Contractor: The Duties and Responsibilities of a Building Contractor

Generally, building contractor is responsible for looking after construction on both new and old buildings and structures. A contractor work involves supervising, inspecting and directing construction project from start to end.

Building contractor helps to organize and manage each and every aspect of a construction site. A contractor is responsible for employing construction workers as well as managing construction work. They provide sub-contractors; any individual self-employed worker or business that manages or controls construction work.

The contractor must be skilled, knowledgeable, experienced to carry out the project safely and without health risks. Construction site requires a lot of physical effort daily, thus the workers are prone to injury and ill health. The contractor must ensure all the support staff is in best of health, to avoid any accidents.

The building contractor plays an important role that the entire project complies with all the specifications as outlined in the contract documents. The contractor is primarily responsible for completing the project on time and within the budget.

They overlook construction plan of a new structure, renovation of a historic building or remodelling of an existing house. Contractors generally don’t perform any of the heavy liftings at a construction site. They look after the teams of workers and sub-contractors who are doing the work.

The primary responsibilities of building contractor include-

#> Planning project is a prima facie

A building contractor is responsible for designing a construction plan.

> Provides details about project development and implementation.

> Responsible for the supervision and superintendence of all the work at a construction site.

> Identify and evaluate various project issues-

Personnel needs

Required materials and equipment

Specify all legal and regulatory issues and requirements

Outline safety policy

Implement a reliable communication strategy

#> Furnish all the project details

Before launching the project, a contractor should be equipped with enough resources. The contractor must raise the adequate funds from the project owner to accomplish all the project needs. Basic project needs include-

A competent and skilled workforce

Licensed sub-contractors to handle various specialised tasks

Supply of ample construction materials

Avail all the required construction equipment

#> Manage and monitor the project

A building contractor is responsible for successful completion of the project in terms of-

Time schedule

Cost

Safety

Other-related details

The contractor sets and observes the project progress and budget is in line as per the owner’s demand. They also adhere to time and cost specifications. The project working can be altered due to unforeseen conditions. A building contractor ensures warranties and guarantees for quality assurance purposes.

#> Compliant with the legal and regulatory requirements

The responsibility of building contractor is to comply with all the necessary legal and regulatory requirements.

Obtain all the necessary permits before proceeding with the project

Pay required patent fees & royalties which are subject to patent rights or copyright fees

Pay taxes as per the state and federal laws and regulations

#> Ensure health, safety and protection

A building contractor must have a viable safety policy to ensure health and safety at the workplace. They should appoint a qualified safety representative who is aware of legal, regulatory and in-house safety procedures and standards. The policy should include-

Risk management strategies

Emergency response systems

Preventive measures for workplace safety and protection

The responsibility of managing a project’s construction lies on the shoulders of the contractors. They are individuals who play multi-faceted roles & duties and work hard to ensure the construction process finishes on time.