Definition
Acceptance is a legal act and takes place at the end of a project. It certifies that the contractor has delivered the agreed service in accordance with the contract and has thus fulfilled their order. Acceptance is an important milestone in the project, as it is the point at which the client decides whether the objectives have been achieved. Several acceptances can take place during a project, e.g. when project phases have been completed or individual project milestones have been reached. For example, the project plan can undergo acceptance, as can concepts or other partial results. Good project management allows a successful acceptance to be planned in advance.
Legal Aspects of Acceptance
Granting acceptance also has legal consequences, such as:
- The work passes into the ownership of the client.
- A transfer of liability takes place; the client is responsible for damage caused by the work.
- The burden of proof for defects in the work lies with the client.
- Payment becomes due.
The acceptance of interim results during the course of a project generally has no legally binding character.
Acceptance Report
The result of the acceptance inspection by the client is usually recorded in an acceptance report. The acceptance inspection can have different outcomes, such as:
- Acceptance without reservations, i.e. no defects were found.
- Acceptance with reservations, i.e. minor defects were found, for which a list of defects is drawn up with a deadline for remediation (formerly: rectification).
- Refusal of acceptance due to significant defects.