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General Terms and Conditions for Construction (AVB Bau)

Standardized contract terms for public construction contracts that supplement VOB/B in governing the rights and obligations of contractual parties.

What are AVB Bau?

AVB Bau (General Terms and Conditions for the Execution of Construction Work) are standardized contract conditions used by public contracting authorities in construction projects. They supplement VOB/B and regulate project-specific rights and obligations.

Legal Classification

RegulationFunctionBinding nature
BGB Contract LawLegal basisMandatory
VOB/BGeneral construction termsContractually agreed
AVB BauSupplementary termsContractually agreed
BVB (Special terms)Project-specificContractually agreed

Priority of Contract Documents

  1. Individual agreements
  2. Special contract terms (BVB)
  3. Additional contract terms (ZVB)
  4. General contract terms (AVB Bau)
  5. VOB/B
  6. Service description
  7. VOB/C (Technical terms)

Typical Contents

  • Execution deadlines and penalties: Start, milestones, completion, penalty clauses (typically 0.1-0.3% per working day, max. 5%)
  • Security deposits: Performance bond (5%), defects bond (3-5%)
  • Invoicing and payment: Progress payments, final payment, review periods
  • Insurance: Liability, construction performance, environmental liability
  • Subcontractors: Client approval, minimum wage declarations
  • Defect claims: Limitation periods, remediation obligations

AVB Bau vs. VOB/B

AVB Bau modify or supplement specific VOB/B provisions, such as adding penalty clauses, specifying security deposit amounts, and extending payment terms.

Patterno Helps

With Patterno-HIT, construction companies find matching tenders and can review AVB Bau requirements early. Patterno-BID for construction supports automated cost estimation with iTWO integration.

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