文 / 李 健

2.5Employer’s Claims

If the Employer considers himself to be entitled to any payment under any Clause of these Conditions or otherwise in connection with the Contract， and/or to any extension of the Defects Notification Period， the Employer or the Engineer shall give notice and particulars to the Contractor. However， notice is not required for payments due under Sub-Clause 4.19 ［Electricity， Water and Gas］， under Sub-Clause 4.20 ［Employer's Equipment and Free-Issue Material］， or for other services requested by the Contractor.

The notice shall be given as soon as practicable after the Employer became aware of the event or circumstances giving rise to the claim. A notice relating to any extension of the Defects Notification Period shall be given before the expiry of such period.

The particulars shall specify the Clause or other basis of the claim， and shall include substantiation of the amount and/or extension to which the Employer considers himself to be entitled in connection with the Contract. The Engineer shall then proceed in accordance with Sub-Clause 3.5 ［Determinations］ to agree or determine （i） the amount （if any） which the Employer is entitled to be paid by the Contractor， and/or （ii） the extension （if any） of the Defects Notification Period in accordance with Sub Clause 11.3 ［Extension of Defects Notification Period］.

This amount may be included as a deduction in the Contract Price and Payment Certificates. The Employer shall only be entitled to set off against or make any deduction from an amount certified in a Payment Certificate， or to otherwise claim against the Contractor， in accordance with this Sub-Clause. （Contract for Construction， FIDIC， 1999）

試譯：2.5業(yè)主的索賠

如果業(yè)主認(rèn)為自己有權(quán)獲得本合同條件任何條款下的或其他與本合同相關(guān)的付款，以及有權(quán)獲得的缺陷通知期的延長，那么業(yè)主或工程師應(yīng)當(dāng)向承包商發(fā)出通知并說明細(xì)節(jié)。但是，對(duì)于第4.19款［電、水、氣］、第4.20款［業(yè)主設(shè)備及免費(fèi)提供的材料］下的應(yīng)付款項(xiàng)以及承包商要求其他服務(wù)而產(chǎn)生的應(yīng)付款項(xiàng)，不必發(fā)出通知。

通知應(yīng)當(dāng)在業(yè)主知道導(dǎo)致索賠的事件或情況后在可行限度內(nèi)盡快發(fā)出。關(guān)于缺陷通知期延長的通知，應(yīng)當(dāng)在該期限到期前發(fā)出。

通知的細(xì)節(jié)應(yīng)當(dāng)具體說明索賠的條款或其它依據(jù)，并包括業(yè)主認(rèn)為自己有權(quán)獲得的與本合同相關(guān)的付款及缺陷通知期延長的具體證據(jù)。工程師應(yīng)當(dāng)依據(jù)第3.5款［決定］作出處理，同意或決定： （i）業(yè)主有權(quán)獲得的由承包商支付的款額（如有），以及（ii）依據(jù)第11.3款［缺陷通知期的延長］給予缺陷通知期的延長時(shí)間（如有）。

該款額可以在合同價(jià)格和支付證書中扣除。業(yè)主只能從支付證書中確定的款額中進(jìn)行抵銷或扣除，或者依據(jù)本款另行向承包商提出索賠。

點(diǎn)評(píng)：

1．先說說文中兩個(gè)詞substantiation和set off （against）。substantiation的動(dòng)詞形式是substantiate，證實(shí)，證明，使具體化，使有內(nèi)容；例如—Can you substantiate your claim in a court of law ？你能在法庭上證明你的主張（索賠）嗎？substantiation應(yīng)當(dāng)是“證明” “使具體化”的抽象意義，我譯成“具體證據(jù)”。set off，通常意義包括“出發(fā)、動(dòng)身”“使爆炸”“襯托”“觸發(fā)”等；但在法律意義上，其意義是“to balance two opposing claims against each other， eliminating the smaller and reducing the larger by that amount”，即“兩個(gè)相反主張的抵銷”，更進(jìn)一步，The reduction is called a setoff or an offset，即抵銷的額度為其名詞形式setoff或者offset。

2．再說說文中第一個(gè)長句的結(jié)構(gòu)：If the Employer considers himself to be entitled to any payment under any Clause of these Conditions or otherwise in connection with the Contract， and/or to any extension of the Defects Notification Period，….這是一個(gè)由if引起的條件從句的一部分。我先理解成如下兩個(gè)并列分句：If the Employer considers himself to be entitled to any payment…，以及 the Employer considers himself to be entitled to any extension of the Defects Notification Period…，注意到“本合同條件任何條款下的或其他與本合同相關(guān)的”這個(gè)定語只限定了 payment，而未限定 any extension of the Defects Notification Period；進(jìn)一步，我又將前一個(gè)分句理解成如下兩個(gè)更小的并列分句：the Employer considers himself to be entitled to any payment under any Clause of these Conditions，以及 the Employer considers himself to be entitled to any payment in connection with the Contract。

3．最后，為便于理解和記憶，總結(jié)一下，業(yè)主索賠Employer’s Claims條款的內(nèi)容包括四個(gè)方面：索賠的基礎(chǔ)basis of the claim，索賠通知 notice of the claim，索賠的細(xì)節(jié)和工程的決定 particulars of the claim and the determinations by the Engineer，索賠款的支付 setoff or deduction。FIDIC1999保留了承包商索賠的內(nèi)容，增加了對(duì)業(yè)主索賠程序的規(guī)定，業(yè)主和承包商權(quán)利義務(wù)更加平衡。