The five questions and their sections
| Question | Section |
|---|---|
| Does this ATV apply to my work | 1 Scope |
| Which materials and components are owed | 2 Materials and components |
| How is the work to be executed | 3 Execution |
| What is included in the price | 4 Incidental and additional services |
| How is measurement performed | 5 Measurement and final account |
Section 0 is added, containing guidance for preparing the specification. It does not become part of the contract and addresses whoever is tendering.
The reading order depends on the task
Three typical occasions lead into an ATV, and each calls for a different order. Anyone always starting at the front loses time on sections that answer nothing.
| Occasion | Order | Why |
|---|---|---|
| When preparing the bill of quantities | 0 → 4 → 5 | section 0 lists the particulars required, section 4 settles what must be a separate item, section 5 shapes the wording through the unit of measurement |
| When pricing a tender | 4 → 3 → 5 | what counts as an incidental service must be priced even where the text omits it; then the standard of execution and the correct reading of the quantity |
| When checking a final account | section 5 only | the question is solely whether measurement followed the ATV |
Precedence before reading
Before any question of content comes a formal one. It is which standard applies at all.
Divergent provisions in the trade-specific ATV take precedence over DIN 18299. The check therefore always begins in the ATV for the trade, and only where it is silent does DIN 18299 apply.
Where no ATV exists for a service at all, DIN 18299 applies directly. It expressly fills that gap.
The general provisions are covered in the article on DIN 18299. It also sets out which incidental services it fixes for every trade.
Units of measurement differ
Section 5 fixes the unit in which measurement proceeds. The choice is not arbitrary, and it determines how an item must be worded.
| Unit | Typical application |
|---|---|
| Area in m² | masonry, render, drylining, finishes, coatings |
| Volume in m³ | earthworks, concrete, bulk elements |
| Length in m | joints, junctions, services, skirtings |
| Number | built-in components, special units, fittings |
| Mass in t | reinforcement, structural steel |
The same element may be measured differently across trades. The same wall is measured by area or volume when built, by area when rendered, and by area again when painted, but with different deduction rules.
For pricing it follows that a quantity is not transferable between trades, even where the same element is involved. The system is covered in the article on the deduction rules.
Section 4 is where the money sits
In any ATV, section 4 repays reading more than any other, and for a simple reason. It shifts amounts without any item existing for them.
| Section | Content | Payment |
|---|---|---|
| 4.1 Incidental services | form part of the contractual work even without mention in the contract | covered by the unit rates |
| 4.2 Additional services | do not form part of the contractual work unless agreed | separately payable |
The trade-specific ATV frequently word these as supplementary to DIN 18299. Their lists stand alongside the general ones and do not replace them so far as they provide nothing to the contrary. Nothing in the general list falls away.
The practical benefit runs both ways. For whoever is tendering, section 4.2 is the list of what must be provided for as its own item. For whoever is pricing, section 4.1 is the list of what must be priced without finding it in the text.
An example of the effect
An element appearing in several ATV shows why trade-specific reading is necessary. The window opening is the clearest example.
A window opening in a rendered masonry wall touches at least three standards: the ATV for masonry, the one for rendering and, where applicable, the one for painting. Each governs in its section 5 whether and above what size the opening is deducted, and each governs in its section 4 whether working the reveal is an incidental or an additional service.
Transferring one trade's deduction rule to another produces a quantity that is not contractually owed. That is the commonest error when checking accounts and simultaneously the most easily avoided.
What to watch when tendering
Three points prevent most later disputes. All three belong in the tender documents.
| Point | Why |
|---|---|
| Name the applicable edition | the ATV are revised at multi-year intervals; which edition applies belongs in the preliminaries |
| Regulate departures expressly | where a measurement rule is to be departed from, for instance for digital measurement, it must be agreed; absent agreement the ATV applies |
| Tender additional services as items | what section 4.2 names and the project involves belongs in the bill, otherwise a variation without competition arises |
The structure of the bill of quantities is covered in the separate article. It also sets out which item types the VOB/A recognises.
Related articles
This article reflects the position of the standards at the date of checking and serves professional orientation. It does not constitute legal advice and does not replace assessment of the individual case.