# VOB Check: review tenders before you price them

> VOB check for bidders: AI checks every bill of quantities position against the VOB/C trade standards and the contract terms against VOB/B, with change orders, risks and questions.

Public clients in Germany have to write their tenders according to the VOB. In practice, many bills of quantities have gaps, and every gap is money: a change order after the award, or a risk that belongs in the price. Streckenheld checks the bill of quantities and the contract terms against the VOB in minutes and tells you, as the bidder, what to do.

## Why a VOB review before pricing takes so long

A bill of quantities often has hundreds of positions, plus dozens of pages of preliminary remarks and contract terms. Reading all of it carefully against the VOB takes days, and those days are rarely there before a submission deadline. What typically slips through:

- **Missing work** you will certainly have to do, such as trench excavation that falls between two sections.
- **Missing information** on soil, groundwater or the site that section 0 of the trade standard requires.
- **Open wording** like "nach Erfordernis" or "approx.", which turns pricing into guesswork.
- **Unusual risks** such as "all difficulties are to be included in the price".
- **Deviating contract terms**: penalties without justification, retentions on every interim payment, a 5-year warranty instead of 4, clauses that exclude change orders.

## How Streckenheld checks a tender against the VOB

### Every position against the VOB/C trade standards

The AI assigns every position to the trade standard that governs it, from earthworks to concrete to drainage, and checks it against that standard's rules and against VOB/A: units of measurement, ancillary and special services, missing information, brands without "or equivalent", contingency and alternative positions. Each section is also looked at as a whole, so work that no position covers stands out.

### Preliminary remarks and contract terms against VOB/B

Preliminary remarks, the building description and separate documents such as the ZVB or BVB are read against VOB/B: execution periods, contract penalty, securities, acceptance, payment, defect liability, remuneration and change orders, liability. For public clients, also against VOB/A's rules on contract terms.

### Evidence, double-checked

Every finding quotes the tender word for word and names the exact VOB clause. A second, independent AI check confirms that the clause backs the finding. You get a short list of points you can rely on, not a flood of guesses.

### What to do

| Recommendation | What it means |
|---|---|
| Claim later | Work that's missing or wrongly described and will be paid after the award, with the VOB/B basis and what keeps the claim alive, such as announcing it before you start |
| Price it in | Risks that stay with you: unusual site risks, high contract penalties, long warranties |
| Ask before bidding | Errors so obvious that a bidder's question protects your later claim |

### Your rules, applied every time

Tell the check once what matters to your company, for example trades you carry out yourselves, and add instructions for a single tender when you need them. The check suggests from the client's name whether it's a public body bound by VOB/A.

## How the VOB check works with Streckenheld

1. **Upload the bill of quantities** as a GAEB file or PDF; the AI reads positions, sections and preliminary remarks. More in the guide [BoQ analysis](https://www.streckenheld.com/guides/boq-analysis.md).
2. **Add the contract documents** if the ZVB or BVB come separately.
3. **Click "Check against VOB"**: the check runs in the background.
4. **Review the findings** right on the affected positions, sorted by impact, with the full VOB wording.
5. **Price the tender**: build in the risks, send your bidder's questions, keep the change orders for later and continue with the [budget estimate](https://www.streckenheld.com/guides/budget-estimate.md).

## Who the VOB check is for

- **Estimators and bid managers** who price public tenders and can't afford to miss an expensive detail under time pressure.
- **Commercial managers** who want to know the risks before submitting and enforce change orders after the award, prepared.
- **Managing directors** who want to win with competitive prices without giving away margin.

Bills of quantities often come as GAEB files; the article [GAEB](https://www.streckenheld.com/knowledge/gaeb.md) explains what the format contains. The VOB check supports your team with clear references to the VOB; it doesn't replace legal advice.

## Frequently asked questions

### What exactly does the VOB check review?

Every position and section of the bill of quantities against the VOB/C trade standards that apply to it and against VOB/A, for example information required by section 0, ancillary and special services, or units of measurement. It also reads the preliminary remarks and contract terms against VOB/B: contract penalties, securities, acceptance, payment and warranty.

### Which documents can Streckenheld read?

Bills of quantities as GAEB files or PDFs, including preliminary remarks and building descriptions, plus separate contract documents such as the ZVB, BVB or a draft contract that you add to the check.

### How do I know a finding is right?

Every finding quotes the tender word for word and names the exact VOB clause it rests on. A second, independent AI check confirms that the clause really supports the finding; anything that can't be backed up is dropped. You can verify each point in seconds.

### Does the VOB check replace a legal review?

No. It takes the time-consuming reading off your team and gives you findings with clear references to the VOB. It doesn't replace your judgement on the individual case or legal advice.

## Read next

- [GAEB: formats, exchange phases and practice in construction](https://www.streckenheld.com/knowledge/gaeb.md): GAEB explained: GAEB 90, GAEB 2000 and GAEB DA XML, the exchange phases X81 to X86, and how bills of quantities flow between planner, contractor and supplier.
- [Bill of Quantities (BOQ) Analysis with AI](https://www.streckenheld.com/guides/boq-analysis.md): Upload a bill of quantities and let AI extract every position, summarize each section, and flag gaps, risks, and change-order traps before you send it out. Turn a BOQ into a ready-to-send request for quotation in one step.
- [AI Budget Estimate from a Bill of Quantities](https://www.streckenheld.com/guides/budget-estimate.md): Turn a bill of quantities into a priced budget in minutes. AI prices every position from your own contracts and past offers, falls back to regional market prices, and shows its assumptions — then export it as CSV, XLSX, or GAEB.
- [Bid comparison (Preisspiegel) for building materials](https://www.streckenheld.com/knowledge/bid-comparison.md): What a bid comparison (Preisspiegel) is, how to build one for material tenders, normalise units, rate alternative bids and award on total cost, with an example.

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Source: https://www.streckenheld.com/vob-check
Other languages: [Deutsch](https://www.streckenheld.com/vob-pruefung.md) · [Italiano](https://www.streckenheld.com/verifica-vob.md) · [Français](https://www.streckenheld.com/controle-vob.md) · [Español](https://www.streckenheld.com/revision-vob.md)
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