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Architecture vocabulary · Professional Practice and Regulations

Contractor

Meaning in architecture, with examples

/ˈkɑːntræktər/nounCore term

In architecture, contractor means: The company or person hired to build a project according to the drawings, specifications and contract, managing workers, materials and subcontractors on site.

In Turkish: yüklenici, müteahhit

How it is used

The main or general contractor holds the contract with the client and employs subcontractors for specialist work. Architects issue drawings to the contractor, answer their questions (RFIs) and inspect the work. Contractors bid or tender for projects.

Example sentences

  1. The contractor says the steel will arrive two weeks late.

  2. Three contractors were invited to tender for the school project.

Common collocations

  • main contractor
  • general contractor
  • appoint a contractor
  • subcontractor
  • tenderThe process in which contractors submit prices to build a project, or the offer itself; the client usually chooses one based on cost and quality.
  • specificationA written document that describes the materials, products, quality standards and workmanship required for a project, used together with the drawings.
  • site supervisionThe regular checking of construction work on site by the architect or engineer to make sure it follows the drawings, specifications and quality standards.
  • clientThe person or organisation that commissions a building project and pays the architect, such as a homeowner, developer, company or public authority.
  • working drawingsThe detailed, fully dimensioned set of drawings that a contractor uses to build a project, including plans, sections, elevations, details and schedules.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Professional Practice and Regulations

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