The construction industry in Norway - Versli Lietuva
The construction industry in Norway - Versli Lietuva
The construction industry in Norway - Versli Lietuva
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MARKET INTELLIGENCE<br />
SECTOR-BASED FACT SHEET<br />
THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY IN<br />
NORWAY<br />
PROJECT RESULT REPORT<br />
2012<br />
Contacts<br />
Mart<strong>in</strong>s Tiknuss<br />
Tel.: +371 2667 7811<br />
@: mart<strong>in</strong>s.tiknuss@gatewaybaltic.com<br />
skype: mart<strong>in</strong>s-gatewaybaltic<br />
adrese: Elizabetes street 51,<br />
Riga, LV-1010 Latvia<br />
web: www.gatewaybaltic.com
Sector-based Fact Sheet<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>construction</strong> <strong><strong>in</strong>dustry</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong><br />
Contents<br />
Market overview: ma<strong>in</strong> trends ................................................................................ 3<br />
General requirements for companies do<strong>in</strong>g bus<strong>in</strong>ess <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong> ............................... 4<br />
Corporate taxes ..................................................................................................... 5<br />
Personal taxes ....................................................................................................... 6<br />
Labour environment .................................................................................................. 7<br />
Contracts ............................................................................................................... 9<br />
Wages <strong>in</strong> the <strong>construction</strong> <strong><strong>in</strong>dustry</strong> ........................................................................ 9<br />
Work<strong>in</strong>g hours, holidays and sick leave ................................................................. 9<br />
Dismissal ............................................................................................................. 10<br />
Trade Unions ....................................................................................................... 11<br />
Industry specific requirements ................................................................................. 12<br />
Insurance and guarantees ................................................................................... 16<br />
Company certificates ........................................................................................... 16<br />
Individual certifications ......................................................................................... 17<br />
Infrastructure, repair and ma<strong>in</strong>tenance ................................................................ 17<br />
Public and private hous<strong>in</strong>g ................................................................................... 17<br />
Non-residential public property ............................................................................ 18<br />
Industrial and commercial <strong>construction</strong> ................................................................ 18<br />
Conclusions ............................................................................................................ 19<br />
References .............................................................................................................. 20<br />
Construction <strong><strong>in</strong>dustry</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong>: Factsheet 2012 Page 2 of 20
Market overview: ma<strong>in</strong> trends<br />
<strong>Norway</strong>’s hous<strong>in</strong>g <strong>construction</strong> <strong><strong>in</strong>dustry</strong> has seen a renewal of activity <strong>in</strong> 2011, with<br />
newly started projects’ count <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>g by 40% <strong>in</strong> Q1 2011 if compared to Q1 2010.<br />
This is fuelled by low <strong>in</strong>terest rates and strong customer demand, though the rapidly<br />
<strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>g prices (by approx. 10% if compar<strong>in</strong>g mid-2010 to mid-2011) may result <strong>in</strong><br />
a real estate price bubble.<br />
Source: Statistics <strong>Norway</strong><br />
Construction of build<strong>in</strong>gs is the currently most active segment, which has ga<strong>in</strong>ed<br />
even more momentum <strong>in</strong> 2011. Between Q3 2011 and Q2 2010, the number of<br />
dwell<strong>in</strong>gs started <strong>in</strong>creased by 20%, while civil eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g projects started <strong>in</strong>creased<br />
by 8.8%. 2009 had been the only recession year <strong>in</strong> the <strong><strong>in</strong>dustry</strong>, and 2.7% growth <strong>in</strong><br />
hous<strong>in</strong>g <strong>construction</strong> was observed already <strong>in</strong> 2010, as seen <strong>in</strong> the graph below.<br />
<strong>The</strong> specialised <strong>construction</strong> <strong><strong>in</strong>dustry</strong> is due to the country’s long shape, Nordic<br />
climate and relatively hilly relief have specific requirements towards <strong>in</strong>frastructure,<br />
and the Norwegian offshore (oil and gas) <strong><strong>in</strong>dustry</strong> is the largest production sector <strong>in</strong><br />
the economy, hence the large weight of specialised <strong>construction</strong> works <strong>in</strong> the graph<br />
below.<br />
Source: Statistics <strong>Norway</strong><br />
Specialized <strong>construction</strong><br />
Civil <strong>construction</strong><br />
Construction of build<strong>in</strong>gs<br />
Construction <strong><strong>in</strong>dustry</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong>: Factsheet 2012 Page 3 of 20
About 80% of the population own their own<br />
dwell<strong>in</strong>g space: the country’s 4.9 million<br />
population has the 2 nd highest GDP per<br />
capita <strong>in</strong> Europe (second only to<br />
Luxembourg). In total, there are about 2.3<br />
million dwell<strong>in</strong>gs <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong>, which <strong>in</strong>clude<br />
1.2 million detached houses. 60% of the<br />
overall hous<strong>in</strong>g stock is concentrated <strong>in</strong><br />
the Oslo, Bergen and Trondheim areas,<br />
while population density <strong>in</strong> the northern<br />
parts of the country is much smaller.<br />
A specific trait <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong> is the large<br />
number of holiday houses (e.g. ski<strong>in</strong>g<br />
lodges, summer houses: about 20% of<br />
households have their own holiday house,<br />
which br<strong>in</strong>gs their count to about 418,000<br />
holiday homes. This segment has strong<br />
supplier relations with the Baltic wood<br />
panel and log house producers. As seen <strong>in</strong> the graph to the right, the largest<br />
concentration of holiday houses is seen on the very southern seaside of <strong>Norway</strong>.<br />
General requirements for companies do<strong>in</strong>g<br />
bus<strong>in</strong>ess <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong><br />
Although all official sources po<strong>in</strong>t foreign companies towards establish<strong>in</strong>g a local<br />
branch <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong>, the legislation effectively allows for provid<strong>in</strong>g <strong>construction</strong><br />
services, if these are managed from outside of <strong>Norway</strong>. Any bus<strong>in</strong>ess that<br />
coord<strong>in</strong>ates its Norwegian activities from with<strong>in</strong> the country, must register a local<br />
affiliate. All contractors perform<strong>in</strong>g <strong>construction</strong> works <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong> (regardless of who<br />
awards the contract: public, private or foreign private entities) worth 10,000 NOK or<br />
more must report these projects to Skatteetaten, the tax authority, via the the RF-<br />
1199 form”Information about contracts, contractors and employees” (this can be<br />
done via www.alt<strong>in</strong>n.no). If not provid<strong>in</strong>g such <strong>in</strong>formation, f<strong>in</strong>es are expected, as well<br />
as liability for the taxes and national <strong>in</strong>surance contributions that the contractor has<br />
not paid. If fall<strong>in</strong>g under the VAT law regulations (annual turnover of <strong>Norway</strong>-based<br />
activities of a foreign company exceeds 50,000 NOK/year), the foreign company<br />
must have a local representative: this can be a physical or legal person, but they<br />
must have a place of residence or bus<strong>in</strong>ess address <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong>, and they have jo<strong>in</strong>t<br />
liability with the foreign company, e.g. for pay<strong>in</strong>g VAT.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Register of Bus<strong>in</strong>ess Enterprises (Skatteetaten) is the entity register<strong>in</strong>g bus<strong>in</strong>ess<br />
operations <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong>; it is part of the larger state registers group located <strong>in</strong><br />
Brønnøysund, a municipality <strong>in</strong> the middle part of <strong>Norway</strong>. <strong>The</strong> typical registration<br />
type for foreign firms’ branches <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong> is a limited liability company. <strong>The</strong>re is no<br />
m<strong>in</strong>imum capital requirement. If employees are stay<strong>in</strong>g for longer than short<br />
temporary assignments, the foreign company must also register <strong>in</strong> the Employers’<br />
