What is subcontractorin construction?

The general contractor holds the prime contract with the owner and is responsible for the whole project: schedule, coordination, safety, and delivering the complete building. A subcontractor contracts with the GC for one defined scope, such as roofing or electrical, and answers to the GC rather than the owner. Money follows the same chain, owner to GC to sub, which is why pay applications and lien waivers track that hierarchy.

A scope package is the bundle of work a GC defines for bidding to a single trade, usually organized around CSI divisions or spec sections, for example Division 09 finishes split into drywall, flooring, and painting packages. The estimator writes a scope sheet listing inclusions, exclusions, and which shared items (hoisting, layout, cleanup) belong to that trade. Tight package definitions are what prevent scope gaps and double coverage between subs.

Three bids per trade is a common working target on US commercial projects, enough to see where the market is without drowning in leveling work, though specialty scopes sometimes return only one or two. Coverage matters most on the big dollar packages, typically mechanical, electrical, and plumbing, because a bad number there moves the whole estimate. If only one bid shows up, check it against your own takeoff and unit costs before carrying it.