FIDIC White Book vs Red Book vs Yellow Book: Which Contract Suits Which Project?
FIDIC contracts (International Federation of Consulting Engineers) are the global standard for engineering and construction agreements on donor-funded projects. The World Bank, ADB, EBRD, AfDB, AIIB, and EU TED all reference them as the default forms.
If you've ever wondered why a tender says "FIDIC Red Book 2017" or "FIDIC White Book 5th Edition" — and which contract you're actually qualifying for — this guide explains the differences in plain English.
The 5 main FIDIC contract types
📘 White Book — Consultancy Services Agreement
Used when: A client hires a consulting firm to perform engineering services — design, supervision, advisory, project management, feasibility studies, environmental assessments.
Who bids: Engineering consultancies (Mott MacDonald, AECOM, Arup, Egis, COWI, Stantec, etc.) and smaller specialist consultants.
Bid format: Technical proposal (60-80% weight) + financial proposal with personnel rates + reimbursables.
Typical contract value: $500K – $50M.
📕 Red Book — Conditions of Contract for Construction
Used when: The client (or its consultant) provides the design, and a contractor builds it. Most traditional construction projects use this.
Who bids: General contractors and works specialists.
Bid format: Bill of Quantities (BOQ) priced, plus technical capability + financial standing.
Risk allocation: Design risk stays with the employer; construction risk with the contractor.
Typical contract value: $2M – $500M.
📙 Yellow Book — Plant + Design-Build Contract
Used when: The contractor does both the design and the construction (Design-Build). Common for plant + equipment (water treatment plants, power stations, factories).
Who bids: Engineering-procurement-construction (EPC) firms with in-house design capability.
Bid format: Lump-sum price proposal based on Employer's Requirements (not detailed BOQ).
Risk allocation: Contractor takes both design and construction risk.
Typical contract value: $10M – $1B+.
📓 Silver Book — EPC / Turnkey Contract
Used when: The client wants a fully turnkey solution with maximum price certainty — common for power plants, oil + gas projects, infrastructure mega-projects.
Who bids: Large international EPC contractors (often consortia).
Bid format: Fixed lump sum, contractor takes nearly all risk.
Risk allocation: Heavy on contractor — design, construction, performance guarantees.
Typical contract value: $100M – $5B+.
📔 Pink Book — Multilateral Development Bank Harmonised Edition
Used when: A project is funded by multilateral development banks (WB, ADB, EBRD, AfDB) and requires modifications to standard FIDIC clauses to comply with donor procurement guidelines.
Note: The Pink Book is essentially the Red Book + MDB-specific modifications. It's the most common form on donor-funded works projects.
Quick comparison table
| Book | Color | Who designs | Who bids | Risk on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White | ⚪ Grey/White | — | Consultants | Effort + time |
| Red | 🔴 Red | Employer | Contractors | Construction |
| Yellow | 🟡 Yellow | Contractor | Design-Build firms | Design + Construction |
| Silver | ⚫ Silver | Contractor | EPC consortia | Almost everything |
| Pink | 🌸 Pink | Employer (mostly) | Contractors | Construction + MDB rules |
How to know which Book a tender uses
Look in the tender documents at the section called "Conditions of Contract" or "Particular Conditions." It will explicitly reference:
- "FIDIC Client/Consultant Model Services Agreement, 5th Edition 2017" = White Book
- "FIDIC Conditions of Contract for Construction, 2nd Edition 2017" = Red Book
- "FIDIC Conditions of Contract for Plant and Design-Build, 2nd Edition 2017" = Yellow Book
- "FIDIC EPC/Turnkey Conditions of Contract, 2nd Edition 2017" = Silver Book
- "FIDIC Pink Book — MDB Harmonised Edition" = Pink Book
How Tenderal helps
Tenderal lets you filter international tenders by FIDIC contract type — so consulting firms see only White Book + supervision opportunities, while works contractors see Red/Yellow/Silver/Pink opportunities.
This filter alone removes 70-80% of irrelevant tenders from your daily review queue.
Browse FIDIC Tenders by Book Type →About the author: Irakli Kvashilava consolidated 60 Georgian water utilities, served at Georgia's Prime Minister's Office Reforms Department, and founded Tenderal — a search engine for international donor-funded tenders.