and Employees Registrar; if any services or products are sold <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong> by the<br />
foreign company, it must also register as a VAT payer. A brief general guide to the<br />
registration bodies and criteria by Skatteetaten is available onl<strong>in</strong>e.<br />
If sell<strong>in</strong>g the service from its home country and send<strong>in</strong>g workers to <strong>Norway</strong> only for<br />
short, temporary assignments, a bus<strong>in</strong>ess may choose not to register a local affiliate<br />
– the tax laws require that any bus<strong>in</strong>ess that manages its Norwegian activities from<br />
Construction <strong><strong>in</strong>dustry</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong>: Factsheet 2012 Page 4 of 20
with<strong>in</strong> the country must be registered locally, but foreign firms manag<strong>in</strong>g their<br />
assignments from abroad effectively may post workers without register<strong>in</strong>g an affiliate<br />
<strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong> (although all official sources suggest to do so).<br />
Foreign bus<strong>in</strong>esses supply<strong>in</strong>g goods or services to <strong>Norway</strong> must register for<br />
VAT when the supplied VAT-applicable turnover exceeds 50,000 NOK dur<strong>in</strong>g<br />
any 12-month period. Foreign companies without a permanent local office may<br />
register for VAT through a representative. Rogaland County Tax Collector’s Office<br />
Foreign Tax Affairs Department is the <strong>in</strong>formation po<strong>in</strong>t <strong>in</strong> this regard.<br />
It is worth not<strong>in</strong>g the specifics of the Norwegian bus<strong>in</strong>ess relations and negotiations,<br />
which are also reflected <strong>in</strong> Norwegian legislation (a mixture of common and civil law,<br />
with emphasis on the latter) and court policies. Norwegian courts tend to focus less<br />
on the exact writ<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> documents and contracts, but more on the fair, reasonable<br />
deal<strong>in</strong>gs between the parties <strong>in</strong>volved, and have relatively much flexibility <strong>in</strong> how they<br />
can <strong>in</strong>terpret contract terms, s<strong>in</strong>ce they are less dependent on the documentation <strong>in</strong><br />
each case: contracts can be both written and verbal, and are based on an offer and<br />
an acceptance. Especially important is the aspect that an offer is b<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>g until its<br />
specified expiry date – hence, when mak<strong>in</strong>g offers to Norwegian clients, one must<br />
make sure that these can be met, without changes. <strong>The</strong> contract would also be<br />
deemed valid as of the po<strong>in</strong>t when both parties agree on its ma<strong>in</strong> aspects. Judges<br />
would likely not take <strong>in</strong>to account a perfectly written, but senseless contract –<br />
<strong>in</strong>stead, they would try to f<strong>in</strong>d out the <strong>in</strong>tents of the parties as at the time when they<br />
entered <strong>in</strong>to an agreement. If the Norwegian authorities f<strong>in</strong>d that a foreign contractor<br />
has not met his statutory obligations, and this occurs after a fixed price tender has<br />
been accepted, substantial additional costs are likely to <strong>in</strong>cur as a result of the urgent<br />
remedial measures that will have to be implemented. In extreme cases this could<br />
make considerable <strong>in</strong>roads <strong>in</strong>to any calculated profit. If the error is discovered only<br />
after the contract has been completed, the Norwegian pr<strong>in</strong>cipal or<br />
build<strong>in</strong>g owner (or both) may be held f<strong>in</strong>ancially liable for any error that the<br />
foreign contractor has made <strong>in</strong> relation to report<strong>in</strong>g of non-Norwegian employees,<br />
tax deductions and social security contributions.<br />
Samples of contracts for sub-contract<strong>in</strong>g work <strong>in</strong> build<strong>in</strong>g and civil eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong><br />
<strong>Norway</strong> are sold by the Norwegian Standards authority via its onl<strong>in</strong>e-shop.<br />
Corporate taxes<br />
Corporate <strong>in</strong>come tax is 28% flat and paid <strong>in</strong> 2 <strong>in</strong>stalments, one by February 15 of<br />
the current year, the second by April 15 of the next year.<br />
Dividend and capital ga<strong>in</strong> tax is 28%. Dividends may be taxed: foreign owners’<br />
earn<strong>in</strong>gs from their owned Norwegian companies are subject to 0-25% Norwegian<br />
withhold<strong>in</strong>g tax, however, for EEA countries, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g Lithuania, the rate is 0%.<br />
<strong>The</strong> standard VAT rate is 25%. Foreign bus<strong>in</strong>esses that only supply goods or<br />
services from abroad to recipients <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong> are not liable for VAT <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong>.<br />
However, the imports of goods is a taxable event and VAT is payable at the time of<br />
importation by the owner of the goods. Foreign-owned bus<strong>in</strong>esses that are<br />
established or resident <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong> are subject to VAT. If the foreign bus<strong>in</strong>ess<br />
supply<strong>in</strong>g goods and services is neither established nor resident <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong>, it must<br />
be registered for VAT through a representative: if registered through a local<br />
representative, the foreign bus<strong>in</strong>ess has the same rights and obligations that a<br />
normal registration for VAT would have entailed.<br />
Construction <strong><strong>in</strong>dustry</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong>: Factsheet 2012 Page 5 of 20
Skatteetaten ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong>s a separate <strong>in</strong>formation page for foreign employers <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong>,<br />
where additional <strong>in</strong>formation on tax deduction cards, certificates of pay, the national<br />
<strong>in</strong>surance system, report<strong>in</strong>g forms RF-1199 and RF-1037 regard<strong>in</strong>g contracts and<br />
employees <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong>, etc. Another guide by Skatteetaten expla<strong>in</strong>s the more general<br />
tax rules <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong>.<br />
Personal taxes<br />
Individuals are considered Norwegian tax residents if stay<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong> for 183 or<br />
more days dur<strong>in</strong>g any 12 month period, of for 270 or more days <strong>in</strong> any 36 month<br />
period.<br />
Personal <strong>in</strong>come tax is 28% <strong>in</strong> most municipalities (except for 24.5% <strong>in</strong> the very<br />
northern part of the country: F<strong>in</strong>nmark and Nord-Troms). Another “gross personal<br />
<strong>in</strong>come” tax or surtax is applied to wages, earn<strong>in</strong>gs from self-employment and<br />
pensions. <strong>The</strong> gross personal <strong>in</strong>come rates vary depend<strong>in</strong>g on an <strong>in</strong>dividual’s annual<br />
taxable <strong>in</strong>come:<br />
Up to 490,000 NOK/year: the rate is 9.0%<br />
490,001-796,400 NOK/year: the rate is 7.0%<br />
796,400+ and more NOK/year: the rate is 12.0%<br />
<strong>The</strong> average wage for full time employees <strong>in</strong> 2010 <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong> was 38,100<br />
NOK/month, hence the gross <strong>in</strong>come tax rather applies to wealthy <strong>in</strong>dividuals, as a<br />
progressive <strong>in</strong>come tax. <strong>The</strong> personal tax allowances vary depend<strong>in</strong>g on the <strong>in</strong>come<br />
bracket (above), but for the lower bracket it is 45,350 NOK/year (if the tax subject is<br />
not married and has no dependents). Note that for foreign employees, the allowance<br />
would be adjusted for the number of months that they have worked <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong> (which<br />
is less than 183 days or 6 months per year, <strong>in</strong> order to be regarded as a non-resident<br />
worker).<br />
Capital ga<strong>in</strong>s are taxed at 28%. Wealth tax is charged based on the net value of<br />
assets, at 0-1.1%, depend<strong>in</strong>g on the municipality. Real estate tax is 0.2-0.7% of the<br />
estate value, but some municipalities do not charge it. Inheritance and gift tax is<br />
taxed progressively with up to 15%.<br />
All employees <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong> must have a tax deduction card, which is used by the<br />
employer to withhold the applicable tax from their salary; Skatteentaten, the general<br />
tax collection authority <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong>, issues these cards to the employers who apply for<br />
it, and, when receiv<strong>in</strong>g their COFTA (payroll withhold<strong>in</strong>g tax) card, provide its 2 nd part<br />
to all their employees. If no tax deduction card is present, the employer must withhold<br />
a 50% flat tax from the gross salary. All employees must be recorded via an RF-<br />
1199 Information on contracts/Information on employees form.<br />
Deductions <strong>in</strong> salary <strong>in</strong>come will <strong>in</strong> most cases be limited to a so called “m<strong>in</strong>imum<br />
deduction” of 38%, limited to NOK 78,158 per year (<strong>in</strong> 2012, but the deduction<br />
maximum and m<strong>in</strong>imum may change annually; this deduction will be adjusted<br />
