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This question is about what a construction manager does, what a general contractor does, and construction manager.
Construction Manager vs. General Contractor
A construction manager is a general contractor with an expanded set of responsibilities and a different financial incentive structure, while a general contractor is a person in charge of the day-to-day onsite operation of a construction project.
A construction manager is similar to a general contractor in that they are involved in onsite management, budgets, and suppliers. However, they work much more closely with the owner. They are more involved in the design stages and they work alongside the architect and the project manager to ensure the goals are realistic and workable.
A general contractor is responsible for looking at the designs and putting a bid together based on the tasks and how much they think they will cost. They are incentivized to keep the project under budget. They identify what work will need subcontracting, manage bids, and coordinate onsite work.
There are many differences between a construction manager and a general contractor including their education.
Here are the key differences between a construction manager and a general contractor:
A construction manager usually requires a Bachelor's degree and several years of on-the-job training
A general contractor requires more hand-on-training than academic experience.
A construction manager averages $92,000 per year
A general contractor averages $82,000 per year
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