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Construction Industry

The construction industry is booming. Residential building permits are distinctly on the rise. And no wonder – conditions in the investment markets couldn’t be more favorable for residential construction. Real estate experts also believe the German real estate market will remain sound, and rents are keeping pace with selling prices. Demand is also catching up with supply. Commercial construction and public works projects continue to see substantial growth rates as well.

But this upbeat market environment by no means signifies that companies in the construction industry can sit back and count on maintaining their market position. The construction industry has long been up against competitors from other countries, some of whom are pushing their way into the German market with predatory pricing. Likewise, many German providers do a substantial portion of their business in other countries – and not just the giants in the industry, but many medium-sized firms and small specialty outfits as well.

The construction industry also faces increasing professional challenges. Whether prescribed by law, compelled de facto by high energy prices, or desired by a client – energy efficiency is a topic that no new construction or remodeling project can ignore. At the same time, this trend also creates ways to stand out from the competition and score against low-end bids through quality.

As a building contractor and craftsman, you clearly have enough on your plate. We’ll be glad to work with you as a partner in legal and tax matters, providing assistance with structuring questions, negotiations and implementation. Leave the rest to us – from payroll accounting to financial accounting to preparing financial statements or your business and financial plans. That saves you time and energy and gives you more freedom to address the challenges of the future.

We can provide you with reliable, meaningful figures thanks to our comprehensive knowledge of industry characteristics and awareness of the market forces that are most important to you. Our team of accountants, auditors, tax advisors, attorneys and corporate consultants can also help you out with more specific questions about business or financial management, taxes or legal matters. That way you can find the best possible solutions for restructuring or ownership structures as well as for any building consortiums you consider necessary or worthwhile.

Our services at a glance

  • Tax optimization of project execution and process implementation
  • Ongoing tax advice on all matters of day-to-day business operations
  • Financial and payroll accounting for tax purposes, including preparation of payment transactions
  • Annual tax returns (including annual financial statements and tax balance sheets) for all kinds of taxes and advance payments (value added tax, payroll taxes)
  • Advice on defending against problems and asserting rights, including assistance with tax audits as well as with appeals, lawsuits and actions for relief both in and out of court (tax courts of the German federal states, the Federal Tax Court, the General Court of the European Union and the European Court of Justice)
  • Special advice on value added tax
  • Advice on structures for land transfer tax
  • Tax advice pertinent to succession planning, including inheritance and gift tax issues
  • Voluntary reporting of under-declaration
  • Legal structuring, drafting, and negotiation of contracts, including
    • Architect and engineer agreements
    • Prime contractor and general contractor agreements
    • Agreements with subcontractors
    • Financing and collateral agreements
  • Advising on construction and planning codes
  • Legal assistance with acceptance walk-throughs and negotiations
  • Claim management
  • Optimizing business control systems in such matters as costing, calculating construction site operating profit, or billing for work, and especially change order management
  • Refinement of structural and procedural organization
  • Assistance and execution in M&A activities
  • Assistance with further developing strategic business approaches
  • Identifying potential improvements by developing plans for measures to enhance profitability for each line of business, and assisting with implementation where needed
  • Expanding reporting systems to create an up-to-date management information system
  • Setting up or refining consolidation and planning systems
  • Preparing financing concepts and contacting potential financing institutions to cover needs for financing and guarantees