General Contracting Course

Lesson 1 • Business Structures for Contractors

Covers legal entity types and their implications for liability, taxation, and growth. Helps students choose the right structure before launching operations.

Lesson 2 • Licensing and Registration Requirements

Outlines the general process for obtaining contractor licenses and maintaining compliance. Emphasizes the consequences of operating without proper credentials.

Lesson 3 • Construction Industry Overview

Maps the major sectors, delivery methods, and market segments a GC operates within. Provides context for strategic positioning and project selection.

Lesson 4 • The General Contractor's Role

Defines the GC's position within the construction industry and project hierarchy. Connects professional identity to legal, financial, and operational responsibilities.

Lesson 1 • Dispute Resolution Mechanisms

Introduces negotiation, mediation, arbitration, and litigation as escalating resolution paths. Students learn to select and invoke the right mechanism for each dispute type.

Lesson 2 • Subcontractor and Supplier Agreements

Covers flow-down clauses, payment terms, and scope definition in sub-tier contracts. Ensures students can bind subcontractors to the same obligations they carry upstream.

Lesson 3 • Standard Contract Types and Documents

Surveys widely used contract forms including lump-sum, cost-plus, and GMP agreements. Students learn when each type is appropriate and how to read standard clauses.

Lesson 4 • Key Contract Clauses and Risk Allocation

Analyzes indemnification, limitation of liability, force majeure, and change-order clauses. Students learn to negotiate terms that fairly distribute project risk.

Lesson 1 • Reading Plans and Specifications

Teaches interpretation of architectural drawings, structural plans, and written specifications. Accurate takeoffs depend on mastering this foundational document-reading skill.

Lesson 2 • Overhead, Profit, and Markup

Distinguishes direct costs from general overhead and teaches markup strategies for sustainable profit. Students learn to price bids that cover all costs and generate margin.

Lesson 3 • Quantity Takeoff Methods

Covers manual and digital methods for measuring and listing all materials and labor units. Accurate takeoffs are the foundation of every reliable cost estimate.

Lesson 4 • Subcontractor Bid Management

Covers soliciting, comparing, and selecting subcontractor bids to build a competitive GC price. Students learn to identify scope gaps and protect against bid shopping.

Lesson 5 • Bid Preparation and Submission

Guides students through assembling a complete bid package and meeting submission requirements. Covers bid bonds, alternates, and post-bid clarification processes.

Lesson 1 • Critical Path Method Scheduling

Explains activity sequencing, duration estimating, and float calculation using CPM logic. Students build and read network diagrams to identify schedule-controlling activities.

Lesson 2 • Work Breakdown Structure

Introduces the WBS as the hierarchical framework for organizing all project tasks. A well-built WBS is the prerequisite for accurate scheduling and cost tracking.

Lesson 3 • Scheduling Software and Gantt Charts

Applies CPM concepts using industry-standard scheduling tools and bar-chart formats. Students produce project schedules suitable for owner submittals and field use.

Lesson 4 • Preconstruction Planning Essentials

Covers site investigation, permit acquisition, and mobilization planning before work begins. Early planning decisions directly affect schedule performance and cost control.

Lesson 1 • Earned Value Management

Applies EVM metrics to measure schedule and cost performance simultaneously. Students interpret SPI and CPI to make data-driven project decisions.

Lesson 2 • Job Cost Accounting Fundamentals

Establishes cost codes, cost types, and the job-cost ledger as the core financial tracking system. Accurate cost accounting is the foundation of all project financial control.

Lesson 3 • Cash Flow Planning and Management

Teaches construction cash flow curves, billing strategies, and working capital management. Positive cash flow is critical to keeping a project and a company financially healthy.

Lesson 4 • Budget Management and Forecasting

Covers original budget setup, budget transfers, and cost-to-complete forecasting. Students learn to project final costs early enough to take corrective action.

Lesson 1 • Common Construction Hazards

Covers the leading causes of construction fatalities including falls, struck-by, and electrical hazards. Students learn to recognize and control each hazard category on the jobsite.

Lesson 2 • Safety Program Development

Guides creation of a written safety plan covering hazard identification, training, and accountability. A documented safety program is both a regulatory requirement and a risk management tool.

Lesson 3 • Regulatory Compliance and Inspections

Explains how to prepare for regulatory inspections, respond to citations, and maintain compliance records. Proactive compliance reduces fines, project shutdowns, and legal liability.

Lesson 4 • Environmental Compliance on the Jobsite

Covers stormwater management, waste disposal, and hazardous material handling requirements. Environmental violations can halt projects and generate significant financial penalties.

Lesson 1 • Daily Documentation and Reporting

Establishes the daily report, RFI log, and submittal log as essential field records. Consistent documentation protects the GC in disputes and supports change order claims.

Lesson 2 • Subcontractor Coordination

Manages trade sequencing, interface points, and daily coordination meetings on the jobsite. Students learn to resolve conflicts between trades before they cause schedule delays.

Lesson 3 • Workforce Management

Covers hiring, supervising, and motivating field crews to meet productivity targets. Effective workforce management directly impacts cost, schedule, and quality outcomes.

Lesson 4 • Material Procurement and Delivery

Manages purchase orders, lead times, and delivery scheduling to keep materials arriving on time. Supply chain disruptions are a leading cause of schedule delays on construction projects.

Lesson 1 • Final Closeout and Warranty

Covers delivery of as-built drawings, O&M manuals, warranties, and final lien releases. Complete closeout documentation protects the GC from future claims and satisfies contract obligations.

Lesson 2 • Inspections and Testing

Manages third-party inspections, special inspections, and material testing required by contract. Students learn to schedule and document inspections to avoid closeout delays.

Lesson 3 • Punch List and Substantial Completion

Guides the punch list process from initial walk-through to owner acceptance and substantial completion. Efficient punch list management accelerates retainage release and final payment.

Lesson 4 • Quality Management System Basics

Introduces quality plans, inspection checkpoints, and nonconformance tracking as core QC tools. A systematic approach to quality reduces rework costs and owner disputes.