proportionally to the months spent <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong>). Double hous<strong>in</strong>g costs and costs for<br />
home visits will <strong>in</strong> addition be deductible for commuters. Foreign employees can <strong>in</strong><br />
addition claim 10% standard deduction for foreigners, up to 40,000 NOK. An<br />
alternative is to choose a 10% standard, whereupon all allowances and other<br />
remunerations received must be <strong>in</strong>cluded <strong>in</strong> the gross taxable <strong>in</strong>come, and double<br />
hous<strong>in</strong>g costs and costs for home visits are not deductible.<br />
Construction <strong><strong>in</strong>dustry</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong>: Factsheet 2012 Page 6 of 20
Communication regard<strong>in</strong>g the social security contributions is takes place via the local<br />
Labour and Welfare Service office near the place of residence of the employees, or,<br />
if the employer resides outside <strong>Norway</strong>, at the welfare office nearest to the<br />
<strong>construction</strong> site.<br />
Note that tax cards are sent directly to the employees and that the employer must<br />
submit certificates of pay and tax deducted (CPTD) by January 20 each year,<br />
otherwise the penalty is 10 NOK/day for each unreported employee. If the form lacks<br />
<strong>in</strong>formation, e.g. the Norwegian ID number (D-number), it will not be regarded as<br />
submitted. In case a D number has yet not been provided by the respective authority,<br />
the person’s date of birth, followed by “5 x 0”, should be submitted as the D number.<br />
It is also important to report all benefits, taxable and non-taxable, that the employee<br />
has received <strong>in</strong> the CPTD form.<br />
<strong>The</strong> CPTD is also known as the RF-1015 form. <strong>The</strong> application form for tax<br />
deductions for foreign nationals is the RF-1209 form. Both can be completed via the<br />
Alt<strong>in</strong>n register. See the Norwegian Tax Authority (www.taxnorway.no) for more<br />
<strong>in</strong>formation.<br />
Norwegian tax return forms for employee are pre-filled and sent directly to the<br />
employees by the tax authority (prefilled tax return calculation form RF 1030 and<br />
questionnaire RF 1030S). <strong>The</strong> pre-completed tax return is based <strong>in</strong>formation from<br />
employers regard<strong>in</strong>g salary, and from and various sources like banks etc regard<strong>in</strong>g<br />
deductible <strong>in</strong>terest costs, capital returns and so on. If changes are not made, the<br />
<strong>in</strong>dividual will be taxed based on the pre-completed tax return. <strong>The</strong>se have to be<br />
returned by April 30 of the year after the <strong>in</strong>come year.<br />
Labour environment<br />
Employees <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong> are well protected by legislation, and have generous holiday<br />
allowances and rights with regard to childcare, non-discrim<strong>in</strong>ation and work<strong>in</strong>g time<br />
limits. <strong>The</strong> <strong>construction</strong> <strong><strong>in</strong>dustry</strong> is one of the few sectors <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong> to have a<br />
m<strong>in</strong>imum wage.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Norwegian Labour and Welfare Adm<strong>in</strong>istration (NAV) and the Norwegian Labour<br />
<strong>in</strong>spection Authority (Arbeidstilsynet) are the key authorities controll<strong>in</strong>g the labour<br />
environment <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong>. NAV’s guide for <strong>construction</strong> workers com<strong>in</strong>g to <strong>Norway</strong> <strong>in</strong><br />
English is available onl<strong>in</strong>e.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Norwegian Directorate of Integration and Diversity also ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong>s an onl<strong>in</strong>e<br />
<strong>in</strong>formation repository for migrant workers.<br />
Foreign temporary workers <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong> are regulated by Regulations of December 16,<br />
2005, No. 1566 (“Forskrift om utsendte arbeidstakere”, only the Norwegian text has<br />
legal power), with an English version available from the Labour Inspection. <strong>The</strong>se<br />
regulations are <strong>in</strong> l<strong>in</strong>e with the EU directive 96/71/EC. <strong>The</strong> regulations specify which<br />
parts of the Work<strong>in</strong>g Environment Act, Holidays Act and Labour Market Act also<br />
apply to foreign posted workers to <strong>Norway</strong>. Essentially, these regulations are to<br />
prevent “social dump<strong>in</strong>g”, <strong>in</strong> particular, ensur<strong>in</strong>g that foreign posted workers have pay<br />
rates and work<strong>in</strong>g conditions that are meet the m<strong>in</strong>imum Norwegian standards.<br />
<strong>The</strong> only exception would be foreign workers <strong>in</strong>stall<strong>in</strong>g or assembl<strong>in</strong>g supplied goods<br />
for up to 8 days dur<strong>in</strong>g any 12 month period – these are not subject to the Norwegian<br />
requirements regard<strong>in</strong>g pay and holiday, overtime pay, etc., but this exception does<br />
Construction <strong><strong>in</strong>dustry</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong>: Factsheet 2012 Page 7 of 20
not apply to workers <strong>in</strong> the <strong>construction</strong> sector (<strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g repairs, ma<strong>in</strong>tenance,<br />
alteration, demolition of build<strong>in</strong>gs).<br />
Any companies active <strong>in</strong> staff<strong>in</strong>g, i.e., provid<strong>in</strong>g temporary staff <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong> as their<br />
core activity, must register <strong>in</strong> the staff<strong>in</strong>g enterprises registrar with the Norwegian<br />
Labour Inspection Authority (Arbeitstilsynet).<br />
Particularly important is to note that, while posted workers <strong>in</strong> most <strong>in</strong>dustries are not<br />
subject to Norwegian collective agreements (and hence have no m<strong>in</strong>imum wage<br />
def<strong>in</strong>ed, as <strong>Norway</strong> does not enforce a universal m<strong>in</strong>imum wage), the <strong>construction</strong><br />
<strong><strong>in</strong>dustry</strong> and the shipbuild<strong>in</strong>g sector are exceptions – <strong>in</strong> these areas, the Norwegian<br />
collective agreements are deemed generally applicable.<br />
Despite the above limitations, surveys among Norwegian <strong>construction</strong> companies<br />
showed that <strong>construction</strong> and manufactur<strong>in</strong>g firms do commonly use Eastern<br />
European labour as bought-<strong>in</strong> service (as opposed to direct hires): <strong>in</strong> 2006, 19% of<br />
<strong>construction</strong> companies replied <strong>in</strong> a survey that they had used labour from Eastern<br />
Europe, and <strong>in</strong> 2009 already 33% of Norwegian <strong>construction</strong> firms said so. In 2008,<br />
the number of registered posted workers from CEE countries to <strong>Norway</strong> exceeded<br />
22,900.<br />
Employees from EU/EEA countries do not need a work permit <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong>, but with<strong>in</strong> 3<br />
months after their arrival, they must request a residence permit. If already stay<strong>in</strong>g<br />
with<strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong>, the application must be made to the local police station; if the<br />
employment is yet be<strong>in</strong>g planned, one should apply to the local Norwegian embassy.<br />
<strong>The</strong> National Insurance Scheme (NIS) provides free medical treatment to its<br />
members who are admitted to a hospital. Employees <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong> are automatically<br />
members of the NIS. <strong>The</strong> local Labour and Welfare Service Offices (NAVs) is the<br />
public contact po<strong>in</strong>t <strong>in</strong> these issues.<br />
It is not mandatory to be registered <strong>in</strong> the National Population Register or to be a<br />
citizen, or to pay taxes <strong>in</strong> order to be a member of NIS, but applicants must reside <strong>in</strong><br />
<strong>Norway</strong> legally. NAV regards <strong>in</strong>dividuals who have resided <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong> for 12 months<br />
as members automatically, or, if a person moves to <strong>Norway</strong> (and notifies the<br />
authorities with the RF-1401 form regard<strong>in</strong>g their move to <strong>Norway</strong>) with the <strong>in</strong>tention<br />
to stay for 12+ months, they are regarded as a member from the date of arrival to<br />
<strong>Norway</strong>.<br />
Generally, all employees are part of the compulsory national <strong>in</strong>surance scheme as of<br />
their first day of work <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong>. However, employees work<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> 2 or more countries<br />
and not resident <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong>, or who are sent to work <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong> by their regular<br />
employer for a time of up to one year at the expense of this employer, can be<br />
exempted from the Norwegian social <strong>in</strong>surance system, <strong>in</strong>stead keep<strong>in</strong>g their home<br />
country social <strong>in</strong>surance system. In this case, NAV does not provide free healthcare<br />
