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D83 file: a GAEB 90 request for quotation
A D83 is a request for quotation in GAEB 90, the oldest of the three GAEB formats: fixed text lines of 80 characters instead of XML. It holds the same bill of quantities as an X83. Drop yours into the viewer to read it or export it to Excel; below, the format is explained record by record.
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What is in a D83
First what a D83 holds, then the start of a D83 and two of its items. Every line begins with a two-digit record type (Satzart) that says what the rest of the line means.
What the file holds
| Content | In the file | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Project and LV | Yes | Records 00 to 08: phase, OZ mask, LV name, project, currency. |
| Sections and item numbers (OZ) | Yes | The OZ mask in record 00 sets the levels. |
| Short and long texts | Yes | Short text in record 25, long text in record 26, wrapped into lines. |
| Quantities and units | Yes | In record 21, with three decimals and no decimal point. |
| Item types | Yes | A code in record 21 marks basic, alternative and contingency items. |
| Unit prices and totals | No | The prices come back in the bid. |
| Line format | 80 characters | Two-digit record type, content, six-digit line number. |
The sample, explained
| Sample | What it says |
|---|---|
| D83, start of the file | |
| T0 opens a block of contract texts before the LV, T1 lines carry the text, T9 closes the block. |
| Record 00 opens the LV: phase 83 and the OZ mask 1122PPPPI (two levels of two digits, a four-digit item number, an index). |
| Record 01: LV name and date. |
| Records 02 and 03: project and further header text. |
| Record 08: currency. |
| Record 11 opens a section (01 Gewerk, then 01.01 Titel), record 12 holds its title. |
| Two items | |
| Record 21: item 01.01.0010 in the columns of the mask, item type NNN (normal), quantity 00000048500 = 48.500, unit m. |
| Record 25: short text. |
| Record 26: long text, wrapped at the end of the line. |
| Item 01.01.0030: the E in NEN makes it a contingency item without total (Bedarfsposition ohne GB). |
| Its short and long text. |
| Record 31 closes section 01.01. |
| Record 99 ends the LV. |
Tender phase
Where the D83 fits in a tender
The 83 is the request for quotation, the D is the format GAEB 90. GAEB 90 uses the phase numbers 81 to 86, like the newer formats.
| Phase | Name | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| 80 | Universal LV data | Any LV data, not tied to a step of the tender. |
| 81 | Leistungsbeschreibung (description of works) | The LV with its texts, as the planner hands it to the client. Usually without prices. |
| 82 | Kostenanschlag (cost estimate) | The LV with estimated prices, for award decisions and cost control. |
| 83 | Angebotsaufforderung (request for quotation) this file | The LV without prices, sent to the companies invited to bid. |
| 84 | Angebotsabgabe (bid) | The bidder's prices, text additions and free quantities, sent back to the client. |
| 85 | Nebenangebot (alternative bid) | A bid with an alternative way of execution, if the client allows it. |
| 86 | Auftragserteilung (contract award) | The award to the most economical bid. With it, the construction contract is concluded. |
| 87 | Auftragsbestätigung (order confirmation) | The contractor confirms the order. |
| 89 | Rechnung (invoice) | The invoice with items and quantities, which can be backed by quantity take-offs. |
| 93–97 | Trade (Handel) | Between contractor and manufacturer or wholesaler: price request (93), price offer (94), order (96), order confirmation (97). |
Three generations of the format
| Format | Files | Status |
|---|---|---|
| GAEB DA XML | .X80 to .X89, plus other phases | The current standard, version 3.3 (edition 2023-01). |
| GAEB DA 2000 | .P81 to .P86 | Keyword format. No longer supported by the GAEB. |
| GAEB 90 this file | .D81 to .D86 | Line format with fixed columns. No longer supported by the GAEB. |
Open and convert
How to open and convert a D83
These are the ways to read, export and convert a D83.
| Task | How |
|---|---|
| Read it now | Drop the file into the viewer at the top of this page. It opens X8x, P8x and D8x files in your browser; the file is not uploaded. |
| Excel or CSV | In the viewer, choose Excel (.xlsx) or CSV: one row per item with OZ, short and long text, quantity, unit and prices. |
| Open the print view in the viewer and save it as PDF. | |
| Work with it | AVA or estimating software with a GAEB interface. The BVBS certifies such interfaces for GAEB DA XML 3.1 to 3.3. |
| Reply with prices | Return the bid in the format the client asks for, from your estimating or AVA software, or as an X84 from the GAEB converter. |
| Convert to X83 | The GAEB converter turns a D83 into an X83 (GAEB DA XML 3.3) in your browser and lists anything it cannot carry over. |
| Text editor | A D83 is plain text in fixed columns. Umlauts look wrong in a modern editor, because GAEB 90 uses a DOS character set. |
PDF and Excel tenders
Not every tender comes as GAEB.
Many bills of quantities still arrive as PDF, scan or Excel, and someone types them in. Mercura reads tenders in GAEB and PDF and suggests matching articles from your catalogue for every item, so a PDF tender is handled like an X83.
FAQ
Questions about GAEB files.
A D83 is a request for quotation (phase 83) in GAEB 90, the older line format of the GAEB standard. Each line is 80 characters long and starts with a two-digit record type. It holds the same content as an X83: sections, item numbers, texts and quantities, no prices.
Drop it into the GAEB viewer on this page. It reads the records, joins the wrapped long texts and shows the bill of quantities in your browser. In a text editor the umlauts look wrong, because GAEB 90 uses a DOS character set.
Open it in the free GAEB converter at mercura.ai/tools/gaeb-converter: it reads the D83 and writes an X83 in GAEB DA XML 3.3, in your browser, and lists anything it cannot carry over. AVA or estimating software can do it too. The viewer on this page exports D83 files to Excel, CSV or PDF.
The same GAEB 90 format in other phases: a D81 is a description of works (Leistungsbeschreibung), a D84 a bid with prices. Many D84 files carry only item numbers and prices. The viewer opens D81 to D86.
No. The current standard is GAEB DA XML, version 3.3, and the GAEB no longer supports GAEB 90. D83 files are still in use, though, so they still arrive with some tenders.
00 opens the LV, 01 and 02 name the LV and the project, 11 and 12 start a section and give its title, 21 is an item with quantity and unit, 25 its short text and 26 its long text, 31 closes a section and 99 ends the LV.
GAEB formats
More GAEB formats, explained.
X83
Request for quotation
The bill of quantities without prices that bidders receive.
GAEB formats
X, P and D, phases 80 to 89
All formats and phases at a glance.
X84
Bid
The bidder's prices for every item number.
X81
Description of works
The description of works from the planner.
P83
Request for quotation, GAEB 2000
The request in the GAEB 2000 keyword format.