AR General Contractor flashcards
AR General Contractor · Build recall with a focused review session.
32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- ACLB license threshold
- Arkansas Contractors Licensing Board requires a commercial contractor license for projects of $20,000 or more; below that threshold only local licenses or registrations may apply.
- Mechanic's lien
- A statutory claim against real property filed by a contractor, subcontractor, or supplier who furnished labor or materials and was not paid for them.
- Lump-sum contract
- The contractor agrees to a fixed total price for the entire defined scope, so the contractor bears the risk of quantity errors and cost overruns.
- Cost-plus-fee contract
- The owner reimburses actual job costs plus a fixed fee or percentage; the owner carries cost risk while the contractor's fee is protected.
- Qualifying party
- The individual who passes the licensing examination and meets experience requirements, through whom a construction business entity holds its contractor license.
- Miller Act bond
- Federal law requiring performance and payment bonds on federal construction contracts over $150,000, protecting the government and unpaid subcontractors and suppliers.
- Retainage
- A percentage of each progress payment withheld by the owner until substantial completion or another contract milestone, securing completion and correction of deficiencies.
- Critical path
- The longest continuous chain of dependent activities through the schedule network; it has zero total float and sets the shortest possible project duration.
- Total float formula
- Total float equals late start minus early start, or late finish minus early finish; an activity with zero float is on the critical path.
- Cost Performance Index
- CPI equals earned value divided by actual cost; a result below 1.0 means the work performed is costing more than the budget allowed.
- Schedule Performance Index
- SPI equals earned value divided by planned value; a result below 1.0 indicates the project has completed less work than scheduled at that point.
- Fast-tracking
- Overlapping design or construction activities that were planned to run sequentially in order to shorten duration; it increases coordination risk and rework exposure.
- Substantial completion
- The stage when work is sufficiently complete for its intended use, typically triggering owner occupancy, warranty start, and release of retainage under the contract.
- Request for Information
- A formal written question from the contractor to the designer seeking clarification of drawings or specifications; the answer becomes part of the contract documents.
- Scale conversion
- A scale of 1/4 inch equals 1 foot means a quarter inch on the drawing represents twelve inches of actual construction, a 1:48 ratio.
- Board foot formula
- One board foot equals thickness in inches times width in inches times length in feet, with the product divided by twelve.
- Concrete volume formula
- Cubic yards of concrete equal length times width times depth, all in feet, divided by twenty-seven for a rectangular placement.
- Waste factor
- A multiplier added to a net quantity to cover cutting, breakage, and overrun; order quantity equals net quantity times one plus the waste percentage.
- Roof slope percentage
- Slope percentage equals rise divided by run times one hundred; a 4:12 pitch is a rise of four over a run of twelve, about 33 percent.
- Contour lines
- Lines on a site or grading plan connecting points of equal elevation; closely spaced contours show steep terrain and widely spaced contours show flat ground.
- Water-cement ratio
- The ratio of water weight to cementitious material weight in a concrete mix; lower ratios raise strength and durability but reduce workability.
- Air entrainment
- Deliberate microscopic air bubbles in a concrete mix that provide freeze-thaw durability; exterior concrete typically contains about 4 to 7 percent entrained air.
- Rebar concrete cover
- The minimum distance from the surface of reinforcing steel to the concrete surface, protecting the steel from corrosion and providing fire resistance.
- Standard Proctor test
- A laboratory test that establishes a soil's maximum dry density and optimum moisture content; field compaction is specified as a percentage of that density.
- Type X gypsum board
- A gypsum panel with special core additives that earns a one-hour fire-resistance rating when installed as part of a tested assembly.
- Lift thickness
- The depth of one soil layer placed and compacted before the next layer is added; common maximum is eight to twelve inches.
- Fall protection trigger
- OSHA requires fall protection for construction workers exposed to falls of six feet or more, or who could fall into hazardous equipment or substances.
- Excavation protective system
- Required for trenches five feet deep or deeper unless a competent person finds no cave-in hazard; options are sloping, shoring, or shielding.
- Trench ladder rule
- In trenches four feet or deeper, a ladder, stair, or ramp must be provided and placed so no worker travels more than twenty-five feet laterally.
- Spoil pile setback
- Excavated material and equipment must be kept at least two feet from the edge of an excavation to reduce surcharge loading and collapse risk.
- NPDES construction permit
- Required for construction that disturbs one acre or more; the permit requires a stormwater pollution prevention plan and installed best management practices.
- OSHA fatality reporting
- Employers must report a work-related fatality within eight hours and an in-patient hospitalization, amputation, or loss of an eye within twenty-four hours.