services, but the home country health care services should. For employees from EEA<br />
countries who have a social security number <strong>in</strong> their home country already, an A1<br />
(previously E101) form should be filled <strong>in</strong> and submitted to the Norwegian Labour<br />
and Welfare Service (NAV); the form is available from the social security authority <strong>in</strong><br />
their home country. It is recommended to have the A1 form filled <strong>in</strong> advance for all<br />
possibly employed personnel already before sign<strong>in</strong>g the contract, as any offer to<br />
Norwegian clients may be regarded as b<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>g, and, <strong>in</strong> case delays due to obta<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g<br />
respective documentation occur, the subcontractor may be held liable for delays and<br />
related losses.<br />
Construction <strong><strong>in</strong>dustry</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong>: Factsheet 2012 Page 8 of 20
If workers reside <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong> for less than six months, special tax rules apply, but a tax<br />
card is still required. If an employee starts to work without a tax card, the employer<br />
must deduct 50% tax, while typically the tax is about 1/3 of the salary.<br />
<strong>The</strong> social security contributions rate is 7.8% for employees and 11% for selfemployed.<br />
For employees from EEA countries who have a social security number <strong>in</strong><br />
their home country already, an A1 (previously E101) form should be filled <strong>in</strong>; it is<br />
available from the social security authority <strong>in</strong> their home country.<br />
Contracts<br />
An employment contract is needed no later than 1 month after start<strong>in</strong>g the<br />
employment relationship: it states the name of the employer and of the employee, the<br />
period and conditions of employment, and is dated and signed by the employer.<br />
Wages <strong>in</strong> the <strong>construction</strong> <strong><strong>in</strong>dustry</strong><br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>construction</strong> <strong><strong>in</strong>dustry</strong> is an exception (along with shipbuild<strong>in</strong>g and agriculture) <strong>in</strong><br />
that it has a m<strong>in</strong>imum wage <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong>; other <strong>in</strong>dustries do not have it. <strong>The</strong> collective<br />
agreement text <strong>in</strong> Norwegian that specifies the m<strong>in</strong>imum wages is available onl<strong>in</strong>e.<br />
<strong>The</strong> m<strong>in</strong>imum hourly wage rates have last been <strong>in</strong>creased as of April 2011:<br />
Skilled workers: NOK 159<br />
Unskilled workers with no experience <strong>in</strong> <strong>construction</strong> work: NOK 143<br />
Unskilled workers with at least one year’s experience <strong>in</strong> <strong>construction</strong> work:<br />
NOK 149<br />
Employees aged under 18 can be paid a m<strong>in</strong>imum rate of 96 NOK/h.<br />
By October 2011, the average monthly full time wage <strong>in</strong> <strong>construction</strong> was 33,200<br />
NOK. Year-on-year wage growth between 2011 and 2010 was at 2-4%, depend<strong>in</strong>g<br />
on the specialization. Below, some average monthly wages <strong>in</strong> certa<strong>in</strong> <strong>construction</strong><br />
worker specializations as of October 2011 are given:<br />
Electricians: 33,600<br />
Formwork carpenters: 36,600<br />
Directors and chief executives: 61,900<br />
Professional technicians: 44,000-52,000<br />
Bricklayers: 31,900<br />
Concrete workers: 34,300<br />
Plumbers: 34,900<br />
Pa<strong>in</strong>ters: 30,200<br />
Road workers: 37,700<br />
Basic workers: 28,200<br />
Source: Statistics <strong>Norway</strong><br />
Generally <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong>, the lowest wage limits are at around 120 NOK/h or 18,000<br />
NOK/month for full-time employment. <strong>The</strong> 10% of population with the lowest earn<strong>in</strong>gs<br />
had a monthly wage of 20,600 NOK on average.<br />
Work<strong>in</strong>g hours, holidays and sick leave<br />
Maximum work<strong>in</strong>g hours are 9 h per day and 40 h per 7 days. Standard are 35-38<br />
hours a week. Alternative arrangements can be made to allow for more work<br />
temporarily, but the average work<strong>in</strong>g hours limits per week rema<strong>in</strong> the same as<br />
above. Night work and Sunday work is only allowed if the nature of the work requires<br />
this.<br />
Construction <strong><strong>in</strong>dustry</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong>: Factsheet 2012 Page 9 of 20
If work<strong>in</strong>g for more than 5.5 hours daily, employees are entitled to breaks of up to 30<br />
m<strong>in</strong>. per day <strong>in</strong> total.<br />
Overtime is paid at a +50% rate over the regular hourly pay, but work<strong>in</strong>g hours<br />
between 9 pm and 6 am and on Sundays and holidays are paid at a double rate. <strong>The</strong><br />
employer also covers:<br />
the employees travel costs from home to the build<strong>in</strong>g site and back, for a “fair<br />
number” of trips dur<strong>in</strong>g the <strong>construction</strong> project;<br />
food and lodg<strong>in</strong>g costs at the <strong>construction</strong> site, i.e., a daily allowance;<br />
work<strong>in</strong>g clothes and protective gear.<br />
Shift work employees are entitled to a shift-work supplement.<br />
Self-declared sick leave can be taken for up to 3 days at a time, up to 4 times per 12<br />
months; if tak<strong>in</strong>g leave for more than 3 days, a medical certificate from a doctor is<br />
required. Note that the doctor may give a full 100% sick leave, but may also allow the<br />
employee to perform part of their work, e.g. on a 50% sick leave.<br />
To receive sickness benefit payments, one has to be employed at least 4 weeks<br />
before the sick leave beg<strong>in</strong>s; the maximum duration for sick leave is 52 weeks;<br />
sickness benefit is paid from the first day of absence: the employer pays it for the first<br />
16 days, while after these the Norwegian National Insurance scheme takes over the<br />
out-payment.<br />
Apart from <strong>in</strong>ternational holidays, May 1 and 17 are public holidays; normal wages<br />
should be paid on the public holidays, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g May 1 and 17. In <strong>Norway</strong>; the<br />
m<strong>in</strong>imum annual holiday allowance for a full-time work<strong>in</strong>g person is 25 work<strong>in</strong>g days.<br />
Holiday pay is calculated as 10.2% of the previous year’s total wage, and is normally<br />
paid <strong>in</strong> June, but part of it can be withheld and paid when the holiday is actually<br />
taken.<br />
Childcare leave can be taken until the employee’s child is 3 years old; the first year of<br />
leave is paid by the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Service NAV. <strong>The</strong> employer, for<br />
staff plann<strong>in</strong>g purposes, can demand that the childcare leave be taken as a s<strong>in</strong>gle<br />
period. If an employee's child is ill, up to 10 days per year extra leave can be taken;<br />
up to 15 days if the employee has more than 2 children. Generally, women are<br />
entitled to paid leave for this purpose. Further details regard<strong>in</strong>g the benefits and<br />
leave allowances <strong>in</strong> various cases are outl<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>in</strong> the Work<strong>in</strong>g Environment Act.<br />
Dismissal<br />
<strong>The</strong> standard term<strong>in</strong>ation notice is one full calendar month; for staff on a trial period it<br />
is 14 days. Term<strong>in</strong>ation must be given <strong>in</strong> writ<strong>in</strong>g.<br />
An employer can, <strong>in</strong> whole or <strong>in</strong> part, be excused from the obligation to pay wages,<br />
and an employee can temporarily be excused from the obligation to work, <strong>in</strong><br />
connection with temporary lay-offs. Reasonable grounds for lay-offs can, for<br />
example, be a lack of orders, the over-accumulation of stock, accidents or similar.<br />
Even if the employee is temporarily laid-off, the employment relationship persists.<br />
Temporary layoffs. Notification of a lay-off shall be given <strong>in</strong> writ<strong>in</strong>g at least 14 days<br />
before it is implemented, and the employee shall receive normal pay dur<strong>in</strong>g the<br />
period of notice. After the period of notice, there is a period dur<strong>in</strong>g which the<br />
employer is obliged to pay wages. This is currently five days, and 15 days if the<br />
employee is laid off for less than 40 per cent of his/her normal work<strong>in</strong>g hours. <strong>The</strong><br />
maximum period an employee can be laid off is currently 52 weeks. <strong>The</strong> number of<br />
Construction <strong><strong>in</strong>dustry</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong>: Factsheet 2012 Page 10 of 20
days the employer is obliged to pay wages and the maximum lay-off period can vary.<br />
Contact NAV for up-to-date <strong>in</strong>formation.<br />
If an employer dismisses an employee who has been laid off, the lay-off will<br />
immediately cease to apply. Employees have a duty to work and employers have a<br />
duty to pay wages dur<strong>in</strong>g the agreed or statutory period of notice, even if the<br />
employer has no work to offer. An employee who has been laid off can, however,<br />
hand <strong>in</strong> his/her notice with 14 days’ notice if the period dur<strong>in</strong>g which the employer is<br />
obliged to pay wages has come to an end.<br />
