What Are Means and Methods in Construction?
By Wyatt Cooper · Published · 3 min read
Key takeaways
- Means and methods are the contractor's choices about how to build: equipment, crews, sequence, techniques, temporary works and jobsite safety.
- The design team says what the finished work must be; unless the contract says otherwise, the contractor decides how to get there and answers for it.
- When an owner orders a particular method the contract did not require, that can be a change to the work, which on federal jobs the changes clause covers.
Means and methods are how the contractor builds the work: the equipment, crews, sequence, techniques, temporary works and safety procedures it chooses to deliver what the contract documents require. Unless the contract says otherwise, they are the contractor's responsibility, while the design team decides what the finished work must be.
Who is responsible for means and methods
GSA's construction contracts say it in one sentence: "Unless expressly stated otherwise in the contract, the Contractor shall be responsible for all means and methods employed in the performance of the contract", along with compliance with health and safety codes (GSAM 552.236-71, Contractor Responsibilities). The contractor also must keep a competent superintendent on the work "who is satisfactory to the Contracting Officer and has authority to act for the Contractor" (FAR 52.236-6). Private contracts commonly say the same; read your own contract's wording.
The other side of the rule: if the owner directs how the work is done, that can be a change. The federal changes clause lets the contracting officer make changes "In the method or manner of performance of the work" (FAR 52.243-4(a)), and a change is priced through a change order.
Example
| Design team decides (the contract documents) | Contractor decides (means and methods) |
|---|---|
| Slab thickness, reinforcing and concrete strength | Pump truck or crane and bucket to place it |
| Finish tolerance and curing requirements | Pour sequence, crew size and start time |
| Where joints may go | Formwork system, shoring and reshoring |
| Required tests | Fall protection and the slab-edge safety plan |
If the architect's review comment on the formwork shop drawing says "use a different shoring system" with no design reason, the contractor should ask whether that is a direction, because a directed method can be a change. How design reviewers keep to the design is in how architects and engineers review a submittal.
The bottom line
Means and methods are the contractor's how; the contract documents are the owner's what.
Own your methods and your site safety, and treat any directed method you did not bid as a possible change.
Sources
- GSAM 552.236-71, Contractor Responsibilities — Acquisition.gov, U.S. General Services Administration. Read October 22, 2026.
- FAR 52.236-6, Superintendence by the Contractor — Acquisition.gov, U.S. General Services Administration. Read October 22, 2026.
- FAR 52.243-4, Changes — Acquisition.gov, U.S. General Services Administration. Read October 22, 2026.
Questions
Can the architect tell the contractor how to build?
Usually not, unless the contract documents specify a method. The architect defines the finished result; a directed method the contract did not require may be a change.
Is jobsite safety part of means and methods?
Yes. The contractor that controls the methods is generally responsible for the safety of those methods; the GSA clause makes the contractor responsible for health and safety compliance.
Are temporary works like shoring means and methods?
Generally yes. Formwork, shoring, scaffolding and excavation support are the contractor's, though specs often require them to be engineered and submitted.
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