Construction Supervision Agreement Spain (Acuerdo de Dirección de Obra)

A Construction Supervision Agreement Spain (Acuerdo de Dirección de Obra) is a formal written contract between a property developer or building owner (promotor or propietario) and a licensed architect (arquitecto) or technical architect (arquitecto técnico) appointing the professional as director de obra or director de ejecución de obra — the statutory supervisory roles established by Articles 12 and 13 of the Ley 38/1999, de 5 de noviembre, de Ordenación de la Edificación (LOE), Spain's principal statute governing the obligations, responsibilities, and liabilities of the construction process agents (agentes de la edificación).

The LOE Article 12 defines the director de obra as the competent professional who, forming part of the dirección facultativa (technical management team), directs the development of the work in technical, aesthetic, urban, and environmental aspects — in accordance with the project that defines the work, the building licence, and the other authorisations and conditions required by the administration — while resolving the architectural contingencies arising during the execution of the works. In Spain, the director de obra must be an arquitecto (architect) holding a university degree from a Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura accredited by the Agencia Nacional de Evaluación de la Calidad y Acreditación (ANECA) and registered with the Colegio Oficial de Arquitectos (COA) of the jurisdiction where the works are located.

The LOE Article 13 separately defines the director de ejecución de obra — the architect técnico (aparejador or arquitecto técnico) who directs the execution of the material work, controls the quality and quantity of everything built, with the aim of checking that construction is in conformity with the technical project, the building regulations, the regulations applicable to constructions, the good construction practice, and the instructions of the director de obra. This role is mandatory for all major building works under the LOE and must be performed by an arquitecto técnico registered with the Colegio Oficial de Aparejadores y Arquitectos Técnicos (COAAT) of the relevant territory.

The mandatory ten-year decennial liability (responsabilidad decenal) for structural defects established by Article 17 LOE is the most significant legal consequence of the director de obra and director de ejecución de obra's functions. Article 17 LOE imposes: (1) one-year liability for defects in construction elements affecting finishes (elementos de terminación o acabado); (2) three-year liability for defects that affect the habitable conditions of the building (habitabilidad) — including waterproofing, thermal insulation, and acoustic protection; and (3) ten-year liability for structural defects (daños materiales en el edificio que comprometan directamente su resistencia mecánica y estabilidad). These liability periods are mandatory under public order (orden público) and cannot be contractually reduced. The architect's professional indemnity insurance (seguro de responsabilidad civil profesional) required by the Colegios Profesionales provides the financial backing for these obligations.

The mandatory decennial insurance (seguro decenal) for residential buildings under Article 19 LOE — administered through insurance products regulated by the Dirección General de Seguros y Fondos de Pensiones (DGSFP) — is typically a condition of the Registro de la Propiedad registering new residential buildings and is closely linked to the director de obra's Certificado Final de Obra. The Banco de España has confirmed that mortgage lenders (entidades de crédito) in Spain routinely require evidence of the seguro decenal before releasing construction mortgage advances.

The fees of architects and technical architects in Spain are no longer set by mandatory Colegial fee scales following the liberalisation of professional fees under Ley 7/1997 de medidas liberalizadoras en materia de suelo y de colegios profesionales and the subsequent Ley 25/2009 (Ley Omnibus). The Colegios Profesionales may publish indicative fee tables (baremos orientativos), but parties are free to negotiate fees commercially. In practice, fees are typically expressed as a percentage of the presupuesto de ejecución material (budget for construction works) ranging from 2% to 5% for the director de obra and 1% to 3% for the director de ejecución, depending on the complexity and scale of the project.

A Construction Supervision Agreement Spain is legally required under Article 12 of the Ley 38/1999 de Ordenación de la Edificación (LOE) for virtually all building works that require a licencia de obras mayor (major building permit) from the Ayuntamiento — including new residential and commercial construction, major structural alterations, additions of new floors, rehabilitation works affecting the building structure, and change of use operations.

The agreement is required when a property developer (promotor inmobiliario) commissions the construction of a residential building, commercial premises, or industrial facility and must appoint the dirección facultativa (director de obra plus director de ejecución de obra) before the Ayuntamiento will grant the licencia de obras. The building permit application submitted to the Ayuntamiento must identify the proposed director de obra and director de ejecución de obra.

A Construction Supervision Agreement is needed when a private individual (autopromotor individual) constructs a single-family dwelling — even where the autopromotor is also the future sole occupant, Article 9.1.c LOE requires appointment of a dirección facultativa. Some Comunidades Autónomas grant limited dispensations for very minor works, but major construction always requires the full LOE supervision structure.

The agreement is required when a property owner undertakes significant rehabilitation works (obras de rehabilitación) affecting the building structure, facade, or core systems — the LOE applies to rehabilitación as well as new construction, and the Código Técnico de la Edificación (CTE, Real Decreto 314/2006) imposes updated technical standards on rehabilitated buildings.

A Construction Supervision Agreement is needed when construction works are being financed through a construction mortgage (hipoteca promotora) — the lending bank requires evidence of proper dirección facultativa appointment as a condition of releasing construction drawdowns (certificaciones de obra), and the director de obra must issue periodic progress certificates (certificaciones parciales de obra) confirming the completion of each construction phase.

