FIDIC Suite · Short Form

The FIDIC Green Book, the Short Form of Contract.

FIDIC's streamlined contract for smaller or straightforward projects. Faster administration, lighter machinery — and a specific set of situations where it is genuinely the right choice.

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Key facts on this topic.

Contract form

Short Form, simplified administration

Best for

Smaller projects, straightforward scope

Typical value

Lower-value works with modest risk profile

Complexity

Lightest of the FIDIC forms

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What the Green Book is

The FIDIC Green Book — formally the Short Form of Contract — is a simplified FIDIC contract designed for smaller-value, straightforward or short-duration projects. It uses a lighter contractual machinery than the Red, Yellow or Silver Books and is intended to be administered without a full-time Engineer team.

Suitable project types

Smaller construction works with a limited scope
Straightforward projects with low-to-moderate risk
Repetitive or standardised works
Short-duration works where a full FIDIC administrative framework would be disproportionate

Key features

Simplified contract structure with fewer sub-clauses
Streamlined payment mechanism
Lighter dispute-resolution machinery
Reduced administrative overhead compared with the Rainbow Suite
Suitable for either an Employer-designed or Contractor-designed basis, depending on how the Particular Conditions are structured

Responsibilities, payment, variations, delays

The Contractor is responsible for constructing the works as described, using the level of skill expected of a competent Contractor. Payment is made against agreed milestones or measured progress, depending on how the contract is set up. Variations and delays are addressed by a simplified notice-and-valuation mechanism — less prescriptive than the Rainbow Suite but structured enough to record the essentials.

Comparison with other FIDIC forms

The Green Book strips the FIDIC machinery down to its practical core. That is a strength on the right project and a liability on the wrong one. Using the Green Book on a project that really deserves a Red or Yellow Book — because of value, complexity or risk profile — will typically leave both parties without the contractual mechanisms they need when something goes wrong.

Our comparison page walks through the full Red vs Yellow vs Silver vs Green decision matrix.

Learning outcomes

Identify projects where the Green Book is genuinely appropriate
Push back against Green Book selection on the wrong project type
Administer a Green Book contract without over-engineering the process
Recognise where the simplified machinery leaves risks unaddressed and manage them separately

Frequently asked

Answers before you ask.

It is designed for smaller, straightforward or short-duration works. There is no universal cut-off — suitability is driven by value, complexity, duration and risk profile, and often by the sophistication of the parties. A borderline project will usually be better served by the Red or Yellow Book.

It has a simplified mechanism for adjusting the completion date where the Contractor is delayed by matters within the Employer's responsibility. The mechanism is lighter than in the Rainbow Suite, but the underlying logic — notify, particularise, resolve — still applies.

Yes. Like the rest of the FIDIC suite, the Green Book is drafted for international use and works alongside a governing-law selection in the Particular Conditions.

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