ABSTRACT

The Emerald Book is a new FIDIC form of Contract for Tunnelling and Underground Construction. One of the key features of the Emerald Book is the remeasurement of time and quantities for excavation, support and lining, depending on the encountered geotechnical conditions compared to the contractually predicted – “foreseen” – ground conditions. The Geotechnical Baseline Report (GBR) will play a critical role as the only contractual definition of “Foreseen Ground Conditions” valid for the chosen design and construction methodology of excavation and. The GBR thereby defines the border line between ground related risks retained by the Employer and the performance related risks for which the Contractor shall be responsible.

To match these requirements, the GBR will have to be developed and elaborated further than what is traditional. The paper will discuss ad give examples of the suggested development of a GBR needed for being part of an Emerald Book Contract.