FIDIC White Book (Consulting)

The FIDIC White Book is the informal name for the FIDIC Client/Consultant Model Services Agreement, published by the Federation Internationale des Ingenieurs-Conseils as the standard contract form for engaging professional consulting services - engineering design, feasibility studies, supervision, project management, and related advisory work.

What is the FIDIC White Book?

Unlike the Red, Yellow, and Silver Books, which govern construction and plant contracts, the White Book governs the relationship between a client (the procuring entity) and a professional services firm (the consultant). It covers the consultant's services as defined in the tor, the schedule of payments and time charges, the consultant's liability for professional negligence, intellectual property rights over deliverables, termination, and dispute resolution.

The White Book does not use the engineer/contractor/employer triangular structure of the construction forms. It is a simpler two-party contract: client and consultant. Liability provisions are typically limited to the value of the consultant's fees or a defined multiple thereof, reflecting the professional indemnity insurance market's capacity constraints. Development banks use the White Book or their own derived form when contracting for consulting supervision services separately from the main civil works contract. Consulting firms evaluated under qcbs or quality-based selection will typically sign a White Book-derived contract upon award.

Why the FIDIC White Book matters for bidders

Consulting firms bidding on professional services should understand that the White Book's liability framework, particularly the limitation of liability clause, is often the subject of negotiation during contract finalization. Development banks sometimes impose higher or unlimited liability for fraud or wilful misconduct and lower or capped liability for ordinary professional negligence. Understanding the liability exposure built into the contract before submitting the financial proposal is essential, because professional indemnity insurance premiums are a direct project cost. Intellectual property clauses - which typically vest ownership of deliverables in the client - also affect consulting firms that wish to re-use methodologies, tools, or reports developed under one project in future work.

FAQ

Is the FIDIC White Book mandatory on development-bank consulting projects?

No. Development banks publish their own model consulting agreements (such as the World Bank's Standard Form Contract for Consultants) which are derived from or compatible with the White Book but incorporate bank-specific clauses on anti-corruption, audit rights, and dispute resolution. Consultants are contracted under whichever form the bank and borrower specify.

Does the White Book cover short-term individual consultant assignments?

The White Book is designed primarily for firm-to-client contracts. Individual consultant assignments under MDB frameworks typically use a shorter, separate contract form adapted for individuals rather than the full White Book.

How does the White Book handle scope changes?

The White Book includes provisions for the client to instruct additional services and for the consultant to claim additional fees for work outside the original scope. All scope changes and additional fee claims must be agreed in writing; consultants who perform extra work without a written variation instruction risk not being paid for it.