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Bid terms glossary
General conditions
Job-wide costs (and contract terms) not tied to a single trade, like supervision, temporary facilities and cleanup.
Also called or written as: general requirements, GCs
What it means
"General conditions" has two common meanings. In contracts, it's the section of standard terms that governs the whole project. In pricing, it means job-wide costs that aren't part of one trade's work, such as supervision, temporary toilets, dumpsters, temporary power, cleanup and protection.
Some contractors list these as a separate line; others spread them through their trade prices. Some people split out "general requirements" too.
Why it matters when leveling bids
When you compare bids, check whether each one carries general conditions, and which items. One bidder may include dumpsters and final cleaning while another leaves them to the owner.
If you're running trades yourself without a general contractor, these costs land on you. Put them in your budget as their own lines.
Example wording
Example only
- “General conditions: supervision, temporary toilets, dumpsters and final cleaning included.”
- “Excludes temporary power and water.”
- “Dumpster by GC. Trade to place debris in GC-provided dumpster.”
Made-up wording to show the pattern. Not taken from any real bid. Bracketed items are placeholders.
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Related terms: Scope of work · Contingency · Qualification · All terms
General guidance, not legal advice. How a term works on your project depends on your contract documents.