Glossary
Leistungsbeschreibung (statement of work in a German tender)
A Leistungsbeschreibung describes the work being tendered. It is the umbrella term: a Leistungsverzeichnis, with quantities for each item, is one form of it, and a Leistungsprogramm, with goals and requirements, is the other.
In short
The Leistungsbeschreibung is the umbrella term for describing the work in a tender. The Leistungsverzeichnis is one form of it. The two forms differ in who derives the quantities and products.
VOB/A 2019 § 7b Abs. 1 sets the usual form: a general account of the building task (Baubeschreibung) and an LV divided into partial services.
VOB/A 2019 § 7c Abs. 1 allows a functional form. Where it is expedient to put the design out to competition together with the execution, the work can be described by a Leistungsprogramm (funktionale Leistungsbeschreibung).
Example
A heating system can be tendered in two ways. With a Leistungsverzeichnis, every item is listed with its quantity, and the bidder calculates each one. With a Leistungsprogramm, the client states the goals and requirements, that is, what the finished system has to do. The bidder then derives the quantities and products itself and designs the solution.
The items of a Leistungsverzeichnis come in several item types. Each type has its own rules for the bid total. Standard texts for each item can come from STLB-Bau.
What to watch for
With a Leistungsprogramm, the bidder derives quantities and products. With a Leistungsverzeichnis, the quantities are given.
Both forms are binding parts of the contract, so read the whole description before you calculate.
A Leistungsprogramm asks the bidder to design the solution, so read the goals and requirements closely.
Check which form a tender uses before you start. Under VOB/A § 7b the usual description combines a Baubeschreibung and an LV.
Project business usually starts with a tender that comes with an LV. See Objektgeschäft.
Not to be confused with
Leistungsverzeichnis: one form of the Leistungsbeschreibung, with items and quantities.
Leistungsprogramm: the other form, with goals and requirements instead of items with quantities.
Baubeschreibung: the general description of the building task. It is one part of the Leistungsbeschreibung.
In Mercura
Mercura reads bills of quantities as GAEB files or PDFs and suggests a matching article from the customer's own catalogue for every item.
Related terms
STLB-Bau (German standard specification texts)
STLB-Bau (Standardleistungsbuch für das Bauwesen) is a digital, dynamic text system with standard wording for VOB-compliant tender texts. Its texts are organised by trade.
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.
Kurztext and Langtext (short and long text)
Kurztext and Langtext are the two texts of every item in a German bill of quantities. The Kurztext is a one-line label, and the Langtext is the full description of the work with material, dimensions, norms and scope.
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.
Change order
A change order is a change to the work, or extra work, that the client orders after the contract has been awarded. In Germany the contractor’s price for it is the Nachtragsangebot (Nachtrag).
Material takeoff (quantity takeoff)
A material takeoff (Mengenermittlung, quantity takeoff) is the counting and measuring of the quantities of work and material for a project, from the drawings before construction and by measuring what was built afterwards (Aufmaß).
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