Authority's Requirements (also known as the Employer's Requirements) meaning

The authority’s requirements (called the Employer’s Requirements in design and build contracts) describe the client’s specification for the works and services to be delivered on a project. In PPP/PFI/DBFM procurements, they are issued by the public-sector Authority; in building contracts they are issued by the Employer. They are typically an output‑based, performance specification that invites project co or the contractor to propose how it will meet those requirements in its proposals/solution. This is a contractual, not statutory, expression. Its content and effect are set by the contract and procurement documents, commonly forming part of the tender pack and, once executed, the contract documents. Key features include: definition of scope, performance standards and acceptance/testing; allocation of design risk to meet the outputs; interaction with the payment/performance regime and service levels; and governance of changes via the contract’s change control. Across England & Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland, usage is consistent, though terminology differs: PPP documents refer to Authority’s Requirements; JCT design and build uses Employer’s Requirements (read with the Contractor’s Proposals); NEC uses the Scope (formerly Works Information). Contractual priority clauses and clarity on ambiguities are critical to manage risk and avoid scope creep.