业主的财务安排

文 / 李 健

在建设工程合同中，合同价款支付义务是业主最重要的义务。在建设工程合同履行过程中，涉及预付款Advance Payment、期中付款 Interim Payment、保留金支付 Payment of Retention Money 和最终支付Final Payment等。为保障承包商在合同下的权益，需要业主具备合同约定的资金或财务安排能力。

例 1—2.4 Employer's Financial Arrangements

The Employer shall submit，within 28 days after receiving any request from the Contractor， reasonable evidence that financial arrangements have been made and are being maintained which will enable the Employer to pay the Contract Price （as estimated at that time） in accordance with Clause 14 ［Contract Price and Payment］. If the Employer intends to make any material change to his financial arrangements， the Employer shall give notice to the Contractor with detailed particulars. （Contract for Construction， FIDIC， 1999）

试译—2.4 业主的财务安排

业主应当在收到承包商请求后28天内，提供合理证据证明其已作出并将维持财务安排，以使其能够按照第14条［合同价格和支付］支付合同价格（当时的估算值）。如果业主拟对其财务安排作重要变更，业主应当通知承包商详细情况。

例2—2.5 资金来源证明及支付担保

除专用合同条款另有约定外，发包人应在收到承包人要求提供资金来源证明的书面通知后28天内，向承包人提供能够按照合同约定支付合同价款的相应资金来源证明。

除专用合同条款另有约定外，发包人要求承包人提供履约担保的，发包人应当向承包人提供支付担保。支付担保可以采用银行保函或担保公司担保等形式，具体由合同当事人在专用合同条款中约定。

（中国《建设工程施工合同（示范文本）》（GF—2017—0201）

试译—2.5 Evidence of Sources of Funds or Payment Guarantee

Except as stated otherwise in the Particular Conditions， the Employer must submit to the Contractor， within 28 days after receiving any request in written form from the Contractor， the evidence of sources of funds that certifies the Employer will be able to pay the Contract Price as agreed in the Contract.

Except as stated otherwise in the Particular Conditions， where the Employer has requested the Contractor to submit a performance guarantee， the Employer must submit to the Contractor a payment guarantee. The parties may decide the payment guarantee to take the form of a bond offered by a bank， a guarantee offered by a guarantee corporation， or others， as agreed upon in the Particular Conditions.

点评

1．一般认为，在建设工程合同中，让承包商确信业主能够支付合同价款是合乎情理的。所以业主应当提交证据证明其有相应的财务安排financial arrangements，这种财务安排已经做出并处于维持状态（have been made and are being maintained），且足够让业主具备支付合同价款的能力（which will enable the Employer to pay the Contract Price）。

2．Contract for Construction， FIDIC， 1999 有一个专门的附件Forms of Security，即担保函格式。具体的范例格式 example forms名称反映出了工程建设中各种担保（后三个主要是保障承包商权利的担保）法律文件的英文表达，这里列出供使用时参考：母公司担保Parent Company Guarantee，投标担保（投标保函）Tender Security，履约担保-无条件保函Performance Security-Demand Guarantee，履约担保-保证担保Performance Security-Surety Bond，预付款支付担保 Advance Payment Guarantee，保留金支付担保 Retention Money Guarantee，业主支付担保Payment Guarantee by Employer。可见，FIDIC倾向于把security作为担保的大的范畴，至少涵盖guarantee和bond等具体担保形式。

3．但是，在传统法律意义 the traditional legal sense 上，security 是指 an instrument given to secure the performance of an act，或者 collateral used to guarantee repayment of a debt，对履行特定行为或偿还债务的担保；它同时还有其“最常见”的现代意义the most common modern sense或者是对投资者而言的意义 the investor’s sense：an instrument indicating one of three things： ownership in a firm， a creditor relationship with a firm or with a national of local government， or some other rights to ownership，即证券；此外，security还有“保证人”的意思，即a surety， or a person bound by some type of guaranty，但这种用法在现代写作中应当避免。在我的翻译实践中，我不选择security作为一般意义的担保的对应词—否则我们将在翻译《证券法》《担保法》这样的名称时产生混淆。Securities Laws是《证券法》的适当翻译。我用Guaranty Law of the PRC 译中国《担保法》名称；《担保法》规定了五种担保方式，依次为保证、抵押、质押、留置、定金，对应的英文分别为：Suretyship，Mortgage，Pledge，Lien，Deposit。