An employer may dismiss an employee if he/she has reasonable grounds for do<strong>in</strong>g<br />
so. <strong>The</strong> reasonable grounds must be based on circumstances relat<strong>in</strong>g to either the<br />
employee or the employer/ enterprise. Unless otherwise specified, the period of<br />
notice is one month, which starts on the first day of the month after notice has been<br />
given. <strong>The</strong> law also conta<strong>in</strong>s absolute rules about periods of notice from 14 days to<br />
six months, depend<strong>in</strong>g on the length of employment and the employee’s age.<br />
An employee who is completely or partially absent from work cannot be dismissed<br />
due to his/her absence dur<strong>in</strong>g the first 12 months, unless the employer can prove<br />
that the dismissal is unrelated to the illness. After the first year, illness can constitute<br />
reasonable grounds for dismissal, but this must be subject to a concrete assessment.<br />
An employee cannot be dismissed because she is pregnant. If the employer cannot<br />
prove that the dismissal is unrelated to the pregnancy, the dismissal is unlawful. An<br />
employee who is on pregnancy leave, compassionate leave, maternity leave or is <strong>in</strong><br />
the first year of parental leave (also <strong>in</strong> adoption cases) must not be dismissed with<br />
effect dur<strong>in</strong>g the period of leave when the employer is aware of the reason for the<br />
absence. If the employer has reasonable grounds for the dismissal, the period of<br />
notice starts when the leave of absence is over.<br />
An employer can summarily dismiss an employee if the employee is <strong>in</strong> gross breach<br />
of his/her obligations or is otherwise <strong>in</strong> material breach of the employment contract.<br />
This means that the employee will not be given a period of notice and no pay from<br />
the day she/he is summarily dismissed. <strong>The</strong> employee is not entitled to rema<strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong> the<br />
position dur<strong>in</strong>g the hear<strong>in</strong>g of a dispute unless the court so rules. In other respects,<br />
the same rules apply as for ord<strong>in</strong>ary dismissals.<br />
Note that employment agencies are not allowed to receive payment from employees<br />
<strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong>.<br />
Trade Unions<br />
Generally, a company must enter <strong>in</strong>to the respective<br />
collective agreement, if already 10% of its relevant workforce<br />
are union members. In <strong>Norway</strong>, trade unions have considerable<br />
barga<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g power and <strong>in</strong>fluence on the work<strong>in</strong>g environment and<br />
local politics. Landsorganisasjonen (www.lo.no, logo to the right)<br />
or <strong>The</strong> Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions is the largest<br />
such entity <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong>.<br />
Trade union density, although gradually decl<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g over the last decade, rema<strong>in</strong>s<br />
above 50% of all workforce. Foreign visit<strong>in</strong>g workers, of course, have a lower<br />
participation rate <strong>in</strong> trade unions, e.g. a 2007’ survey among Polish <strong>construction</strong><br />
workers showed that 14% were members <strong>in</strong> the correspond<strong>in</strong>g trade union.<br />
Construction <strong><strong>in</strong>dustry</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong>: Factsheet 2012 Page 11 of 20
<strong>The</strong> Norwegian United Federation of Trade Unions,<br />
(Fellesforbundet, www.fellesforbundet.no, logo to the<br />
right) is member of Landsorganisasjonen, and is the<br />
ma<strong>in</strong> private sector trade union, also <strong>in</strong> the<br />
<strong>construction</strong> sector. It has about 153,000 members from <strong>construction</strong>, shipbuild<strong>in</strong>g,<br />
textiles, graphic design and other <strong>in</strong>dustries, and has over the the last years been<br />
focus<strong>in</strong>g on recruit<strong>in</strong>g new members, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g migrant workers, from the<br />
<strong>construction</strong> sector. E.g. the Oslo branch of Fellesforbundet has worked towards<br />
attract<strong>in</strong>g Polish and Baltic workers <strong>in</strong> the Oslo area. <strong>The</strong>re are more than 1,000<br />
<strong>construction</strong> trade union members <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong> of Polish and Baltic orig<strong>in</strong> already.<br />
<strong>The</strong> above organisations were effectively the ones to achieve the <strong>in</strong>clusion of migrant<br />
workers <strong>in</strong>to the Construction Sector Agreement between LO and Fellesforbundet on<br />
the one side and the Federation of Norwegian Construction Industries on the other<br />
side, <strong>in</strong> particular due to <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>g numbers of Polish and Baltic <strong>construction</strong><br />
workers <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong>. This agreement mandates that migrant workers should be paid at<br />
least the m<strong>in</strong>imum wage rates as outl<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>in</strong> the respective previous section of this<br />
report. Some other unions’ sites are:<br />
• www.afag.no (for architects)<br />
• www.nito.no (for eng<strong>in</strong>eers)<br />
• www.tekna.no (for eng<strong>in</strong>eers)<br />
For more <strong>in</strong>formation on the Norwegian trade unions sector, see the respective<br />
Eurofound report.<br />
Industry specific requirements<br />
Construction sites are carefully <strong>in</strong>spected by Norwegian authorities, hence all on-site<br />
employees must always carry a visible ID card and have respective documentation<br />
available. If documentation is miss<strong>in</strong>g, f<strong>in</strong>es can be levied by the authorities. <strong>The</strong><br />
Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority also details the key parts of the procedure to<br />
apply for a <strong>construction</strong> permit, which is done by general contractors. This is done via<br />
the form 5177:2010 by the Directorate of Construction Quality (DIBK). <strong>The</strong> Labour<br />
Inspection then charges a fee, depend<strong>in</strong>g on the size on the project, and, if the<br />
documentation for work safety at the planned site is <strong>in</strong> order, grants its consent to the<br />
<strong>construction</strong> application.<br />
RF-1199 form regard<strong>in</strong>g contract-work done <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong>: required by the<br />
Norwegian Tax Adm<strong>in</strong>istration for assignments that are given to foreign contractors <strong>in</strong><br />
<strong>Norway</strong> (l<strong>in</strong>k to PDF version).<br />
<strong>The</strong> form requires <strong>in</strong>dications of the contract, the subcontractor, and part 2 must be<br />
filled <strong>in</strong> for all <strong>in</strong>dividual employees that are to work <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong>. Authorities focus on<br />
hav<strong>in</strong>g this <strong>in</strong>formation, and may levy f<strong>in</strong>es if not receiv<strong>in</strong>g it. <strong>The</strong> form must be<br />
submitted with<strong>in</strong> 14 days after each respective employee has started work<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong><br />
<strong>Norway</strong>, otherwise penalties are likely. Note that as of January 2010 the RF 1199<br />
form <strong>in</strong>corporates the previously separate RF 1198 form regard<strong>in</strong>g employees.<br />
All employees <strong>in</strong>dicated on a RF-1199 form obta<strong>in</strong> D-numbers (Norwegian personal<br />
ID numbers) from the Central Office for Foreign Tax affairs. This can take time,<br />
therefore one should submit the respective RF-1199 form as soon as possible, i.e.,<br />
after sign<strong>in</strong>g the contract. This can be done via Alt<strong>in</strong>n.no, the state portal for<br />
submitt<strong>in</strong>g reports to authorities.<br />
When registration <strong>in</strong> all the relevant registers is completed, an employee of a foreign<br />
Construction <strong><strong>in</strong>dustry</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong>: Factsheet 2012 Page 12 of 20
company, who actually will be work<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong>, may apply for a user-id at the<br />
official Norsik website for identity cards.<br />
This person needs to fill out an onl<strong>in</strong>e form and will<br />
receive a user-id with<strong>in</strong> 4 hours. with this user-id this<br />
person may upload a photo, a copy of a valid id i.e.<br />
passport as well as a copy of the person’s signature.<br />
<strong>The</strong>se copies need to be of good quality and they<br />
need to be <strong>in</strong> one of the follow<strong>in</strong>g formats: *.gif, *.jpg<br />
or *.png.<br />
<strong>The</strong> follow<strong>in</strong>g are general standards and certificates common <strong>in</strong> the <strong>construction</strong><br />
<strong><strong>in</strong>dustry</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong>; specialist niches may have additional standardisation. <strong>The</strong><br />
general Construction Law, or regulations No 488 of March 26, 2010, is available<br />
onl<strong>in</strong>e <strong>in</strong> Norwegian. Chapter 11 outl<strong>in</strong>es the qualifications that a company needs<br />
(the regulations are based on directive 2005/36/EC) to be able to act as a general<br />
contractor <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong>, and chapter 10 specifies the requirements towards contractors’<br />
