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X81 file: the GAEB description of works
An X81 is a Leistungsbeschreibung (description of works) in GAEB DA XML: the bill of quantities as the planner hands it to the client, with texts and usually without prices. Drop yours into the viewer to read it or export it to Excel; below, an X81 is explained element by element.
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What is in an X81
First what an X81 holds, then a short X81 with three items, valid against the GAEB DA XML 3.3 schema.
What the file holds
| Content | In the file | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Project and LV | Yes | Project, LV name and currency. |
| Sections and item numbers (OZ) | Yes | Up to five section levels before the item number; the whole OZ has at most 14 characters. |
| Short and long texts | Yes | Formatted text, lists and tables. |
| Quantities and units | Yes | Except where the quantity is left to the bidder (free quantity). |
| Item types | Yes | Contingency, basic and alternative, lump-sum, hourly-wage and surcharge items. |
| Bidder text additions | If asked for | Gaps for the later bidder, such as the offered make. |
| Unit prices and totals | Usually not | The phase 81 schema allows prices, but according to GAEB a description of works usually has none. |
The sample, explained
| Sample | What it says |
|---|---|
| X81 with three items | |
| XML declaration and root element. The namespace names the exchange phase (DA81) and the version of GAEB DA XML (3.3). |
| GAEBInfo: version of GAEB DA XML and the program that wrote the file. PrjInfo: project number and name. |
| The award block. DP is the exchange phase: 81 = Leistungsbeschreibung (description of works). AwardInfo holds the currency; there is no bid deadline yet. |
| The bill of quantities: name, description, date and the structure of the item number. Two levels of two digits and a four-digit item number give OZ 01.01.0010. |
| Two section levels: 01 Sanitärinstallation and, inside it, 01.01 Abwasserleitungen. RNoPart is each level's part of the OZ. |
| Item 01.01.0010: quantity 48.5, unit m, no price. |
| The item's long text (DetailTxt) and short text (OutlineText). |
| Provis WithoutTotal makes 01.01.0020 a contingency item (Bedarfsposition ohne GB): it gets a unit price, but no total that counts towards the LV. |
| Its texts, then the end of the item list and of both sections. |
| Section 02 Heizungsinstallation with 02.01 Heizflächen. |
| Item 02.01.0010: 14 pieces (St). |
| The long text already holds the gap for the offered make (TextComplement Kind="Bidder"). |
| End of the item list, the sections, the LV, the award block and the file. |
Tender phase
Where the X81 fits in a tender
81 is the first step for an LV: the description of works in planning. For the tender, the LV goes out to bidders as an 83.
| 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) this file | 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) | 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 this file | .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 | .D81 to .D86 | Line format with fixed columns. No longer supported by the GAEB. |
Open and convert
How to open and convert an X81
An X81 opens like any other GAEB file. These are the usual ways.
| 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. |
| Send it to bidders | For the tender, the same LV goes out to bidders as an X83, usually from AVA software. |
| Text editor | An X81 is XML: a text editor or browser opens it, but the texts sit between tags. |
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.
An X81 is a Leistungsbeschreibung (description of works) in GAEB DA XML, exchange phase 81. It carries the bill of quantities: the items in order of their item numbers with short and long texts, quantities and units, and usually no prices.
According to GAEB, the architect or engineer hands the LV to the client as an X81 during planning. For the tender, the client then sends it to the bidders as an X83.
Drop it into the GAEB viewer on this page. It shows the sections, items and long texts in your browser and exports them to Excel, CSV or PDF. The file is not uploaded.
Both carry the bill of quantities with its texts. The X81 is the description of works from planning; the X83 is the request for quotation sent to bidders, with a bid deadline and no price fields at all.
The phase 81 schema allows unit prices and totals, but according to GAEB a description of works usually has none. An LV with estimated prices is phase 82, the Kostenanschlag (cost estimate).
Yes: D81 in GAEB 90 and P81 in GAEB DA 2000. The phase names 81 to 86 are the same in all GAEB versions, and the viewer opens all of them.
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.
D83
Request for quotation, GAEB 90
The same request in the GAEB 90 line format.
X84
Bid
The bidder's prices for every item number.
P83
Request for quotation, GAEB 2000
The request in the GAEB 2000 keyword format.