What does a general contractor do
Table of Contents
To hire a general contractor for your new construction project is a crucial step. Especially when you do not know What does a general contractor do? Well, we can help. We know the complications of starting a construction project. It can be hectic to everyone, especially if you have less knowledge about the construction process. The remedy to this problem can be solved by hiring any individual or company with good construction experience. At least, it will save you from further ambiguities and misleadings in the future. It is true that construction projects are not just about constructing a new building, a precise monitoring of all the processes is really important. Well here comes the General Contractor. General contractors are important for your project when you are not from the construction business world. Here is this blog, you will learn everything you want to know about general contractors.
What is a General Contractor?
A general contractor can be an individual or a company to oversee your construction projects.
They mostly coordinate with the team and supervise the whole process. They are usually architects or engineers who are responsible for the supervision of your project. A general contractor analyzes all the contract documents and requirements of the client thoroughly. He visits the site to take an overall view of the project implementation phase. They gather all information about project cost, materials and budget capacity. Further in this blog you will thoroughly learn what does a general contractor do?
On what project general contractors can work?
General contractors work on different projects such as residential and commercial projects. They especially work on renovation projects. Generally, they take projects like commercial and residential building projects, single detached house and semi detached house and condominium building. They also work with renovation of commercial buildings. Regardless of the type of project their job remains the same. They are overseers of your project.
Types of general contractor
There are different types of general contractors. Such as,They can be architects, civil engineers and housing developers working for any large construction company. Or self-employed individuals such as freelancers. Some government agencies also work as general contractors for governmental projects. Other categories lie under commercial and residential real estate developers i.e hotel, restaurant, resorts, and interior/ exterior design firms
Responsibilities of a general contractor
You know the responsibilities of a general contractor before hiring one, it will give you an overall look of what does a general contractor do
- General contractors usually gather all the contract related documents to look for client’s requirements.
- They also visit construction sites to oversee the material and resource availability.
- They are responsible to deliver materials and labor, plus they supervise their work performance, and resource utilization.
- If there is any issue on a construction site they coordinate with the relevant department on time to deal with it.
- Secure the resources if being used unchecked. They are responsible for providing project reports to the authorities.
- They also try to complete the project on time.
SOPs a general contractor must follow
A general contractor must have a license to work on complex construction projects. Licensing gives you an authentication that whether the person or company is able to do the right job and increases the confidentiality of your business.However, if the project is not complex, licensing is not an issue. Moreover, a general contractor must provide the right information to the client about its skills and experience before signing the contract. A visit to the site and overall look on all project documents and blueprints is important for the general contractor to see whether they are the right choice for the task or not. Consequently, their efficiency on the construction site matters alot. Because, their efficiency means labors efficiency, which means the project’s efficiency.
Skills of a general contractor
To know what does a general contractor do, you should know their skills.
Project Planning
Their project planning skills are very important, as they are one to plan resource allocation according to budget. They also plan duties to the labor to perform timely that prevent delay in projects. Their planning phase includes the plan to utilize resources and labor work schedule to overcome any delay.
Human resource management
The general contractor can hire or fire any employee at the construction site according to their work performances. Therefore, it is important that they should have good human resource management skills.
Finance Management
During the allocation of budget or hiring new staff they should have to be well informed about the finances. Lack of experience in finance management can lead the project to budget disturbance.
Supply chain management
The movement of a substantial number of labor and material is the responsibility of the General contractor. The timely availability of resources eliminates any delay in work.
Vendor Management
If the construction work is dependent on different materials coming from different vendors. General contractors must know how to coordinate with them and keep them in line for timely arrival of resources. The payment to these vendors must also happen on time.
Communication and Dispute Management
A general contractor must know how to solve a dispute to overcome any conflict in future. His communication skills matter a lot in the time of dispute.
Security Monitoring Skills
He must know how to monitor the overall construction on the construction site for the safety of material and personnel. Security of construction sites is highly important because any misuse of resources or any other conflict can create a delay in project completion.
Qualities of a good contractor
Professionalism
They always need to know professionalism because they are going to have a full time interaction with the labor and other people on the construction site. They must know how to communicate with each employee equally and assist them if they have any problem.
A solution-Oriented Personality
A construction site work can be hectic and with a lot of bumps. A contractor must know how to resolve if there is any problem on site. So solving real-time on site issues, that may be not the part of planning requires critical thinking. A general contractor must be an out of box thinker to resolve the complex matters.
Passion
A general contractor must be passionate about his work. Passionate contractors strive to meet their goals. They try to give their best in every domain. They know their responsibility and maka their work a priority. Being passionate means he will be a perfect overseer for your project.
Is it important to hire a general contractor for any project?
Yes, hiring a general contractor is very essential for any construction project. There must be someone to overlook the working process as a supervisor. A person who has experience in construction can guide the labor and report to the client on a regular basis. General contractors know about the labor behaviors, their expertise and quality of work they are providing. On the other hand if you try to monitor all this stuff on your hand, it would be crucial. Because there is a possibility that you will overlook some important stuff that demands an experienced eye.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, a general contractor is an individual with general skills and qualities related to construction and management. Now you have learned what does a general contractor do? The person who is responsible to monitor whether the process is moving according to the workflow and compare it with project completion deadlines and budget commitments. Project tracking and maintaining the construction pace is his prime duty. He also monitors whether the resources are being utilized effectively or not. It is recommended to hire a general contractor for your project. It will reduce your work burden and increase work efficiency.