management systems.<br />
Various detailed standards for types of <strong>construction</strong> works <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong> are available<br />
from the web-store of the Norwegian standards authority:<br />
• Construction draw<strong>in</strong>gs standards (e.g. CAD draw<strong>in</strong>g standards);<br />
• Energy efficiency requirements for build<strong>in</strong>gs;<br />
• Standards <strong>in</strong> various areas of build<strong>in</strong>g, e.g. earthworks, roof<strong>in</strong>g, metal-works.<br />
<strong>The</strong> full text of the health, environment and safety (HSE) requirements at work by the<br />
Norwegian Labour Inspection is available onl<strong>in</strong>e <strong>in</strong> English.<br />
<strong>The</strong> key po<strong>in</strong>ts <strong>in</strong> this document foresee that workers and the enterprise must have<br />
access to the relevant health and safety <strong>in</strong>formation, and documents <strong>in</strong> place<br />
outl<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g the risks at the workplace, documented responsibilities for various work<br />
aspects, and documented plans of how to reduce the risks. Many companies choose<br />
the OHSAS 18001 and the ISO 14001 certification as a means of showcas<strong>in</strong>g their<br />
compliance with HSE regulations.<br />
Also, when two or more enterprises are work<strong>in</strong>g at the same site, they must agree <strong>in</strong><br />
writ<strong>in</strong>g on the follow<strong>in</strong>g:<br />
1. which one of them is responsible for coord<strong>in</strong>at<strong>in</strong>g their jo<strong>in</strong>t activities and<br />
subsequently has responsibility over the HSE norms – the <strong>in</strong>dividual<br />
coord<strong>in</strong>ator has to be specified there;<br />
2. an agreed HSE plan must be <strong>in</strong> place;<br />
3. the Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority must be sent a notice of<br />
<strong>construction</strong> work if the project is to last for more than 30 workdays, or if the<br />
work exceeds 500 man-days; the notice must conta<strong>in</strong> the <strong>in</strong>formation<br />
specified <strong>in</strong> Section 9 of Regulations 337 (see l<strong>in</strong>k below).<br />
For subcontractors bear<strong>in</strong>g responsibility for their part of the assignment, it is<br />
important to compare their HSE policies with those of the contract<strong>in</strong>g party.<br />
Workers must be <strong>in</strong>formed of the HSE plan po<strong>in</strong>ts, and understand it.<br />
<strong>The</strong> more detailed HSE regulations document <strong>in</strong> <strong>construction</strong> works is Regulations<br />
No 337 of April 21, 1995 “Safety, health and work<strong>in</strong>g environment on <strong>construction</strong><br />
sites” are available onl<strong>in</strong>e <strong>in</strong> English, and at the end of the document, the notice form<br />
of temporary workplaces (e.g. <strong>construction</strong> sites) to the Norwegian Labour Inspection<br />
Authority is <strong>in</strong>cluded.<br />
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<strong>The</strong>se are based on the EC Directive 92/57/EEC of 24 June 1992. However, these<br />
regulations have been updated <strong>in</strong> 2009, and the currently valid version, Regulations<br />
of 3 August 2009 No. 1028 regard<strong>in</strong>g HSE practices at <strong>construction</strong> sites, also known<br />
as the Build<strong>in</strong>g Owner Regulations, is only available <strong>in</strong> Norwegian. <strong>The</strong>se regulations<br />
also <strong>in</strong>clude rules on handl<strong>in</strong>g heavy <strong>construction</strong> mach<strong>in</strong>ery.<br />
Further relevant documents are:<br />
Act relat<strong>in</strong>g to <strong>in</strong>spection of electrical <strong>in</strong>stallations and electrical equipment<br />
(Act No. 4 of 24 May 1929)<br />
Section 48, cf. section 41, of the Civil Defence Act (enterprises required to<br />
ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong> safety and emergency preparedness measures) (Act No. 9 of 17<br />
July 1953)<br />
<strong>The</strong> Product Control Act (Act No. 79 of 11 June 1976)<br />
<strong>The</strong> Work<strong>in</strong>g Environment Act (Act No. 4 of 4 February 1977)<br />
<strong>The</strong> Pollution Control Act, where the enterprise employs staff (Act No. 6 of 13<br />
March 1981)<br />
Act relat<strong>in</strong>g to fire and explosion prevention (Act No. 20 of 14 June 2002)<br />
<strong>The</strong> Norwegian Directorate of Labour Inspection has an onl<strong>in</strong>e guide to asbestos<br />
works, and the Norwegian standards authority has work health, safety and<br />
environment standard for <strong>construction</strong> work available onl<strong>in</strong>e (but only <strong>in</strong> Norwegian),<br />
which details the generic safety procedures at <strong>construction</strong> sites.<br />
On a state-policy level, the Norwegian Climate and Pollution Agency (KLIF) is<br />
controll<strong>in</strong>g <strong>construction</strong> waste, of which there are about 1.5 million tons produced<br />
annually (18% of total waste), accord<strong>in</strong>g to Statistics <strong>Norway</strong>’s section on<br />
<strong>construction</strong> waste. <strong>The</strong> <strong>construction</strong> sector sent about 13,000 tonnes of hazardous<br />
waste for process<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> approved facilities <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong> <strong>in</strong> 2010. <strong>The</strong> ma<strong>in</strong> categories<br />
there<strong>in</strong> are: waste conta<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g oil; waste of heavy metal and polluted matter; corrosive<br />
waste. KLIF is also the contact po<strong>in</strong>t for companies with regard to REACH chemicals<br />
handl<strong>in</strong>g regulations.<strong>The</strong> regulations for chemicals are compliant with the REACH<br />
chemicals handl<strong>in</strong>g directive – <strong>Norway</strong> as an EEA country has as of June 2008<br />
implemented these chemicals handl<strong>in</strong>g regulations. <strong>The</strong> chemicals that require<br />
special approval <strong>in</strong> the EU (e.g. certa<strong>in</strong> phthalates, arsenic compounds) as listed by<br />
the European Chemicals Agency, also require similar approval <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong>, and may<br />
be used up until 2015, if certa<strong>in</strong> permits are received from KLIF. <strong>The</strong> Norwegian<br />
authority has substantially reduced use of dangerous chemicals <strong>in</strong> <strong>construction</strong> (e.g.<br />
use of solvents decreased from 6,000 tons <strong>in</strong> 2005 to 2,000 tons <strong>in</strong> 2000): it has<br />
implemented stricter requirements over the last decade, and cont<strong>in</strong>uously requires<br />
<strong>construction</strong> companies to justify their use of hazardous chemicals, and to consider<br />
environmentally friendly alternatives. A full list of chemicals used must be kept by<br />
<strong>construction</strong> companies at all times, and KLIF may perform on-site <strong>in</strong>spections to<br />
control for the use of chemicals. Foreign companies aim<strong>in</strong>g to work <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong> should<br />
pay particular attention to regulations on production, import and other activities with<br />
hazardous chemicals, for which KLIF provides an English translation.<br />
General <strong>in</strong>formation on hazardous build<strong>in</strong>g products <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong> (solvents, glues,<br />
lacquers, pa<strong>in</strong>t, etc.) is also available on KLIF’s managed <strong>in</strong>formation website.<br />
Chemicals used <strong>in</strong> <strong>construction</strong> are typically managed <strong>in</strong> l<strong>in</strong>e with the BASS system<br />
by the large general contractors <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong>. This is an <strong>in</strong>formation exchange platform<br />
managed by coBuilder (http://www.cobuilder.no) and serves as an onl<strong>in</strong>e resource for<br />
Construction <strong><strong>in</strong>dustry</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong>: Factsheet 2012 Page 14 of 20
safety data sheets on chemical <strong>in</strong>ventories. Note that <strong>in</strong> 2012, BASS is to be<br />
replaced by the <strong>in</strong>ternational project ChemXchange.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re are typically separate regulations for each category of dangerous waste, e.g.<br />
for handl<strong>in</strong>g explosives, flammable goods, high voltage <strong>in</strong>stallations, etc. On a<br />
<strong>construction</strong> site, the appo<strong>in</strong>ted safety delegate must provide workers with access to<br />
the relevant safety <strong>in</strong>structions. Most of these are only available <strong>in</strong> Norwegian from<br />
the state legislation portal Lovdata, similarly to the general law on safety<br />
requirements <strong>in</strong> <strong>construction</strong> work. Generally, its ma<strong>in</strong> po<strong>in</strong>ts are that the general<br />
contractor carries the responsibility for on-site safety, and that a safety representative<br />
(or several, if needed) must be appo<strong>in</strong>ted for the site, and a safety plan must be <strong>in</strong><br />
place detail<strong>in</strong>g the safety measures <strong>in</strong> risk areas. <strong>The</strong> regulations regard<strong>in</strong>g exposure<br />
to chemicals at the workplace are also only available <strong>in</strong> Norwegian. Regulations of 16<br />
