der Leistungsumfang — the scope of services, a standard heading in quotes and contracts
im Leistungsumfang enthalten — included in the scope of services
nicht im Angebot enthalten — not included in the quote
gegen Aufpreis — for a surcharge
Das war so nicht vereinbart. — That is not what we agreed.
eine Extrawurst — an extra sausage: special treatment outside the normal arrangement, as in Er will immer eine Extrawurst, he always wants special treatment
A bachelor’s thesis at a German university begins with the formal issue of a topic. At the University of Göttingen, the 2003 rules for agricultural studies said the first examiner assigns the topic after hearing the student and puts it on record, aktenkundig gemacht. The working period of twelve weeks started that day. The topic could be handed back only once, and only within the first third of the period. A 2025 amendment at the Georg Agricola University of Applied Sciences in Bochum allows a return only within the first two weeks.
In German business, delivery dates and project deadlines are often given as a calendar week: Lieferung in KW 23, delivery in calendar week 23. Office calendars and many wall calendars print the week numbers. In 2013 the IT magazine Computerwoche wrote that whether for finishing IT projects or for announced delivery dates, die Kalenderwoche oder kurz KW is still a fixed reference in working life.
A photographer, designer or programmer in Germany who lets a client use a work grants no more than the contract names or its purpose requires. Section 31 of the Copyright Act sets the rule. If the types of use are not listed one by one, the purpose of the contract decides which uses are covered. Lawyers call this the Zweckübertragungslehre, the doctrine of transfer by purpose. An IT law firm explains its effect. Rights of use die Tendenz haben, am Urheber zu kleben, tend to stick to the author. In case of doubt, each grant is read so eng wie möglich, as narrowly as possible.
Before a move, a German removal firm usually inspects the apartment and the goods to be moved. The consumer advice centers recommend agreeing a fixed price in most cases. The fixed price covers only what was agreed. So der Leistungsumfang beim Festpreis sollte daher vorher möglichst exakt bestimmt werden. The scope of services should be set as exactly as possible in advance. The written offer should list every agreed service, vom Aufstellen des Halteverbotsschilds vorm Haus, from putting up the no-parking sign in front of the house to the outside lift, packing material and assembly work.
The automobile club ADAC tells drivers to write down every job in the repair order, together with the completion date. Je genauer der Werkstattauftrag schriftlich formuliert ist, desto besser lassen sich Streitigkeiten vermeiden. The more precisely the order is written, the easier it is to avoid disputes. It also advises setting a written cost limit. A court case shows the limit holding. A customer asked a workshop to find and repair an electrical fault, with an agreed limit of 2,000 euros. The workshop claimed the limit had been raised to 5,000 euros orally. In August 2013 the Higher Regional Court of Karlsruhe ruled that the customer owed no more than 2,000 euros. A note on the order without his countersignature proved nothing.
Anyone who builds a prefabricated house in Germany soon learns the word Sonderwunsch, special request. The building description fixes the standard specification. The guide site fertighaus.de puts it simply: Abweichungen davon sind Sonderwünsche, departures from it are special requests. They usually cost extra. The examples are familiar to every builder: more sockets and data connections, underfloor heating instead of radiators, Parkettfußboden anstelle standardmäßig Laminat, parquet instead of the standard laminate. Changes agreed before signing always belong in the building contract.
A builder who builds a house for a private customer in Germany must first hand over a detailed Baubeschreibung, a building description, in text form. It must arrive before the customer signs. Section 650j of the Civil Code requires it, and the introductory act to the Civil Code lists what it must contain. This includes the type and scope of the work, plans with room and floor areas, the energy, fire and sound insulation standard, the construction of all main trades, the interior finish and the building services. It must also give verbindliche Angaben zum Zeitpunkt der Fertigstellung, binding information on the completion date. The description becomes part of the contract, unless the parties agree otherwise. Any remaining doubt about what it covers counts against the builder.
A public client in Germany may also describe only the requirements a building must meet and leave the design to the bidder. This is called a Funktionalausschreibung, a functional tender. In April 2023 the audit office for municipalities in Baden-Württemberg published a notice on it. It cites the legal literature: the description with a bill of quantities is the normal case, and the functional tender is die stets begründungsbedürftige Ausnahme, the exception that always needs a justification. Among the risks, the auditors name Abmagerungsangebote, slimmed-down bids. When a lump-sum price is agreed and the standards of execution are not set precisely enough, bidders can trim the standard to their own advantage.
A German construction job is broken down in a Leistungsverzeichnis, a bill of quantities. The work is divided into numbered positions. The numbers run in ascending order. Each position states a quantity and a unit, such as square meters of plaster or meters of cable. The bidder writes a unit price into every position. The document holds all the information needed to set the price.