The main contractor, or prime contractor, is the principal contractor appointed by the client to coordinate the construction phase of a project, which may involve many subcontractors. The term prime contractor is often used in central government and the defence sector. The two terms are used interchangeably, whatever the contract strategy, whether traditional, design and build, design and construct, design and manage or management contracting.
The main contractor holds the contract with the client and is responsible for delivering the works to time, cost and quality, managing the site and the supply chain, and paying its subcontractors. For a client side QS, the main contractor is the party whose valuations, variations and final account must be agreed. Note that the main contractor is usually, but not always, also the principal contractor under the CDM Regulations 2015, which is a separate statutory health and safety role.
Related terms: Subcontractor, Principal Contractor, Main Contractor’s Preliminaries, Procurement Route.
