FIDIC glossary · Time
Defects Notification Period (DNP)
Defects Notification Period
In short
The period after taking-over during which the Contractor must remedy notified defects (Clause 11).
What is a Defects Notification Period (DNP)?
The Defects Notification Period (DNP) is the period after taking-over during which the Contractor must remedy notified defects and finish outstanding work. Under the 2017 editions the default is 365 days, but the actual period is always stated in the Contract Data and can differ.
The DNP is not a "warranty" in the everyday sense. It is a contractual mechanism with obligations both ways: the Employer must notify the defect, the Contractor must remedy it within a reasonable time, and the Contractor has a right of access to do so. Refusing access relieves the Contractor of responsibility for the failure to remedy.
One detail matters disproportionately: if a defect prevents the Works, or a substantial part of them, from being used for their intended purpose, the DNP for that part can be extended — but by no more than two years. Remedying a defect that is not the Contractor's responsibility is valued as a Variation.
The period ends with the Performance Certificate. It is that document, not the expiry of the calendar period, that discharges the Contractor's obligations.
Where it sits in the contract
Related terms
Need this read against your own contract?
This explains how the mechanism works in the standard form. How it works in your contract, after the Particular Conditions, is a separate question.
Talk to an expert →A reference explanation of the FIDIC standard conditions. Not legal advice, and not a reproduction of the FIDIC books.