The contract of public works from public perspective, in practice, has generated some trauma in terms of its applicability, which eventually ends up impeding part of the country's economic growth and leads to delaying multiple constructions of social interest and generating large excessive costs. This is due in large part to the inadequate interpretation that is made about the norms that regulate this type of contracts, a situation that also influences the inadequate regulatory application, since there are legal gaps that obscure the understanding of the conception of a contract of Public Works. An aspect that is essential to know its characteristics and make proper use of this contractual figure. In this article we study the different notions that our legal system offers for the contract of public works, from a dogmatic, jurisprudential and doctrinal approach, to, consequently, propose a definition of public works contract that is clear for understanding and allows an adequate interpretation for a correct applicability of the normative postulates that regulate this type of legal business.