CONTRACTOR

1. a party to a contract; 2. one who contracts to do work for another. An independent contractor makes an agreement to do a specific piece of work, retaining control of the means and method of doing the job; neither party has the right to terminate the contract at will. A GENERAL BUILDING CONTRACTOR contracts directly with the owner of the property upon which the construction occurs, as distinguished from a SUBCONTRACTOR, who would deal only with one of the general contractors. Source: Barron's Dictionary of Legal Terms, Steven H. Gifis, 5th Edition; © 2016