AVA software explained: what planners do with it and what suppliers should know

As of 13 November 2026. Resource type: article. Statements about Scalera come from the product matching page, the FAQ and an approved customer quote. Legal references follow the German HOAI; Switzerland and Austria use their own service models.

What is AVA software?

AVA software is construction software for tendering, award and billing. Planners use it to describe construction work as a bill of quantities, obtain quotes, evaluate them and later check the billing. The GAEB data exchange standard is designed around exactly these processes (GAEB).

In Switzerland, CRB speaks of construction administration software. More than 40 certified programs can work there with the NPK standard item catalogue (CRB, in German). The name changes, the job stays the same: the tool belongs to whoever issues the tender.

For you, this means that a bill of quantities from AVA software is an export from someone else's system. How well you read it and send it back helps decide how your quote lands with the planner. How to prepare a bill of quantities without an exchange file is shown in Bill of quantities from PDF and scan.

What happens during tendering, award and billing?

The HOAI describes the planner's tasks in service phases. For buildings, they are listed in HOAI Annex 10, in German. Three of them are where AVA software does its work.

Phase = HOAI service phase, Annex 10 (buildings and interiors).

Tendering: the bill of quantities is written

In phase 6, the planner draws up specifications with bills of quantities by work section and takes off quantities from the detailed design. Their basic services also include pricing the bill of quantities themselves and comparing it with the cost calculation. So a price expectation exists before your quote does.

Award: quotes are placed side by side

In phase 7, the planner obtains quotes, checks and evaluates them and builds a bid comparison by individual line item or partial service. This includes checking whether the prices are reasonable. Finally, they compare the results with their own priced bill of quantities and write an award recommendation.

Billing: quantities and prices are checked

In phase 8, the planner checks invoices, including the contractors' measurements, and compares the billing with the contract prices. Under a unit price contract, payment is calculated from the contractual unit prices and the work actually performed (§ 2(2) VOB/B, in German). Why this matters for your calculation is explained in Unit price, total price, lump sum.

Why does every line item count on its own?

Because the bid comparison in AVA software is built by individual line item. The planner does not see your quote as one total but as a row next to the other bidders' rows and next to their own price. A single striking line item can trigger questions even when the total is fine.

In the bid comparison, your quote is not a single total but sits line item by line item next to your competitors' quotes.

Four practical rules follow for every quote on a bill of quantities from AVA software:

1. Keep item numbers unchanged. That is the only way the software can assign your prices to the right line items.
2. Do not change units or quantities. If you calculate internally in other units, the conversion belongs in your calculation, not in the bill of quantities.
3. Do not merge line items. A package price for several line items cannot be compared in the bid comparison.
4. Complete the bidder details. The planner needs make and type to check your product technically.

What a line-by-line comparison looks like from the other side is shown in Bid comparison in construction. It describes the bid comparison from the point of view of a contractor comparing supplier quotes.

What data flows between AVA software and your quote?

In GAEB format, you receive the bill of quantities as a request for bids, file extension X83. Your quote goes back as bid submission X84 if the client asks for an exchange file (GAEB FAQ, in German). The current version is GAEB DA XML 3.3 (GAEB, in German).

In Switzerland, AVA programs work with NPK items, and in Austria ÖNORM A 2063 applies. Bills of quantities also arrive as Excel or PDF. All formats are explained in detail in our guide to GAEB, ÖNORM and NPK.

For public contracts in the EU, the electronic route is mandatory: member states ensure that communication and bid submission are in principle electronic, with exceptions set out in the directive itself (Directive 2014/24/EU, Art. 22). Your quote then arrives as a file through the prescribed electronic channel.

How do products get into a bill of quantities?

Through the texts the planner uses. In Switzerland, the NPK is linked to the PRD construction product platform. Planners find suitable construction products there and can take them straight into their bills of quantities (CRB, in German).

For manufacturers, this means your product or a competitor's may already be named as the reference product in the bill of quantities. How to answer with an equivalent alternative is described in Winning with alternates.

