Shadowing Practice: FIDIC Yellow Book 2017 Explained #construction #civilengineering #quantitysurveyor - Learn English Speaking with Video

Hello guys, welcome to our YouTube channel.

In this video I'm gonna discuss about Fidic Yellow Book 2nd edition, which was published in 2017.

I hope you all know that this book consists of conditions of contract for plant and design build projects.

As a construction professional, it is really important to have a sound understanding on Fidic clauses.

When you say conditions, there are two types of conditions.

General conditions, and particular conditions.

First we'll discuss about general conditions.

Fidic Yellow Book 2017 consists of 21 clauses.

So I'm hoping to explain everything in this document in a series of videos.

So, make sure you subscribe to this channel

and hit the bell icon then you can join with me in the future videos as well.

Now let's start today's video with, clause number 1, general provisions.

This clause consists of 16 sub-clauses.

Let's discuss one by one.

Sub-clause 1.1, Definitions.

When you're referring to FIDIC documents, you must be very familiar with these defined words.

And be mindful that you must use these defined words in your documentation and correspondence, exactly the same way as they are written in this book.

For example, when you write accepted contract amount, it should be like this, and not like this.

Works should be like this, not like this.

This is really really important.

Ok, now let's go through these definitions.

There are 90 definitions altogether, so I'm not gonna describe one by one, and I will skip the straightforward ones.

I think it's better to start off with base date, since we will be discussing on advance payment certificate and guarantee under clause 14.

So, base date is the date 28 days prior to tender submission date.

But, there's a special word, latest, latest date of submission, which means if the tender submission date extended, then the base date automatically changes accordingly.

This base date is vital because the contractor shall do the pricing by considering the information, regulations and conditions prevailing at the base date.

Also, the rate analysis for the project is prepared with the cost data available at the time of base date.

So, the base date is generally used as a mechanism for the allocation of risk between employer

and contractor for changes that might occur during the period between the contractor pricing the tender and the signing of the contract.

So in general a base date is a reference date from which changes in conditions can be assessed.

To explain a little bit further, I'll link this to another definition, unforeseeable.

It says unforeseeable means not reasonably foreseeable by an experienced contractor by the base date.

So this base date is clearly connected with risks.

Okay, so now we'll move on to next definition, claim.

This is a very popular term I guess in the construction industry.

A claim can be defined as a request or an assertion, which means a confident statement with evidence from either party of the contract to the other for an entitlement

which of course is for an additional payment or an extension of time

if you are the contractor and if you are the employer a cost reduction may be.

Not only that, you can submit a claim for a relief as well.

I think this could be a relief from a delay damages or some kind of a penalty.

So, you can initiate a claim under various circumstances as described in this document, we will discuss about those under the relevant clauses.

For now, I want you to have a quick look at clause 20.2.4, fully detailed claim.

So you should be certain that you have fulfilled all these four requirements when you are submitting a claim.

Then I'm going to talk about compliance verification system.

However, under definitions, you cannot get a clear idea about it.

Therefore, I'll take you to sub-clause 4.9.2.

Basically this system is implemented to ensure that the contractor is maintaining the required quality during the construction, as well as all the functional requirements are fulfilled.

So if we go through the clause, it says, the contractor shall prepare and implement a compliance verification system to demonstrate that the design,

materials, employer-supplied materials, plant, work and workmanship comply in all respects with the contract.

Further, this system should be prepared referring to employers' requirements, specifications, and regulations.

So the contractor shall mention in this system how he's going to report the results of all inspections and tests carried out.

You must have heard the term, NCR, non-compliances report which are issued when the contractor fails to comply with the expected quality.

Also, in the event that any inspection or test identifies a non-compliance with the contract, sub-clause 7.5, defects and rejection shall apply.

So next, we'll talk about the definition, contract.

When you consider a construction contract, it doesn't mean only the contract agreement, there are a lot more to follow as shown here, letter of acceptance, letter of tender and addendums,

these conditions which means conditions of contract, employer's requirement, contractor's design and price proposals,

specifications, JV undertaking if it's applicable and other documents mentioned in contract agreement or LOA.

So, a construction contract is a very vast area.

Okay now let's talk about contract data.

Contract data is part A of particular conditions.

So it is actually some kind of link between general and particular conditions.

When you go through general conditions clauses, you will find a number of places, as stated in the contract data.

Which means certain sub clauses in the general conditions require that specific information.

So, you can find all the specific information relevant to the project under contract data, such as, employer's details, time for completion,

advance payment percentage, retention amount percentage, and so on.

Remember that contract data do not make any changes to the general conditions mentioned in FITIC.

If you want to change any of the sub clauses in general conditions, you shall do it using Particular Conditions Part B, Special Provisions.

We'll talk about those separately.

Next I'm gonna talk about, Contractors' Documents, which means the documents prepared by the contractor as described in Sub-Clause 5.2,

including calculations, digital files, computer programs and other software,

drawings, manuals, models, specifications, and other documents of a technical nature, and if we go to sub-clause 5.2,

it says contractors' documents shall comprise, as specified in the employer's requirements, required to satisfy all permits,

permissions, licenses and other regulatory approvals, which are the contractor's responsibility under sub-clause 1.13 compliance with laws,

and as described in sub-clause 5.6, as built records, and sub-clause 5.7, Operation and Maintenance Manuals.

