Publications
Awarding construction contracts
Article Building & Housing
With a budget of €55 billion, the State made a considerable contribution to capital spending on construction in 2018.
The German Construction Contract Procedures (Vergabe- und Vertragsordnung für Bauleistungen, VOB) govern the award of contracts for and the delivery of construction services.
Part A of the German Construction Contract Procedures (VOB/A) governs the award of construction contracts.
Part B (VOB/B) provides general conditions of contract for the construction of public buildings. The General Technical Specifications in Construction Contracts, which form part of the VOB, govern the pricing for all major construction services.
The Award and Contract Manual for Federal Government Construction Projects (Vergabe- und Vertragshandbuch für die Baumaßnahmen des Bundes, VHB) complements the VOB and provides forms and guidelines to be used by public construction clients. The online portal for technical information on federal construction projects (FIB) provides access for all to the VHB and to forms which can be filled in electronically. Decrees regarding the law governing the award of contracts and construction contract law can be accessed in the part of the FIB which requires registration but is also free of charge.
The German Committee for Construction Contract Procedures (Deutscher Vergabe- und Vertragsausschuss für Bauleistungen, DVA)
The German Committee for Construction Contract Procedures drafted the German Construction Contract Procedures and keeps the guidelines updated. The Committee, with 50:50 representation of contracting authorities and contractors, ensures that the VOB procedures are balanced.
The Committee also draws up and develops further guiding principles for the expedient award and execution of public construction contracts, as determined in the DVA statutes. Members of the DVA include representatives of all major public construction clients (ministries at federal and state level; national associations of local authorities; other public construction clients such as Deutsche Bahn AG) and the top industry and technology organisations.
The DVA has four main committees to carry out the tasks assigned to it. In addition, the DVA creates the conditions for integrated data processing when carrying out construction measures on the basis of the VOB, thus contributing to rationalisation in the construction sector as regards tender procedures, award of contracts and settlement of costs.
Pre-qualification of construction companies (PQ-VOB official list)
The official list of pre-qualified construction companies is intended to foster quality competition between reputable and efficient firms in the German construction sector. Pre-qualified construction companies use a quality label to document their reliability, expertise and efficiency. Pre-qualification comprises the entire service chain, including the use of sub-contractors. Construction companies can undergo an examination upstream, unrelated to a specific contract; successful firms have for the most part proved their suitability. The official PQ-VOB list is administered by the Association for the Pre-Qualification of Construction Companies (Verein für die Präqualifikation von Bauunternehmen e.V.)
