Work phase 8: construction supervision and documentation
Weighting: 32 per cent for buildings and interiors.
This phase covers supervising the works for conformity with the consent, the contracts and the recognised rules of technology, coordinating those involved, preparing and monitoring a programme, documenting the construction sequence, joint measurement with the contractors, checking invoices, the final cost statement, assisting with handover, and compiling the record documents. The catalogue is the longest in the whole service profile.
Three points matter for contract drafting. The third is the only one the regulation does not catch.
| Contract point | What matters |
|---|---|
| Documentation has become part of the name | since the 2013 edition the phase is site supervision and documentation; documenting the construction sequence, organising handover and the handover recommendation were added to the basic services |
| The final cost statement is a basic service | it closes cost planning and is the only source of in-house benchmarks for future projects |
| The weighting follows the duration, the fee does not | the effort grows with the construction period, the fee basis does not; where execution is delayed, the hourly yield falls with no balancing mechanism |
The system of the final cost statement is covered in the article on the final cost statement. That article also explains why it forms the starting point of the next project.
The increase for repair work
For basic services on repair and maintenance work, it may be agreed in text form that the percentage for construction supervision be increased by up to 50 per cent of the weighting of that phase. The 32 per cent can thereby become up to 48 per cent.
At a weighting of 32 per cent that means a possible increase of up to 16 percentage points. The provision reflects that supervision effort is disproportionately high for work in occupied premises and on existing fabric.
It must be distinguished from the instruments for building in existing stock: it acts on the percentage of a single phase, while the conversion supplement acts on the whole fee determined and existing fabric acts on the fee basis. The distinction is covered in the article on the conversion supplement.
Work phase 9: aftercare
Weighting: 2 per cent for buildings and interiors.
This phase covers the technical assessment of defects identified within the limitation periods for warranty claims, an inspection to identify defects before those periods expire, and assisting with the release of security. Three services, spread over several years.
Two per cent for work extending over years. Limitation periods for defect claims on buildings customarily run to several years, and the inspection falls at their end.
Three practical difficulties follow. All three concern practice organisation rather than any technical question.
| Difficulty | What it consists of |
|---|---|
| The extended timeline | the contract stays open for years without meaningful turnover; for practice organisation an obligation without contribution |
| The reminder burden | the inspection must be carried out in good time before the periods expire; if missed, the liability risk exceeds the fee share many times over |
| Assessing defects | the technical assessment is an additional service, while the inspection and assistance in establishing defects are basic services |
What construction supervision is not
Three distinctions regularly cause misunderstanding, and all three bear on liability. They should be settled before contract, because they determine the extent of responsibility.
| What it is not | What actually applies |
|---|---|
| Not continuous presence | what is owed is supervision for conformity with the consent, the contracts and the recognised rules of technology; the extent follows the difficulty and error-proneness of the works |
| Not building supervision under state law | that is a public law function with its own duties towards the building authority; the same person may hold both, but they are legally distinct |
| Not project management | a client task, cost group 710; where the designer takes it on, it must be agreed separately |
Why the weighting of phase 8 is debated
At 32 per cent, construction supervision is the heaviest phase, and it is also the one whose weighting is most often questioned in professional debate. The reason lies in its tie to the construction period.
The argument runs in both directions. In favour of a higher weighting: effort grows with construction period and the number of parties, while the fee basis is fixed. In favour of a lower one: parts of supervision are taken on by project managers or by the contractors themselves.
The question matters practically because phase 8 is the one most frequently removed from the contract. A contract without it nearly halves the fee and simultaneously alters the allocation of risk considerably: responsibility for conformity between construction and design then moves to another party.
The transition to occupation
With the final cost statement and the documentation, the cost planning of the project ends. What arises thereafter are costs in use, which follow a separate standard outside DIN 276.
The documentation from work phase 8 is the handover point: it supplies the element information on which later maintenance planning builds. The distinction between the standards is covered in the article on DIN 276, DIN 277 and DIN 18960.
Related articles
This article reflects the position of the rules and case law at the date of checking and serves professional orientation. It does not constitute legal advice and does not replace assessment of the individual case.