CONTRACTOR GLOSSARY · FIELD & PAPERWORK
What is a General contractor (GC)?
The general contractor holds the prime contract with the owner and coordinates the project, hiring subcontractors — like electrical subs — for the specialized trades.
The GC owns the overall project: schedule, coordination between trades, and the money flow from the owner. Subcontractors contract with the GC, not the owner — which shapes everything about how a sub gets paid: your invoice rides inside the GC's requisition to the owner, your change orders need GC (and often owner) approval, and your retainage release usually tracks the GC's.
That one-step-removed position is why sub-specific paperwork discipline matters so much: preliminary notices preserve lien rights against an owner you have no contract with, signed T&M tags survive GC personnel changes, and tracking what each GC owes across jobs tells you who's financing whom.
Common questions
Does the GC's building permit cover the electrician's work?
No — electrical work needs its own permit pulled by the licensed electrician performing it. Building, electrical, plumbing, and gas permits are separate.
RevnuPros tracks the thing, not just the word
Permits to sign-off, T&M tags to signature, materials to billed through, retainage to released — built for subcontractors. Browse the full contractor glossary or the Massachusetts permit guide.
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