February 1995 No. 170 specify work site and workplace safety requirements,<br />
regulations of 26 April 2005 No. 362 specify how to treat asbestos safely, regulations<br />
of 20 May 2009 No. 544 concern mach<strong>in</strong>ery, etc. Asbestos works are occasionally<br />
performed; e.g. the Norwegian government build<strong>in</strong>g (M<strong>in</strong>istry of Justice) is believed<br />
to be asbestos-contam<strong>in</strong>ated dur<strong>in</strong>g the Breivik-bomb<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> July 2011.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority sets the limits for how long a worker can<br />
be exposed to hazardous substances per an 8-hour work<strong>in</strong>g day, and requires that<br />
an employee register is kept on all personnel who are exposed to hazardous<br />
chemicals, especially for carc<strong>in</strong>ogenic, mutagenic and lead-conta<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g substances.<br />
<strong>The</strong> section on chemicals regulations at the workplace by the Labour Inspection is<br />
available <strong>in</strong> Norwegian only, but provides l<strong>in</strong>ks to sub-topics, e.g. dust exposure,<br />
solvents, safety data sheets, chemicals database and other regulations <strong>in</strong> this subject<br />
area. Another section is dedicated to protective equipment, and provides l<strong>in</strong>ks to<br />
requirements on gloves, helmets, accident <strong>in</strong>surance, safety signs, and other<br />
relevant requirements.<br />
If violat<strong>in</strong>g the above requirements, the Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority would<br />
likely give the enterprise an order to correct the situation; if the order is not met, the<br />
Authority can impose a f<strong>in</strong>e – specific amounts of f<strong>in</strong>es may vary depend<strong>in</strong>g on many<br />
factors, but the ma<strong>in</strong> pr<strong>in</strong>ciple is that the Authority makes sure that violat<strong>in</strong>g the<br />
Work<strong>in</strong>g Environment Act is unprofitable.<br />
Certa<strong>in</strong> penalties have maximum thresholds, e.g. for late VAT return reports a<br />
surcharge of NOK 250 to 5,000 would be collected by the tax authority. Skatteetaten<br />
may also f<strong>in</strong>e <strong>in</strong>dividuals who are work<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong> for more than 6 months, but fail<br />
to register with the relevant authorities and e.g. do not notify the authority of address<br />
changes (also when mov<strong>in</strong>g out of <strong>Norway</strong>; the respective form number is RF1401E).<br />
Veidekke and NCC were <strong>in</strong> 2011 f<strong>in</strong>ed with million-NOK sums for road <strong>construction</strong><br />
tender bid coord<strong>in</strong>ation <strong>in</strong> 2005.<br />
When <strong>construction</strong> mach<strong>in</strong>ery is brought to <strong>Norway</strong> by foreign firms for temporary<br />
works, they are subject to VAT when import<strong>in</strong>g, but a compensation can be received<br />
when re-export<strong>in</strong>g these (if re-export<strong>in</strong>g with<strong>in</strong> 1 year). <strong>The</strong> repayable tax is reduced<br />
by 5% per month, count<strong>in</strong>g as of the customs clearance date. <strong>The</strong> relevant legislative<br />
text <strong>in</strong> Norwegian is Regulations No. 66 of June 19, 1969.<br />
Relevant safety <strong>in</strong>structions for <strong>construction</strong> mach<strong>in</strong>ery must be available <strong>in</strong><br />
Norwegian from the HSE representatives on the site, hence, if <strong>in</strong>structions are only<br />
available <strong>in</strong> the source country language, a translation may be required: the general<br />
Construction <strong><strong>in</strong>dustry</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong>: Factsheet 2012 Page 15 of 20
contractor’s work safety representative can specify the detail to which this <strong>in</strong>formation<br />
is needed.<br />
Construction mach<strong>in</strong>ery can use the marked (coloured) duty-free diesel <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong>,<br />
similarly to agricultural mach<strong>in</strong>ery. It is called “Avgiftsfri” at petrol stations.<br />
Insurance and guarantees<br />
Contractor <strong>in</strong>surance has been discussed by the government several times, but is not<br />
mandatory yet <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong> (unlike <strong>in</strong> Denmark, where it is mandatory <strong>in</strong> private<br />
hous<strong>in</strong>g <strong>construction</strong> as of April 2008). However, a number of <strong>in</strong>surance companies<br />
offer it for various types of <strong>construction</strong> companies.<br />
Home (property) <strong>in</strong>surance is relatively common, and most <strong>construction</strong> companies<br />
also have contractor <strong>in</strong>surance, as the reliability is a key sales po<strong>in</strong>t: some firms offer<br />
up to 10 years <strong>construction</strong> quality guarantees, as offered e.g. by the largest hous<strong>in</strong>g<br />
builders Selvaag Property ASA and Skanska Property, possibly even coupled with<br />
project <strong>in</strong>surance for a few years.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Hous<strong>in</strong>g Construction Act foresees a 5-year warranty for newly delivered<br />
hous<strong>in</strong>g. This norm could be doubled to 10 years, however, as there have been<br />
proposals towards it. Otherwise, hous<strong>in</strong>g has a similar warranty term as currently e.g.<br />
mobile phones and consumer electronics (as required by the Norwegian Consumer<br />
Purchase Act of 1997).<br />
Company certificates<br />
StartBANK is a common qualification standard by the<br />
Norwegian Construction Industry Association (Byggenær<strong>in</strong>gen<br />
landsforen<strong>in</strong>g, BNL, http://www.bnl.no) and operated by<br />
Achilles. StartBANK-accredited companies are listed onl<strong>in</strong>e –<br />
both buyers and suppliers.<br />
Suppliers, i.e., <strong>construction</strong> contractors can apply to ga<strong>in</strong> access to the StartBANK<br />
questionnaire on f<strong>in</strong>ancial <strong>in</strong>formation, capacities, <strong>in</strong>surance, quality systems, health,<br />
safety and environment policies, etc. Registration costs 4,000 NOK (<strong>in</strong>cl. VAT) for<br />
companies with an annual turnover of 10+ MNOK, or 2,000 NOK/year for companies<br />
with a turnover that is less than 10 MNOK/year. <strong>The</strong> order form for register<strong>in</strong>g with<br />
StartBANK is available onl<strong>in</strong>e.<br />
A filled <strong>in</strong> form is to be returned to StartBANK via the e-mail or to the fax number<br />
provided on the form. Major Norwegian general contractors <strong>in</strong> <strong>construction</strong> like<br />
Skanska, Veidekke, NCC, Mesta, Backe Gruppen, use StartBANK as a suppliers<br />
directory. Achilles also does free demos of the database.<br />
Companies aim<strong>in</strong>g to act as general contractors <strong>in</strong><br />
<strong>Norway</strong> have to atta<strong>in</strong> a respective “central approval”<br />
certificate from the Directorate for Build<strong>in</strong>g Quality. <strong>The</strong><br />
regulations for the process are described <strong>in</strong> Norwegian.<br />
<strong>The</strong> approval is valid for 3 years, whereafter it must be<br />
updated.<br />
<strong>The</strong> directorate also awards certifications to foreign companies <strong>in</strong> specialist areas,<br />
e.g. glass facade design and production; glass facade <strong>in</strong>stallation.<br />
Construction <strong><strong>in</strong>dustry</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong>: Factsheet 2012 Page 16 of 20
<strong>The</strong> research <strong>in</strong>stitute SINTEF, more specifically, its Build<strong>in</strong>g and Infrastructure unit,<br />
norway <strong>construction</strong> green cardma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong>s a certification system for <strong>construction</strong><br />
materials, available onl<strong>in</strong>e. See the relevant description <strong>in</strong> English on SINTEF’s<br />
website.<br />
Individual certifications<br />
Individual <strong>construction</strong> workers who handle more complex and responsible tasks are<br />
supposed to acquire a trade certificate, called “fagbrev”. It is a vocational education<br />
certificate for specialists with at least 5 years work experience <strong>in</strong> an area of<br />
<strong>construction</strong>, typically obta<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>in</strong> about 2 years, and the cost of studies, depend<strong>in</strong>g<br />
on the specialization, can be about 13,000-18,000 NOK. Both a practice test and a<br />
theoretical exam must be passed to atta<strong>in</strong> such a certificate. It is available <strong>in</strong> the<br />
follow<strong>in</strong>g <strong>construction</strong>-related areas:<br />
Carpentry<br />
Ventilation, copper, t<strong>in</strong>smith works<br />
Bricklay<strong>in</strong>g<br />
Sales of lumber and build<strong>in</strong>g materials<br />
Roof<strong>in</strong>g<br />
Concrete works<br />
Further trade related (i.e., timber, <strong>construction</strong> materials sales) specialties<br />
Construction companies look<strong>in</strong>g to hire <strong>in</strong>dividuals typically require a fagbrev<br />
certificate and experience of several years <strong>in</strong> the <strong>construction</strong> <strong><strong>in</strong>dustry</strong>. Other<br />
countries’ similar craft certificates are typically not recognized <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong>. This<br />
