General Contracting vs. Construction Management: Which Fits Your Project?

Quick answer

In the general contracting model described here, we hold the trade contracts and coordinate construction. In our construction management model, you hold the trade contracts and we manage the work on your behalf. The agreement sets out pricing, responsibilities and risk allocation in either case.

General contracting: one contract, one point of accountability

With general contracting, the contractor contracts directly with every subtrade — mechanical, electrical, finishes, and everything else — and is responsible for coordinating, scheduling, and delivering the finished result. You sign one agreement, not a dozen. The general contractor coordinates trade performance and schedule issues, while keeping you informed of impacts and decisions that need your approval. This is the more hands-off model for the client, and it’s why most straightforward commercial fit-outs and renovations default to it.

Construction management: more visibility, more involvement

Under construction management, you — the owner — hold the trade contracts directly, and the construction manager handles bid solicitation, trade coordination, on-site oversight, and cost reporting on your behalf. You review trade pricing and approvals directly, with the construction manager coordinating procurement, work on site and cost reporting under the agreed scope. The tradeoff is that more decisions — approving a trade’s pricing, resolving a trade-level dispute — land on your desk rather than being absorbed by a single point of contact.

What actually determines which one fits

How much time you have to be involved. Construction management works well for owners who want that visibility and have the bandwidth to engage with it. If you need the project to mostly run itself, general contracting is the more hands-off model.

How responsibilities are allocated. Compare how each proposed agreement handles pricing, trade performance, changes and schedule impacts before choosing a model.

The scale and complexity of the project. The scope and number of trades help determine how much coordination a project needs.

Choosing a delivery approach

We’ll discuss your project, your availability for decisions and the responsibilities you want us to take on. From there, we can recommend a delivery approach and explain how it would work in practice — whether that’s general contracting or construction management.