Do you need AVA software as a manufacturer or distributor?

Not for the quote itself. The HOAI service description shows what AVA software is built for: drawing up bills of quantities, evaluating quotes, checking invoices. Assigning line items to your item master is not one of these tasks.

On the bidder's side, you need different capabilities:

• Read bills of quantities from any AVA software, whether GAEB, NPK, ÖNORM, Excel or scan.
• Assign each line item to a product from your range, including accessories.
• Return the quote with an unchanged structure in the required format.
• Transfer the line items into your ERP without retyping. How this works together is shown in ERP integration for tenders.

How does Scalera connect to the AVA world?

Scalera works on the bidder's side and reads bills of quantities from AVA programs in the common exchange formats as well as PDF or scan; the formats are listed in our formats guide. According to the product matching page, the platform breaks the bill of quantities down into line items and suggests products from your catalogue for each one. Every suggestion comes with a rationale and AI confidence, so your team knows where to check.

If the bill of quantities names a competitor's product, Scalera recognises it and suggests a matching item from your range (FAQ). You transfer the reviewed assignment into ERP, CPQ or CRM without retyping, as a file or via API. Scalera is used by 150+ manufacturers, dealers and general contractors across Europe.

“With Scalera, we have significantly streamlined our administrative functions. Today, a central location is enough to optimally support the calculators and at the same time handle significantly more volumes.” – Ciril Disch, Head of Building Construction/Member of Management, HEW

General contractors who request quotes from suppliers themselves can use supplier matching. If you want to see how this looks with your own bills of quantities, you can book a demo.

Frequently asked questions

What does AVA stand for?

AVA stands for Ausschreibung, Vergabe und Abrechnung: tendering, award and billing. These are the three phases in which a planner describes construction work, obtains and evaluates quotes and, at the end, checks the contractors' invoices.

What is the difference between AVA software and quoting software?

AVA software works for whoever issues the tender. Quoting software works for whoever bids: it reads the bill of quantities, assigns products from your own range and builds the quote. For an overview of tools on the bidder's side, see AI assistants for bills of quantities compared.

Which HOAI service phases does AVA software cover?

Mainly phase 6 (preparing the award) and phase 7 (assisting with the award), plus invoice checking in phase 8. For buildings, § 34 HOAI, in German assigns 10 and 4 percent of the basic services fee to phases 6 and 7. Phase 8 (site supervision, 32 percent) covers invoice checking as well as construction supervision and documentation.

Why does the planner compare my quote with their own price?

Because the HOAI provides for it: in phase 6 the planner determines costs using a bill of quantities they priced themselves, and in phase 7 they compare the tender results against it (HOAI Annex 10, in German). A unit price that deviates strongly therefore stands out faster.

In which format does a bill of quantities from AVA software reach me?

In Germany as a GAEB file, in Austria to ÖNORM, in Switzerland with NPK items, and also as Excel or PDF. Which file represents which phase is explained in our guide to GAEB, ÖNORM and NPK.

Can I return my quote straight into the planner's AVA software?

Yes, if the client asks for an exchange file. In GAEB this is the X84, the bid submission, which returns the bid data to the client (GAEB FAQ, in German). Otherwise the format stated in the tender documents applies.

Do I need my own AVA software as a manufacturer or distributor?

Not for preparing quotes. You need a tool that reads bills of quantities from AVA software, assigns line items to your range and returns the quote in the required format. What to look for when choosing one is covered in our guide to automating quotes.

Key takeaways

• AVA stands for tendering, award and billing and is the planner's tool, not the bidder's.
• Under the HOAI, the planner prices the bill of quantities in advance and compares your quote with it line item by line item.
• Item numbers, units and line item structure stay unchanged, and bidder details are filled in completely.
• The return format is stated in the tender documents; in GAEB it is the bid submission X84.
• Manufacturers and distributors do not need their own AVA software but a tool that reads AVA bills of quantities, assigns products and returns them cleanly.