Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Key definition

FIDIC definition

What does FIDIC mean? In legal practice, FIDIC usually means the suite of standard‑form construction and engineering contracts published by the International federation of Consulting Engineers (Fédération Internationale des Ingénieurs‑Conseils), rather than the organisation itself. It is an industry term, not defined in legislation or case law. FIDIC contracts (commonly the Red, Yellow, Silver, Green, Gold, Blue and Emerald Books) are widely used on international infrastructure, EPC and design‑and‑build projects. Key legal features include the Engineer’s role as contract administrator and decision‑maker, detailed risk allocation, provisions on variations, payment, extensions of time and claims, strict notice and time‑bar requirements, and tiered dispute resolution using...

FIDIC 1999 Yellow v Silver Books: design-build/EPC comparison, project suitability, risk allocation, administration, price and payment, claims/DABs, testing and third-party property damage

Published by a LexisNexis Construction expert

Practice notes

This Practice Note reviews the Conditions of Contract for Plant and Design Build 1999 (widely known as the FIDIC Yellow Book 1999) and the Conditions of Contract for EPC/Turnkey Projects 1999 (the FIDIC Silver Book 1999). Both are intended for scenarios where the Contractor, rather than the Employer, undertakes the design of the Works, but there are important differences, which are outlined in this Practice Note and considered at a high level. For deeper analysis of each form, see Practice Notes: FIDIC contracts—introduction to the Yellow Book 1999 and FIDIC contracts—introduction to the Silver Book 1999 for background and context. New editions of the Yellow and Silver Books were issued in December 2017. For more information, refer to Practice Note: FIDIC contracts 2017—what’s changed? [Archived]. These materials provide helpful orientation too.

What types of projects are the contracts suitable for?

Although both contracts envisage the Contractor being responsible for carrying out all, or the vast majority, of the design, and both are fixed price 'lump sum' contracts, that does not mean they are each suitable for the same kinds of projects. Broadly, the key distinction is that under the Silver Book the Contractor assumes more risk than it does in...

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Web page updated on 21/05/2026

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