The agreement is also required for works funded by public subsidies — Spain's Plan de Recuperación, Transformación y Resiliencia (PRTR) financed by the Mecanismo Europeo de Recuperación y Resiliencia includes significant residential rehabilitation programmes (Plan de Rehabilitación de Vivienda y Regeneración Urbana) that require certified construction supervision under the LOE framework.

Under the Ley de Sociedades de Capital (LSC) RDL 1/2010, the Registro Mercantil maintains the register of Spanish companies. The Código de Comercio 1885 governs commercial obligations. The Agencia Estatal de Administración Tributaria (AEAT) administers Impuesto sobre Sociedades (IS) under Ley 27/2014. The Comisión Nacional de los Mercados y la Competencia (CNMC) enforces competition law. The Código Civil governs general contractual obligations under Article 1255.

A valid Construction Supervision Agreement Spain under Articles 12 and 13 of the Ley 38/1999 de Ordenación de la Edificación (LOE) must contain the following essential elements to define the obligations of the director de obra and protect both the professional and the promotor.

Identification of Parties and Professional Credentials: Full legal name, DNI/NIF, and address of the promotor or propietario and the appointed director de obra (arquitecto) and, where separately appointed, the director de ejecución de obra (arquitecto técnico). The professionals' Colegio Professional registration number (número de colegiado) — Colegio Oficial de Arquitectos (COA) for the director de obra and Colegio Oficial de Aparejadores y Arquitectos Técnicos (COAAT) for the director de ejecución — must be stated, as the Ayuntamiento and the Registro de la Propiedad require evidence of professional standing.

Description of the Works: A precise description of the construction works to be supervised — referencing the approved technical project (proyecto técnico visado) by its project reference number (número de visado colegial), the address of the works, the licencia de obras number and issuing Ayuntamiento, and the presupuesto de ejecución material (PEM — execution budget) on which fees are calculated.

Scope of Supervision Duties: The specific obligations of the director de obra under Article 12 LOE — including: directing the development of the works; coordinating the technical aspects of the project during execution; resolving architectural contingencies; verifying compliance with the approved project, the building permit, and the Código Técnico de la Edificación (CTE); and issuing the Certificado Final de Obra upon completion. Where a director de ejecución de obra is separately appointed, the agreement must delineate their specific obligations under Article 13 LOE — material execution control, quality and quantity verification, and site supervision.

Fee Structure: The agreed professional fee (honorarios profesionales) for supervision services — expressed as a fixed amount, a percentage of the PEM, or a time-based fee. The payment schedule — typically linked to construction phase completions certified by the director de obra — and the VAT (IVA at 21% on professional services under Ley 37/1992 del IVA) must be stated. Invoicing must comply with the Reglamento de Facturación (Real Decreto 1619/2012).

Professional Indemnity Insurance: Confirmation that the director de obra and director de ejecución maintain valid professional indemnity insurance (seguro de responsabilidad civil profesional) from an insurer authorised by the Dirección General de Seguros y Fondos de Pensiones (DGSFP), with a minimum coverage amount consistent with the scale and value of the works. The insurance must cover the mandatory liability periods under Article 17 LOE — one year for finishes, three years for habitability, ten years for structural defects.

Decennial Insurance Coordination: The director de obra's obligation to cooperate in the arrangement of the seguro decenal (decennial structural insurance) required under Article 19 LOE for residential buildings — including providing the insurance company's inspector with access to the construction site and technical documentation, and issuing the Certificado Final de Obra in the form required by the insurer.

Certificaciones Parciales and Obra Certificada: The obligation to issue periodic partial completion certificates (certificaciones parciales de obra) confirming the percentage of works completed and the PEM value of completed works — required by construction mortgage lenders as a condition of drawdown releases under the hipoteca promotora structure.

Substitution and Professional Independence: Provisions governing the professional independence (independencia profesional) of the director de obra — the LOE imposes duties directly on the professional regardless of contractual terms, and the agreement must acknowledge that the director de obra cannot be instructed to certify works that do not comply with the approved project or the CTE. Provisions for the replacement (sustitución) of the director de obra if they are unable to continue — including the procedure for notification to the Ayuntamiento and the Colegio Profesional.

Forms-legal.com provides this Construction Supervision Agreement Spain template as a starting point for promotores and construction professionals operating under Spanish law. All dirección de obra contracts should be reviewed by an abogado especialista en derecho de la construcción and the appointed professionals should verify visado requirements with their Colegio Profesional.

Under the Ley de Sociedades de Capital (LSC) RDL 1/2010, the Registro Mercantil maintains the register of Spanish companies. The Código de Comercio 1885 governs commercial obligations. The Agencia Estatal de Administración Tributaria (AEAT) administers Impuesto sobre Sociedades (IS) under Ley 27/2014. The Comisión Nacional de los Mercados y la Competencia (CNMC) enforces competition law. The Código Civil governs general contractual obligations under Article 1255.