen, Edward, & Iano Joseph (2009).
765:Architect's illustrated pocket dictionary
553:, the requirements are stated as follows:
343:Learn how and when to remove this message
325:Learn how and when to remove this message
263:Learn how and when to remove this message
161:Learn how and when to remove this message
967:
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763:Davies, Nikolas, and Erkki Jokiniemi.
199:Please improve this article by adding
1032:Nicastro, Luke A. (12 October 2023).
7:
99:adding citations to reliable sources
863:Academic Dictionary of Architecture
410:(a tradesman in charge of a crew).
984:Tieder Jr, J.B; Cox, R.K. (1983).
806:"Builder vs. Construction Manager"
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876:Preferred Contractor(s definition
45:This article has multiple issues.
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1014:Dewell, Kenneth George (1979).
990:Law & Contemporary Problems
86:needs additional citations for
53:or discuss these issues on the
1038:Congressional Research Service
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1059:10.1016/j.jpubeco.2020.104141
884:], accessed 21 March 2023
694:Anti-Kickback Enforcement Act
201:secondary or tertiary sources
497:United States and Asia usage
1081:Construction trades workers
1047:Journal of Public Economics
305:the claims made and adding
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906:Joint Contracts Tribunal,
705:Construction communication
671:General contractor example
390:A general contractor is a
1025:Naval Postgraduate School
821:. & Au, Tung (2000),
493:various public services.
956:Carril & Duggan 2020
589:Licensing qualifications
865:, Delhi: Isha Books, 69
861:Shekhar, R. K. (2005),
720:Construction management
416:project delivery method
18:Construction contractor
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541:Licensing requirements
486:consumer organizations
361:North American English
188:relies excessively on
677:real estate developer
1076:Building engineering
970:, p. 1, Note 5.
778:"Collins Dictionary"
700:Construction bidding
681:consulting engineers
675:A property owner or
595:construction science
482:British Commonwealth
408:construction foreman
392:construction manager
212:"General contractor"
110:"General contractor"
95:improve this article
725:Contract management
551:state of California
1003:Procurement Lawyer
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819:Hendrickson, Chris
455:construction waste
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921:"About NAHB"
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1009:(2): 12–16.
827:, chapter 3
730:Lien waiver
653:technicians
641:bricklayers
567:surety bond
530:§ 8701
386:Description
1070:Categories
1053:: 104141.
930:2023-07-18
878: [
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751:References
745:Punch list
661:architects
645:carpenters
357:contractor
299:improve it
223:newspapers
190:references
121:newspapers
50:improve it
27:Profession
657:handymans
614:carpentry
603:surveying
571:Louisiana
547:US states
480:and some
478:Australia
424:architect
396:architect
315:July 2010
303:verifying
253:July 2010
151:July 2010
56:talk page
996:: 39–49.
688:See also
633:plumbers
622:plumbing
400:engineer
978:Sources
696:of 1986
665:roofers
618:framing
610:masonry
575:Vermont
501:In the
472:In the
378:In the
365:builder
297:Please
237:scholar
135:scholar
620:, and
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663:and
583:Maine
363:) or
244:JSTOR
230:books
142:JSTOR
128:books
581:and
511:NAHB
507:Asia
505:and
406:and
216:news
114:news
1055:doi
1051:184
881:sic
462:JCT
398:or
301:by
192:to
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