Legal Question in Construction Law in California

It depends on what the contract is for. If it calls for the repair, construction, or alteration of a "work of improvement" to real property and costs over $500, a contractors license would be required.

Any party to any contract is, in a sense, a "contractor." A contractor's license is required when a party agrees to do, or does, certain kinds of construction or repair work as specified in the Business & Professions Code. It is certainly conceivable that a party lawfully could provide certain kinds of project management services to a construction project, so long as it was a support-staff kind of service rather than "line management." However, membership in a professional organization, holding certain college degrees, etc. is never a substitute for a contractor's license where one is required.