Our Strength is the Strength of our Members
About 1.400 member firms employing more than 48.000 highly skilled consultants and engineers – this is the German Association of Consulting Engineers – VBI (Verband Beratender Ingenieure), one of the leading associations worldwide for consultancy and engineering.
VBI member firms play a key role in the development of infrastructure in Germany and in the international market. Our members offer multidisciniplary and independent advice on the feasibility, funding, execution and management for all sizes of projects.
Integrity and professionalism are the core values of our members and guarantee that the client receives the highest technical standard followed by a fair and reasonable fee.
The Association: Communication is our Business
VBI is in great demand as a discussion partner for decision-makers in the fields of politics, business and government administration. It provides a platform on which to come into contact with the most innovative engineers in Germany.
VBI sees it as its task to make accurate, up-to-date information available to a broad public about the profession and the importance of independent planning and consulting. The association produces the highly-respected publication “Ingenium”. News and information about the sector can be found at the website www.vbi.de. There are opportunities to meet representatives in person at the many national and international events organised by VBI, as well as at trade fairs and congresses, and forums organised by VBI regional organisations and specialist groups.
The Direct Route to your Partner in Germany
Are you looking for a German partner for an international project, or a local partner for a project in Germany? – Our personnel in Berlin would be glad to put you in touch with our members. Or you can contact them easily and quickly by checking with the VBI Internet database.
10787 Berlin
Our Members: Successfully Combining Tradition and Progress
Since the VBI was established in 1903 as an association of leading planners and consulting engineers, membership has been a sign of very high levels of qualifications, extensive experience, and status as an independent consultant.
Today, “Membership in the German Association of Consulting Engineers VBI” is also an indication of flexibility, ability to adapt to the developments of the market, and the provision of allround planning and consulting services. Because consulting engineers have long ceased to be simply technical and construction specialists.
The work of VBI members begins long before the construction of a building, with feasibility studies, advice on financing, and the project development. In their consulting work they link together the various specialist contributions to a single whole. With their interdisciplinary insights, they are able to provide reliable support for their clients in all matters such as determining the location for a project, tackling the problems of the development phase, as well as all questions related to obtaining planning permission and legal clearance for the construction.
Responsibility
Consulting Engineers VBI are often requested to solve complex technical, economic or ecological problems and VBI is conscious of the particular responsibility which this represents. This is why VBI takes special care to select highly qualified, independent partners known for their integrity.
Consulting Made in Germany by VBI: Independent, Experienced, Reliable
Independent is the key word for the services provided by the planners and consulting engineers organised in VBI. They only answer to their clients and act on trust in their interests. The separation of planning and implementation sets up the preconditions for the best possible solutions. The spectrum of VBI member companies covers the entire range from highly-specialised one-man engineering operations to global engineering groups. They offer the ideal solution for all requirements: technology, organisation, logistics and commercial. They always have an eye on the complete life-cycle of a project, from the planning through the use to dismantling and recycling.
Professionals and Experts
The “VBI Database of German Consultants” provides detailed information on firms, offices and senior staff.
Tables of technical and management specializations and a regional index make it easy to access the information required.
VBI Technical Groups
The VBI consists of an extensive network of interconnected groups and associations inside and outside of Germany. In order to ensure the efficiency of various areas of consulting and planning within VBI, specialized technical groups act as competent experts on all technical and economical areas. Due to the variety of advanced training experiences within these technical groups, the VBI enjoys great professional diversity.
Our specialized technical groups are:
International
Partner in a Strong Network
As a founding member of the European umbrella organisation EFCA and the world association FIDIC, VBI is able to exert considerable influence on the political and economic framework for independent technical consulting world-wide.
The activities of VBI range from the preparation of reports for the European Parliament, through the cooperation with international funding organisations to the participation in work on the formulation of standard international contracts.
Another important element of our international work is the organisation of seminars and delegation trips. An example is the cooperation with the Federal Ministry of Economics on a series of events, which gave the German consulting engineers the opportunity to present their potential in countries such as China, Morocco and Poland.
In view of the proposed expansion of the European Union, a further priority of the international activities of VBI is cooperation with professional engineering bodies in Central and Eastern European countries.
Dispute Adjudication
Dispute adjudication is an alternative dispute resolution method for the out-of-court settlement of disputes which is predominantly in use for complex international construction projects.
FIDIC, the International Federation of Consulting Engineers, introduced dispute adjudication as a dispute resolution process in its standard contractual terms since mid-1990s. Since 1999, dispute adjudication has been part of all standard sample contracts.
Approx. 50,000 FIDIC contracts become awarded every year. They are recommended by both the multilateral development banks and by the World Bank Group. Dispute Adjudication Boards shall be appointed in all construction projects that are based on FIDIC contracts. Such boards are frequently appointed shortly after the contract has been concluded and before any dispute has even arisen in order to avoid disputes. Hence, in many cases the tender documents require bidders to make suggestions regarding the appointment of the members of the board.
Disputes arising in the context of large-scale projects may lead to prolonged disputes and to substantial losses. Dispute adjudication has been introduced to avoid prolonged disputes and such losses: The procedure is based on the contractual parties’ mutual agreement to entrust private persons with the settlement of any disputes that may arise. The aim is prompt, cost-effective and conclusive resolution of disputes.
VBI has undertaken the task of training German-speaking dispute adjudicators in accordance with FIDIC standards. A strict assessment, which was developed in line with FIDIC requirements, has been established and shall be passed by those who wish to be listed on the VBI adjudicator´s list.
Furthermore, VBI is performing the list keeping for German-speaking dispute adjudicators and acts as a nominating body for enquiries from parties wishing to engage a dispute adjudicator. In line with FIDIC requirements German-speaking adjudicators must demonstrate sufficient knowledge of the English contract language during the assessment.