Subcontractor

A person or business hired by a contractor to perform part of a larger contract. Subcontractors commonly supply specialized labor, services, or materials.

Prime contractor: A contractor that holds a direct agreement with a client to deliver work, sometimes using subcontractors. The prime contractor hires subcontractors and remains responsible for delivering the contracted work.
Construction: The industry and process of building, altering, or repairing structures and infrastructure. Construction projects routinely divide work among specialist subcontractors.
Employee: A person who performs work for an employer within an employment relationship. A subcontractor is generally engaged through a separate business agreement rather than as the contractor’s employee.
Vicarious liability: Legal responsibility imposed on one party for another party’s acts or omissions because of their relationship. Whether a contractor answers for a subcontractor’s conduct depends on the governing law and relationship.
Contract: A legally enforceable agreement that creates obligations between parties. A subcontractor’s duties arise from an agreement with the contractor that hires them.
Subcontract: An agreement in which a contractor assigns part of its contractual work to another party. It defines the scope, payment, and obligations governing the subcontractor’s assigned work.
Electrical contractor: A business or person qualified to install, maintain, or repair electrical systems. Electrical work is commonly assigned to a specialist subcontractor on building projects.
Independent contractor: A self-employed person or business engaged to provide services under a contract rather than as an employee. Subcontractors are often independent contractors, but the term describes their position beneath another contractor.
Joint and several liability: A rule allowing a claimant to recover an entire judgment from any one of multiple liable parties. Some legal regimes make contractors and subcontractors jointly responsible for specified obligations.
Privity of contract: The legal relationship between parties to a contract that can determine who may enforce its terms. A subcontractor often lacks contractual privity with the project owner despite contributing to the owner’s project.

Linked from 1 page