Roles & authorities
Subcontractor
A subcontractor performs a specific slice of the work (a trade or a specialty) under a subcontract with the general contractor rather than a direct contract with the owner. Framers, electricians, plumbers, HVAC installers, drywallers and specialty installers are all subs. What they're responsible for, and to what standard, is set by their subcontract and the contract documents it flows down, so a sub's obligations are exactly what their scope says and no less.
Run it with the Photo Gate
Electrical rough-in inspection checklist
13 items · 21 photos required
Why it matters
Most of the work that gets inspected is a sub's work: the rough-in, the concrete placement, the firestopping. The sub is who has to build it right the first time, because rework on covered work is expensive and often lands back on them under the subcontract.
Coordination between subs is where quality problems hide. One trade's penetration becomes another's firestopping; a duct route fights a beam. The sub owns its own scope but has to build it so the next trade can pass its inspection too.
What proves it
A sub's completed work is easiest to defend when it's photographed at the point of inspection (rough-in before cover, embeds before the pour) and tied to the checklist that accepted it. That record protects the sub as much as the GC when a later question comes up about work that's now behind drywall.
Checklists that put subcontractor to work
Free, field-ready checklists, each with the photo every item needs before it can be submitted.
Related terms
- General contractor (GC)The contractor who holds the prime construction contract and is responsible for delivering the whole project: trades, means and methods, and completed work.
- SuperintendentThe contractor's field leader who runs the site day to day: sequencing crews, scheduling inspections and holding the work to standard.
- Quality control managerThe person responsible for running the project's quality control program: inspections, hold points and the records that prove them.
- Competent person (safety)A designated person capable of identifying hazards in the work and authorized to take prompt action to correct them.
- Design-builderA single entity that holds one contract with the owner for both the design and the construction of a project.
- Architect of recordThe licensed architect whose seal is on the construction documents and who carries responsibility for the design through the build.
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.
30-day trial · No card required