Switzerland

In Switzerland, multi-party-agreements are not yet used in construction and plant engineering projects. However, the increasing importance of BIM has now been recognized and the BIM method is already used (to a certain degree) in some construction projects. The Swiss Society of Engineers and Architects has recently published guidelines and an amendment to the model planning agreement for projects using the BIM method. However, the model planning agreement is still based upon to the traditional system of principal-agent and it is merely complemented with certain BIM specific services to be rendered by the planners and clauses regarding data inspection and data exchange.

The following collaborative elements are sometimes found in traditional planning and construction contracts: bonus-malus systems linked to certain contractual objectives (e.g. lettable area, target return, construction costs etc.), escalation mechanisms in case of disputes, mediation and arbitration clauses.

Key contact

Dr Sibylle Schnyder, LL.M.
Partner
Certified Specialist SBA Construction and Real Estate Law
Zurich
T +41 44 285 11 11

Expertise