Superintendent
The superintendent is the person the contract appoints to administer it - certifying payments, assessing claims and directing the works - typically engaged and paid by the principal while owed limited duties of fairness in certifying roles.
In subcontracting the equivalent role is usually the builder's contract administrator. The structural point is the same: the person assessing your claims works for the party paying them. Honest administration is common; structural neutrality is not.
Why it matters to subbies
Deal with the role in writing. The superintendent or CA who assesses your claim deals in documents, not site conversations - and the person who promised you on site is usually not the person assessing.
Keep reading
General information for Australian subcontractors, not legal advice - contract drafting and state legislation vary and change; your document and your state's Act govern. Written by Mat Kennedy at The Construction Contracts Co.