Owner's representative for construction and real estate projects in Germany
Designers, general contractors and authorities each have their own interests. The owner needs a party that knows the owner's side, prepares decisions and controls execution. That is the role of an owner's representative, known in Germany as Bauherrenvertretung.
As owner's representative, a civil engineer acts for the owner towards designers, general contractors and authorities: we prepare decisions, control cost, schedule, quality and change orders and accompany acceptance. Schneider Theißing takes on this role as a project mandate or as an interim role for companies, international investors, funds, family offices and public clients who build in Germany without an in-house construction department. We work in German with contractors and authorities and report in English.
- Region: Frankfurt Rhine-Main, Bergstraße, Rhine-Neckar; Germany by project
- Contracts: VOB/B and German Civil Code (BGB), general contractor or multi-package
- Fees: written proposal after your request
Why owners need their own party on the project
On a construction project nobody represents the owner automatically. The architect also protects the design, the general contractor its margin, the specialist engineer their own discipline. Decisions are taken in meetings, and the owner often sees their consequences only in the final account. Without an in-house construction department, the owner risks time, money and quality in this constellation.
As owner's representative we take on the tasks the owner can delegate without giving up the right to decide. We prepare decisions, review documents, change orders and invoices, control schedule and cost and represent the owner in meetings and negotiations. The contracts with designers and contractors stay with the owner; we make sure they are complied with.
For international owners there is a second gap: German construction contracts, fee rules and acceptance procedures differ from FIDIC or common law practice. We explain these points as they arise and translate them into decisions you can take from abroad.
We work as owner's representative in Frankfurt and the wider Rhine-Main region, on the Bergstraße and in Rhine-Neckar, and by project elsewhere in Germany.
Discuss an owner's representative mandate
What the owner's representative role covers
Project objectives, budget, time frame, quality standards and organisation are fixed at the start. The result is a project manual with responsibilities, decision paths and reporting cycle.
Preparation of contract awards, review of bids, contracts and service descriptions under HOAI and VOB, support in negotiations. Legal review is done by your lawyers.
Schedule with milestones, cost tracking per cost group under DIN 276, updates after changes, early warning on deviations. Reporting to management, investment committee or lenders.
Attendance at design and site meetings, review of minutes, enforcement of owner decisions, coordination with authorities and utilities.
Review of change orders on entitlement and quantum, invoice review under VOB/B, release recommendation to the owner, documentation for disputes.
Organisation of acceptance with defect list and reservations, handover, tracking of defect remedies and inspection before warranty periods expire.
Owner's representative, project management, site supervision, Bauleiter: how the German roles differ
The terms are often mixed up, also in English-language contracts. For the contract and for liability the distinction matters:
- Owner's representative (Bauherrenvertretung): represents the owner's interests towards all parties, prepares decisions and controls. Scope and powers are fixed in the contract.
- Project management under AHO Heft Nr. 9 (Projektsteuerung): delegable owner tasks in a staff function across five areas: organisation, quality, cost, schedule and contracts. The owner's representative role usually builds on it.
- Project lead (Projektleitung): non-delegable owner tasks with authority to decide and enforce. They can be assigned to the owner's representative with a corresponding power of attorney.
- Site supervision under HOAI phase 8 (Objektüberwachung): supervision of execution on site by the architect or an independent site supervisor. It is a service within the project, not the representation of the owner. See construction supervision in Germany.
- Bauleiter under the state building code: public-law responsibility for proper execution towards the building authority, defined in the building code of each federal state. It is separate from the owner's representative role.
- Legal advice: drafting contracts and enforcing claims remain with lawyers. We provide the technical and commercial basis.
Who an owner's representative is useful for
Companies building their own facility
Management cannot steer a construction project alongside the day-to-day business. We take over the representation with clear decision papers and a fixed reporting cycle. For production and logistics buildings see industrial construction.
International investors and funds
Several projects, no construction department in Germany. We represent the owner's interests towards developers, general contractors and designers and report to the investment management in English.
Public clients
The building department is at capacity and the project needs a party that keeps procurement, schedule and change orders under control. We work with the contracting authority and its committees.
Private owners and family offices
A new build, a refurbishment or a conversion with several parties. We make sure decisions are prepared, documented and implemented.
Project mandate or interim role
The owner's representative role can be appointed as a defined project mandate, for example from contract award to acceptance, or as an interim role when the owner's representative, project lead or head of construction is temporarily missing in your organisation. In an interim mandate we work inside your organisation, with your reporting lines and defined authority.
On data center campuses the same role is described on data center construction management. Details on roles and interim set-ups are on our German page Interim Management Bau und Immobilien.
Frequently asked questions
Fill the owner's seat on your project
Tell us the project stage, the parties involved and what is missing on the owner side. You receive an engineering view and a written proposal.