So I want to show you something, in this document, most of the sub-clauses are connected to one or more sub-clauses.

So you need to be thorough with all these conditions when you are working with contract-related matters.

Then I will quickly talk about, Contractor's Equipment.

Make sure you always use the correct term equipment, not equipments.

Contractor's Equipment means all apparatus, equipment, machinery, construction plant, vehicles and other items required by the contractor for the execution of the works.

Here I want to highlight the words, execution, and works.

Works, clause number 1.1.89 means, permanent works and temporary works.

So equipment are used for the execution of temporary and permanent works.

But, anything that forms a part of permanent works, or anything that can be identified under temporary works, is not an equipment.

Equipment are only used for execution of works.

For example, if you have to supply a crane under the contract which you hand over to the client, then it's not a contractor's equipment.

Okay then we'll talk about, Contractor's Personnel.

Contractor's Personnel means the contractor's representative, who is the authorized person to be act on contractor's behalf,

and all personnel whom the contractor utilizes on site or other places, such as a fabrication yard, where the works are being carried out,

including the staff, labor and other employees of the contractor, and of each subcontractor, and any other personnel assisting the contractor in the execution of the works.

So, contractor's personnel includes all the subcontractor's personnel as well.

Then I will talk about, cost.

Cost means all expenditure including taxes, overheads, and similar charges excluding profit, reasonably incurred by the contractor in performing the contract.

So any expenditure before entering the contract cannot be taken as a cost.

So we talked about few definitions up to now.

I don't want to make this video too long since it might be boring

and I wanted to give a brief about this book from this video.

We'll talk about the remaining definitions and other clauses in the upcoming videos.

I would like to request all of you who are new

to the construction industry to have a look at Fidic Yellow Book because it will be very helpful to you.

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This C1 speaking lesson is built on the video “FIDIC Yellow Book 2017 Explained”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: clause, contract, conditions, contractor, date. This video has 99 sentences and 1470 words to shadow. The speech runs for 8:52. The speaker talks at a natural 166 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 82% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.

Key vocabulary in this video

The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
clause noun	/klɔːz/	A group of words that contains a subject and a verb; it may be part of a sentence or may constitute the whole sentence, depending on the syntax in each…
contractor noun	/ˈkɒnˌtɹæk.tə(ɹ)/	A person or company that builds or improves buildings or structures.
tender adjective	/ˈtɛn.dɚ/	Sensitive or painful to the touch.
specification noun		An explicit set of requirements to be satisfied by a material, product, or service.
consist noun	/kənˈsɪst/	A lineup or sequence of railroad carriages or cars, with or without a locomotive, that form a unit.
submission noun	/səbˈmɪʃən/	The act of submitting or yielding; surrender.
unforeseeable adjective		Incapable of being foreseen or anticipated.
verification noun	/ˌvɛ.ɹə.fɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/	The act or process of verifying.
litter noun	/ˈlɪt.ɚ/	Straw, grass, and similar loose material used as bedding for people or animals.
expenditure noun	/ɛkˈspɛndɪt͡ʃə/	Act of expending or paying out.
fulfill verb	/fʊlˈfɪl/	To satisfy, carry out, bring to completion (an obligation, a requirement, etc.).
reasonably adverb	/ˈɹiː.zən.ə.bli/	In accordance with reason.
comply verb	/kəmˈplaɪ/	To yield assent; to accord; to acquiesce, agree, consent; to adapt oneself, to conform.
addendum noun	/əˈdɛn.dəm/	Something to be added; especially text added as an appendix or supplement to a document.
authorize verb	/ˈɔθəɹaɪz/	To grant (someone) the permission or power necessary to do (something); to permit; to sanction or consent to.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
go through verb		To travel from one end of something to the other.
carry out verb	/ˈkæ.ɹi aʊt/	To hold while moving it out.

Sentences worth repeating

Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:

First we'll discuss about general conditions.
Let's discuss one by one.
Then I'm going to talk about compliance verification system.
We'll talk about those separately.

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

Structure	In the video
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	was published · are written · is prepared
Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing	edition, which was · submission, which means · assertion, which means

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 19 contractions and reduced forms, such as we'll, I'm, gonna. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “th” sounds: authorize /ˈɔθəɹaɪz/, thorough /ˈθʌɹoʊ/, altogether /ɔl.tuˈɡɛð.ɚ/
The “sh” and “zh” sounds: submission /səbˈmɪʃən/, verification /ˌvɛ.ɹə.fɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/, fabrication /fæbɹɪˈkeɪʃən/, workmanship /ˈwɜːk.mən.ʃɪp/, assertion /əˈsɜɹʃən/
Long words — get the stress right: verification /ˌvɛ.ɹə.fɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/, expenditure /ɛkˈspɛndɪt͡ʃə/, reasonably /ˈɹiː.zən.ə.bli/, fabrication /fæbɹɪˈkeɪʃən/, foreseeable /fɔɹˈsi.ə.bəl/

How to practise with this video

Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like clause, contractor, tender.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

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