Glossary
Definitions for the construction and ERP terms used across ORKSTRA. Each term is shown in English and Arabic.
A
Advance payment — دفعة مقدمة A pre-payment from the client at contract start, typically 10-20% of contract value. Recovered through deductions on each IPC.
Aging report — تقرير أعمار الذمم A report showing how long receivables or payables have been outstanding, bucketed (0-30, 31-60, 61-90, 90+ days).
Approval workflow — مسار الموافقات A defined sequence of decision steps a request must pass through before becoming effective.
As-built drawing — مخططات تنفيذية The final version of a drawing reflecting what was actually constructed, vs. what was originally designed.
Asset register — سجل الأصول The list of all equipment, plant, and tools owned or operated by the firm.
Audit log — سجل التدقيق Immutable record of every state change in the system.
B
Backcharge — خصم مقابل A deduction applied to a subcontractor's payment for work the main contractor had to redo.
Baseline — الخط الأساسي The locked-in plan (cost, schedule, scope) against which actual performance is measured.
BOQ — Bill of Quantities — جدول الكميات The priced quantity list of work to be performed.
Bond — خطاب ضمان A bank guarantee (performance bond, advance payment bond, retention bond).
Build-to-suit — البناء حسب الطلب A construction model where the building is custom-designed for a single tenant.
C
Calibration — معايرة Periodic accuracy verification of measurement instruments.
Cash flow forecast — توقع التدفق النقدي Projection of cash receipts and disbursements over a forward period.
CPI — Cost Performance Index — مؤشر أداء التكلفة Earned Value ÷ Actual Cost. >1 means under budget.
Cumulative quantity — الكمية التراكمية Total quantity claimed to date across all IPCs.
D
Defects liability period (DLP) — فترة ضمان العيوب Post-handover period during which the contractor remains responsible for fixing defects (typically 12 months).
Delay analysis — تحليل التأخير Methodology used to attribute project delays to specific causes / parties.
Deliverable — مخرَج A tangible output a contract requires (drawings, reports, certificates).
Discipline — تخصص A category of work (architectural, structural, MEP, civil, etc.).
DMS — Document Management System — نظام إدارة الوثائق Controlled storage and distribution of project documents.
E
EAC — Estimate at Completion — تقدير عند الإنجاز Forecast total cost based on current performance.
Earned value — القيمة المكتسبة The budgeted value of work actually completed.
EmaraTax — إماراتاكس UAE Federal Tax Authority's online portal for VAT and corporate tax submissions.
EOT — Extension of Time — تمديد الفترة Approved time extension to the contract period, typically due to client-caused delays.
EPC — Engineering, Procurement, Construction — الهندسة والتوريد والإنشاء Contracting model where a single firm handles design, procurement, and execution.
EPD — Environmental Product Declaration — إقرار بيئي للمنتج Standardized document describing a product's environmental impact.
EVM — Earned Value Management — إدارة القيمة المكتسبة Project performance measurement methodology.
F
FIDIC — الفيديك International Federation of Consulting Engineers; publisher of widely-used construction contract templates.
Final account — الحساب الختامي The post-completion reconciliation of all costs, variations, and claims.
G
GDRFA — الإدارة العامة للإقامة وشؤون الأجانب UAE General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs.
Geotechnical report — تقرير الجيوتقني Soil and ground conditions analysis.
GRN — Goods Received Note — إشعار استلام Receipt event when material physically arrives on site.
H
Handover — تسليم The act of transferring a completed work package to the client.
Hijri — هجري Islamic lunar calendar used in much of the GCC.
Hot work — الأعمال الساخنة Welding, cutting, grinding — work that creates sparks or heat. Requires a hot work permit.
HSE — Health, Safety & Environment — الصحة والسلامة والبيئة Workplace safety and environmental management.
I
ICA — الهيئة الاتحادية للهوية والجنسية UAE Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs & Port Security.
Idempotency — الجمود الفعلي Property where repeating an operation yields the same result.
IPC — Interim Payment Certificate — شهادة دفع مرحلية Monthly progress payment certified by the engineer.
Issue — إصدار Material handed from store to site, against a BOQ activity.
ITP — Inspection & Test Plan — خطة الفحص والاختبار Pre-defined sequence of inspections for a specific activity.
J
JSA — Job Safety Analysis — تحليل سلامة العمل Structured hazard identification document for a specific task.
K
KPI — Key Performance Indicator — مؤشر أداء رئيسي A measurable value that demonstrates how effectively objectives are achieved.
L
LD — Liquidated Damages — الغرامات التأخيرية Pre-agreed monetary deduction for each day of contractor-caused delay.
LEED — ليد Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design — green building certification.
Lien — حجز Legal claim against property for unpaid debt.
Linear meter — متر طولي Standard unit for linear measurement of pipes, ducts, edges.
