Construction is an immense industry. A general contractor starts a construction project by taking responsibility for the whole construction on his shoulders. A general contractor deals with various parties that come to build a project on time and with an allocated budget. A general contractor signs the project with the owners and arranges subcontractors for different segments. Then, he makes a complete estimate of the construction project by seeking estimation services from a reliable construction estimating company. He then arranges the labor, machines, equipment, and materials. Finally, he executed the construction plan according to estimations.
Some Constituents of a Construction Project
The construction project is a vast collection of multiple small projects. Some of them are:
- Contractors, Design Consultants, and Architects
- Plumbing services
- Electrical Services
- Mechanical Services
- LEED certifications
- Construction Materials and Design Services
A general contractor takes the responsibility of managing all parties involved in the project. He is responsible and answerable to all these parties. He coordinates with every party and manages them and their contracts. He signs the project at an amount that he thinks is enough for the project with the highest quality of work, and he can also profit from it: different general contractors, some in lines, and everyone with his price and conditions. The one who can offer the best quality work at the lowest price is selected. This is called project bidding.
To Plan Daily Jobsite Duties
Construction projects are long-term projects. The development and management of daily job routines and operations require logical and strategic techniques. A good general contractor always develops daily job plans and works accordingly on construction sites.
To Handle Basic Project Chores
All the basic requirements of a construction project are totally the responsibilities of a general contractor. He then transfers these responsibilities to sub-authorities such as contractors, subcontractors, and others. Some important construction project chores are:
- Resource planning
- Operating Schedules
- Establishing cost baselines
- Maintaining inventories
- Checking the progress updates
- Payment for vendors and subcontractors
- Site Inspections
- Scheduled reviews
To Execute Jobsite Operations
The daily job site operations are the responsibility of general contractors. Any delay for any reason is the responsibility of a general contractor. The general contractors manage and control daily activities on the construction site. General contractors make sure that work is running on track. His duties include; project tracking, working with subcontractors, tax preparations, facilities, and others.
To Arrange & Manage Building Materials without cost overruns
One of the core responsibilities of a general contractor is to arrange the best quality materials for the project. He has to ensure the best quality of the materials while keeping in mind his profit as well. Therefore, general contractors prefer construction cost estimating services. These services provide contractors with accurate estimates of the project’s cost, considering all the important factors such as materials quality, project goals, budget limits, and material installations.
Make Coordination with Vendors, contractors & Subcontractors
A general contractor maintains sequence and works smooth flow between different parties. A general contractor appoints various project entities to other sections of the project. These subcontractors involve contractors, design consultants, vendors, material suppliers, and subcontractors. These parties are answerable to the general contractor. A general contractor passes on essential instructions and information to the contractors, vendors, and all the consultants.
Do Quality Control & Timelines Management
During the execution of a construction project, general contractors’ primary headache is reaching the scheduled timeline without compromising quality. He maintains good quality work on site by minimizing any kind of delay.
Handle Accounting and Bookkeeping
The construction industry includes are high interest in money. Money comes from the project owner to the general contractor. It then transfers to other contractors, subcontractors, vendors, and suppliers. A part of this money is kept by the general contractor as his profit. So, as a general contractor, he has to manage all the bookkeeping for the whole project. He also has to keep profit margins in mind. Meanwhile, he has to maintain high project efficiency.
Conclusion
The construction project involves three prominent persons, the owner, the general contractor, and the management team. The owner passes the project to the general contractor, and the general contractor manages and controls the whole project with his management team until the end of the project. The selection management team of a general contractor is not an easy process. In the same way, the material quantity for the whole project and the amount of labor needed to work are pretty tricky. A general contractor cannot identify the correct amount to bid on the project without proper material quantity and labor strength. A Construction estimating service can help general contractors quantify all the materials, equipment, and labor and deduce data. By using this data, the general contractors can efficiently perform successful bids.
