Glossary
Bedarfsposition (provisional item)
A Bedarfsposition (also Eventualposition) is an item in a German bill of quantities for work that is only carried out if the client orders it during construction. Without total, the bidder states a unit price only.
In short
A Bedarfsposition describes work that may or may not be needed. The client decides during construction whether it is carried out.
There are two kinds. Without total (ohne Gesamtbetrag): the bidder states a unit price, and the item is not added to the bid total. With total (mit Gesamtbetrag): the item counts toward the total like a normal item.
For public clients in Germany, VOB/A 2019 § 7 says that Bedarfspositionen should in principle not be part of the tender documents. They are common in private tenders and for work that cannot be planned in advance.
Example
A plumbing LV contains item 01.01.0020, „Revisionsöffnung 300 x 300 mm … nur auf Anordnung der Bauleitung“, 4 pieces, marked as a Bedarfsposition without total. The bidder enters a unit price. The four pieces do not appear in the bid total. If the site manager later orders two openings, they are paid at that unit price.
A second item, „Heizkörper ab- und anbauen“ (remove and refit radiators), 6 pieces, is a Bedarfsposition with total. Its total is part of the bid total, even though the work may never be needed.
In a GAEB DA XML file such as an X83, the flag is the element Provis with the value WithoutTotal or WithTotal. In GAEB 90 files (D83), the item record carries E (without total) or M (with total).
What to watch for
The unit price is binding even though the quantity is uncertain. Price the item as carefully as a normal one.
Items without total do not change the ranking of bids, so they are easy to forget when sourcing. Include them in the Werksanfrage to the manufacturer.
Read the flag in the GAEB file, not only the text. In PDF bills of quantities the wording varies: „Bedarfsposition“, „Eventualposition“, „nur auf Anordnung“.
The quantity is an estimate. Check minimum order quantities and pack sizes with the supplier.
Not to be confused with
Wahlposition: an alternative that is built instead of the Grundposition, not in addition to it.
Zulageposition: an addition to another item, for example for a different size. It is an ordinary item and always counts. All item types are compared in Positionsarten.
<Item RNoPart="0020">
<Provis>WithoutTotal</Provis>
<Qty>4.000</Qty><QU>St</QU>
<Description><CompleteText>
<DetailTxt>... nur auf Anordnung der Bauleitung.</DetailTxt>
<OutlineText>... Revisionsöffnung 300 x 300 mm</OutlineText>
</CompleteText></Description>
</Item>In Mercura
When Mercura imports a GAEB file, it reads the item type with it: Grundposition, Bedarfsposition (with or without total) or Wahlposition.
Related terms
Positionsarten (item types in a German bill of quantities)
Positionsarten are the item types of a German bill of quantities, such as normal, base, alternative and provisional items. The type decides whether an item counts toward the bid total.
Wahlposition and Grundposition (alternative and base item)
A Wahlposition (also Alternativposition) is an alternative to a Grundposition in a German bill of quantities. The bidder gives a price for both, and the client decides later which one is commissioned.
Ordnungszahl (OZ, item number in a bill of quantities)
An Ordnungszahl (OZ) is the unique number of an item in a German bill of quantities. It shows where the item sits, for example 01.02.0030 for item 0030 under levels 01 and 02.
Werksanfrage (supplier quote request to the manufacturer)
A Werksanfrage is a wholesaler’s request to a manufacturer about the items of a project: project conditions, availability, delivery times, technical questions or an equivalent product.
Objektgeschäft (project business in German wholesale)
Objektgeschäft (project business) is business tied to one specific construction project, the Objekt or Bauvorhaben. It usually starts with a tender that includes a bill of quantities, unlike the day-to-day stock and counter business.
Unit price (in a bill of quantities)
A unit price (Einheitspreis, EP) is the price for one unit of a bill of quantities position, such as one metre or one piece. Quantity times unit price gives the item total, and the item totals add up to the bid total.
On mercura.ai