LTI — Lost Time Injury — إصابة فقدان الوقت Workplace injury causing absence beyond the day of injury.
LTIFR — Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate — معدل تكرار إصابات الوقت المفقود LTIs per million man-hours worked.
M
Manhour — ساعة عمل One hour of one person's work; the unit for HSE statistics.
Method statement — بيان الطريقة Document describing how a specific construction activity will be performed safely.
Milestone — حدث رئيسي A contractually significant date (substantial completion, taking over).
MOH — Materials on Site — مواد في الموقع Materials delivered but not yet installed. Claimable at a discounted rate.
MoHRE — وزارة الموارد البشرية والتوطين UAE Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation.
MTC — Medical Treatment Case — حالة علاج طبي Injury requiring medical treatment beyond first aid.
N
NCR — Non-Conformance Report — تقرير عدم المطابقة Formal record of work that does not meet specification.
Near miss — حادث وشيك An incident that didn't result in injury but could have.
O
OAuth 2.0 — أوث 2.0 Industry-standard authorization framework.
Omission — حذف A subtraction from contract scope, usually via variation order.
ORKSTRA — اوركسترا The brand name of the platform.
P
P&O — Profit & Overhead — الربح والمصاريف العامة The markup applied to direct cost in pricing.
PDPL — قانون حماية البيانات UAE Personal Data Protection Law.
Permit to work — تصريح عمل Authorization to perform specific high-risk work in a controlled manner.
PKCE — PKCE Proof Key for Code Exchange — secure OAuth flow for public clients.
Plant — معدات Heavy construction equipment.
Pre-qualification (PQ) — التأهيل المسبق Client's process of vetting contractors before issuing tender invitations.
Punch list — قائمة العيوب List of remaining defects at handover.
Q
QA — Quality Assurance — ضمان الجودة Processes that prevent defects.
QC — Quality Control — مراقبة الجودة Processes that detect defects.
QS — Quantity Surveyor — مساح الكميات Cost professional specialized in quantification and pricing.
QTO — Quantity Takeoff — حصر الكميات Process of measuring quantities from drawings.
R
RBAC — Role-Based Access Control — التحكم بالوصول حسب الدور Permission model based on assigned roles.
Re-baseline — إعادة تأسيس Locking a new baseline after major scope changes.
Retention — محتجزات Percentage withheld from each IPC (typically 5-10%) released at completion / DLP end.
RFI — Request for Information — طلب معلومات Formal query from contractor to consultant about a design clarification.
S
SAML 2.0 — ساما 2.0 Security Assertion Markup Language — federated identity protocol.
SCIM — SCIM System for Cross-domain Identity Management — provisioning protocol.
Scope 1 / 2 / 3 — نطاق 1 / 2 / 3 GHG Protocol categorization — direct / purchased energy / value chain emissions.
SIF — SIF Salary Information File — format MoHRE accepts for WPS.
SLA — Service Level Agreement — اتفاقية مستوى الخدمة Commitment on response time, uptime, etc.
SOC 2 — SOC 2 Audit standard for service organization controls.
Soft delete — حذف لين Marking a record deleted in UI while preserving in database.
SPI — Schedule Performance Index — مؤشر أداء الجدول الزمني Earned Value ÷ Planned Value. >1 means ahead of schedule.
SSO — Single Sign-On — تسجيل دخول موحد One login that gives access to multiple applications.
Substantial completion — الإنجاز الجوهري Stage at which work is sufficiently complete for the client to use it.
T
Tender — مناقصة Formal invitation to bid; the process of competing for contract award.
Time impact analysis — تحليل تأثير الوقت Methodology for quantifying schedule impact of a variation or claim.
Toolbox talk — اجتماع السلامة اليومي Short pre-shift safety briefing.
TRIR — Total Recordable Incident Rate — معدل الحوادث الإجمالي Recordable incidents per 200,000 man-hours.
U
Unit rate — سعر الوحدة Price per unit of measure in the BOQ.
V
VAT — Value-Added Tax — ضريبة القيمة المضافة 5% in UAE, 15% in KSA.
VDC — Virtual Design & Construction — التصميم والإنشاء الافتراضي Use of BIM and digital tools for pre-construction planning.
VO — Variation Order — أمر تغيير Formal change to contract scope, cost, or time.
W
WBS — Work Breakdown Structure — هيكل تجزئة العمل Hierarchical decomposition of project work.
Webhook — ويب هوك HTTP callback delivered on a specific event.
Witness point — نقطة شاهد Inspection point that requires the client / consultant to be present.
Working at height — العمل في المرتفعات Work where falling is possible — requires specific permit and PPE.
WPS — Wage Protection System — نظام حماية الأجور UAE federal mechanism ensuring workers are paid through bank channels.
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