Roles & authorities
General contractor (GC)
Also called: GC, prime contractor
The general contractor holds the prime contract with the owner and is answerable for building the project to the contract documents. The GC hires and coordinates the subcontractors, controls the means and methods, keeps the site running, and is the party the owner and the building department look to when work has to be right. Their authority over the subs and over how the work gets built comes from the contract and the subcontract agreements, so the exact scope varies from job to job.
Why it matters
Whatever a sub installs, the GC owns the result in front of the owner. A defect a plumber left is still the GC's to correct under the prime contract, which is why the GC has a direct stake in catching work before it's covered rather than after.
The GC also carries the schedule and the money. When trades stack up or an inspection gates the next phase, the GC is who resequences the work and decides what proceeds — inside whatever the contract and the AHJ's inspections allow.
How it shows up on site
The GC's superintendent runs the field day to day, schedules the code inspections, and holds the subs to their scope and their quality. On a job with a QC plan, the GC is usually the party that owns it, so hold points, checklists and photo-gated inspections are the GC's program to enforce, not the subs' to skip.
Checklists that put general contractor (gc) to work
Free, field-ready checklists, each with the photo every item needs before it can be submitted.
Related terms
- SubcontractorA specialty contractor hired under the general contractor to perform a defined scope of work, such as electrical, plumbing or drywall.
- SuperintendentThe contractor's field leader who runs the site day to day — sequencing crews, scheduling inspections and holding the work to standard.
- Construction manager (CM)The manager who plans, coordinates and oversees construction, tying trades, schedule and budget together for the owner.
- Quality control managerThe person responsible for running the project's quality control program — inspections, hold points and the records that prove them.
- Authority having jurisdiction (AHJ)The office or official empowered to enforce a code and approve materials, methods and completed work on a given project.
- Engineer of record (EOR)The licensed engineer who stamps a design discipline and stays responsible for its intent through construction.
Knowing the term is step one. Proving it is the job.
RTI holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and the photos are attached, then chains the record so it can be proven untouched later.