Cost estimate
A cost estimate is a commercial Before calculation , with a legally binding offer is comparable. A cost estimate is a way for a customer to get an idea of what a particular job would cost. Cost estimates are non-binding for the customer. The customer can simply accept the cost estimate by signing it back , so that a contract with the corresponding content is concluded.
Quotations are often ordered by the customer in such a way that they can select or deselect various options in order to be able to adapt them to the individual financial framework and to determine their respective economic viability. There are cost estimates in technology , e.g. B. construction , automotive repairs or electrical engineering , but also in finance , z. B. in life insurance, and in the medical field, z. B. for medical and dental services.
The main features of a cost estimate are:
- a description of the type and scope of the work required
- the necessary working time and the associated labor costs
- the necessary material and the associated material costs
- the fulfillment period, e.g. B. in the form of a period of validity.
- the remuneration for the cost estimate itself (if agreed)
- the total price and the terms of payment
No fees are due for cost estimates in Germany without a special agreement ( Section 632 Paragraph 3 BGB ), although the respective service provider will endeavor to obtain a fee for this service. These fees are often formulated as flat rates in the respective terms and conditions or in the provider's price lists and countersigned when requested by the customer. The provider often has the option of charging these fees in favor of the customer when the order is placed.
Agreeing a fee is particularly useful if part of the service offered is already fulfilled in the cost estimate. For example, troubleshooting a computer can be the bulk of the work.
The statements made in a cost estimate about the total price may only be exceeded insignificantly (individual decision approx. 10% to 25%). In the event of such an excess, the entrepreneur must immediately notify the purchaser or customer of the excess ( § 649 Paragraph 2 BGB). The purchaser is entitled to terminate the contract. He is then obliged to pay the entrepreneur a part of the remuneration corresponding to the work performed and to reimburse the expenses not included in the remuneration.
According to a ruling by the Cologne Higher Regional Court , the entrepreneur has such a notification obligation even if he has not prepared a cost estimate for the customer and he bills his services on an hourly basis.
Serious entrepreneurs compare the cost estimate, which is a preliminary calculation , with the so-called post calculation in order to obtain a more well-founded and thus improved commercial calculation basis for future offers .
Web links
- What are the consequences of exceeding a cost estimate? - Article on the consequences of exceeding the estimate
- LG Coburg , judgment of May 20, 2009, Az. 12 O 81/09, cost estimate and excess
Single receipts
- ↑ cost estimate. Retrieved June 15, 2020 .
- ↑ It is similar in Austria. § 5 Consumer Protection Act : For the preparation of a cost estimate ... the consumer only has to pay a fee if he has been advised of this obligation to pay beforehand.
- ↑ OLG Cologne, judgment of January 16, 1998, Az. 19 U 98/97, full text .
