General or Prime Contractors (GC) are hired directly by the developer or property manager. They serve as the contractor of record to manage the overall project lifecycle and are responsible for the hiring and supervision of the trade and specialty contractors completing work in their respective areas of expertise.  An important risk control tool to protect the GC and project sponsor from the actions of the subs is through the use of a Subcontractor Agreement.  Standard agreements like the AIA A401 are designed to help protect the GC from liability as result of the negligence of their subcontractors. The contract contains language protecting the upstream parties from damages caused by ‘work’ of a subcontractor.  A Subcontractor Agreement is agreed to and signed laying out the terms and conditions including parties that need to be indemnified and held harmless. This is traditionally done by providing additional insured status in a variety of ways that we will explore.