is why most foreign <strong>construction</strong> workers are paid as unskilled staff <strong>in</strong> Norwegian<br />
<strong>construction</strong> companies.<br />
Infrastructure, repair and ma<strong>in</strong>tenance<br />
Road <strong>construction</strong> plann<strong>in</strong>g and road ma<strong>in</strong>tenance is done by the Norwegian Public<br />
Roads Adm<strong>in</strong>istration. Its activities reached an output of 10,300 MNOK <strong>in</strong> 2010, and<br />
66.5% of this output is purchased goods and services. However, the Adm<strong>in</strong>istration<br />
manages only country-significance roads; municipalities cover the rema<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g roads,<br />
and as of 2010, their managed share of roads has <strong>in</strong>creased, i.e., the state only<br />
ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong>s the ma<strong>in</strong> roads now (ca. 10,400 km, while previously it was 27,470 km).<br />
Limited <strong>in</strong>formation on current road projects is available at the Adm<strong>in</strong>istration’s<br />
English website, but more extensive <strong>in</strong>formation is available only <strong>in</strong> Norwegian.<br />
To participate <strong>in</strong> state and municipal <strong>construction</strong> tenders (<strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong>frastructure, but also<br />
<strong>in</strong> other <strong>construction</strong> types), an affirmation by the Norwegian Tax Authority confirm<strong>in</strong>g<br />
that all taxes have been paid by the bidder will be required.<br />
Public and private hous<strong>in</strong>g<br />
If not work<strong>in</strong>g as the general contractor <strong>in</strong> residential <strong>construction</strong>, who needs an<br />
approval by the Directorate for Build<strong>in</strong>g Quality (see previous page), subcontractors<br />
are not specifically required to ga<strong>in</strong> certa<strong>in</strong> certificates. However, the large general<br />
contractors <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong> do typically use StartBANK and ask their suppliers to do so as<br />
well. E.g. Skanska (about 4,000 employees <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong>) has StartBANK approval, and<br />
is a voluntary member of the Green Dot <strong>Norway</strong> scheme, and uses the onl<strong>in</strong>e<br />
chemical database BASS, and various other environmental certificates: ISO 14001<br />
environmental management certification, has had BREEAM and LEED approved<br />
green build<strong>in</strong>g and passive hous<strong>in</strong>g projects. Veidekke, the biggest <strong>construction</strong><br />
company <strong>in</strong> the country, has various agreements <strong>in</strong> place for human and workers’<br />
rights, its CSR policy, passive hous<strong>in</strong>g projects, uses BASS for chemicals handl<strong>in</strong>g,<br />
and StartBANK for supplier assessment.<br />
Construction <strong><strong>in</strong>dustry</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong>: Factsheet 2012 Page 17 of 20
Various foreign certifications may have little relevance <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong>, hence general<br />
contractors are free to assess the skill class of hired-<strong>in</strong> posted workers, which <strong>in</strong> turn<br />
means that even specialist foreign staff may be paid at the m<strong>in</strong>imum rates that are<br />
set <strong>in</strong> the collective agreement for <strong>construction</strong> workers’ wages (i.e., as unskilled<br />
workers).<br />
Tenders for residential <strong>construction</strong> are typically published by the respective<br />
municipality, but some tender aggregator sites that publish free <strong>in</strong>formation are<br />
available, e.g. http://www.build<strong>in</strong>gs.no/<br />
Social hous<strong>in</strong>g <strong>construction</strong> takes place on a municipal level, and municipalities’<br />
welfare offices run a hous<strong>in</strong>g allowance scheme: <strong>in</strong>dividuals with low <strong>in</strong>come and<br />
high household costs can apply for social hous<strong>in</strong>g to their local welfare office (NAV<br />
branch), which allocates hous<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> cooperation with the Norwegian State Hous<strong>in</strong>g<br />
Bank.<br />
Non-residential public property<br />
With<strong>in</strong> public property <strong>construction</strong> that is not related to social hous<strong>in</strong>g, Statsbygg is<br />
the key governmental advisor <strong>in</strong>stitution for <strong>construction</strong> and property management.<br />
It owns 2,350 build<strong>in</strong>gs on about 600 complexes <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong> and abroad (e.g.<br />
Norwegian embassy build<strong>in</strong>gs), has a yearly budget of about 2.9 billion NOK, and<br />
acts as the <strong>construction</strong> commissioner for new build<strong>in</strong>gs, work<strong>in</strong>g on about 160<br />
projects at any time, and completes 20-30 major ones each year. Stastbygg has an<br />
onl<strong>in</strong>e list of ongo<strong>in</strong>g projects as well as one for f<strong>in</strong>ished <strong>construction</strong>s.<br />
Current tenders for <strong>construction</strong> projects are available on the dedicated Statsbygg<br />
website section.<br />
Take note that government build<strong>in</strong>gs may have particularly high requirements for<br />
energy efficiency, disabled persons’ accessibility, etc., as the Norwegian authorities<br />
have a lead-by-example approach to recommended <strong>construction</strong> practice. Statsbygg<br />
itself promotes the BIM (build<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>formation models) methodology for <strong>construction</strong><br />
and build<strong>in</strong>g management, with a detailed manual be<strong>in</strong>g available onl<strong>in</strong>e.<br />
Industrial and commercial <strong>construction</strong><br />
<strong>The</strong> Industrial Development Corporation of <strong>Norway</strong> (SIVA) is a government<br />
corporation and <strong>in</strong>vestor <strong>in</strong>to <strong>in</strong>dustrial clusters, which often <strong>in</strong>volves <strong>in</strong>frastructure<br />
development. SIVA has f<strong>in</strong>anced the early stages of a number of projects, e.g.<br />
<strong>in</strong>dustrial parks, <strong>in</strong> the Baltic countries as well. Follow<strong>in</strong>g SIVA’s activities can hence<br />
po<strong>in</strong>t to new <strong>in</strong>frastructure development projects.<br />
<strong>Norway</strong>’s offshore <strong><strong>in</strong>dustry</strong> (oil and gas platforms), but also its hydropower stations<br />
(<strong>Norway</strong> is Europe’s biggest hydropower producer) network and roads <strong>in</strong>frastructure<br />
towards the northern regions are cont<strong>in</strong>uous sources of large <strong>in</strong>frastructure projects.<br />
Various particular regulations apply to the offshore sector <strong>construction</strong> companies,<br />
which typically are established and specialized Norwegian <strong>in</strong>frastructure contractors.<br />
English names to the legislation categories are found on the Petroleum Safety<br />
Authority’s website: these <strong>in</strong>clude both the generic Norwegian <strong>construction</strong><br />
regulations as well as the offshore-<strong><strong>in</strong>dustry</strong> specific ones, <strong>in</strong> particular the regulations<br />
on technical and operational matters.<br />
Construction <strong><strong>in</strong>dustry</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong>: Factsheet 2012 Page 18 of 20
Conclusions<br />
<strong>Norway</strong> as a market for <strong>construction</strong> services has relatively str<strong>in</strong>gent requirements<br />
towards foreign subcontractors. A lot of attention by trade unions and relevant<br />
authorities has been devoted to the <strong>construction</strong> sector over the last decade,<br />
however, full compliance with the regulations has not been achieved – there still are<br />
many companies and <strong>in</strong>dividuals perform<strong>in</strong>g unreported <strong>construction</strong> work. However,<br />
to achieve significant turnover <strong>in</strong> <strong>construction</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong>, the local regulations must<br />
be observed. Otherwise, legally, only small contracts can be occasionally carried out<br />
<strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong>, without <strong>in</strong>vestments <strong>in</strong> compliance with local regulations.<br />
Particular requirements <strong>in</strong>clude the <strong>construction</strong> workers’ ID cards, which must be<br />
carried by all on-site personnel, and the requirement to register for VAT when<br />
turnover of services sold to <strong>Norway</strong> exceeds 50,000 NOK/year. Also, the work safety<br />
requirements encourage a permanent establishment <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong>, e.g. via a local<br />
private limited liability company (subsidiary), which acts <strong>in</strong> l<strong>in</strong>e with the Norwegian<br />
legislation. Still, it is possible, at such a company, to use posted workers, i.e., such<br />
personnel that only work <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong> for less than 183 days per year, and <strong>in</strong> this way<br />
not to have them registered under the Norwegian social security system. Foreign<br />
certifications of <strong>construction</strong> professionals are largely not recognized <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong>, only<br />
the local fagbrev certificates are. Specialist consultants may still be appreciated, but<br />
generally foreign workers are likely to be paid the m<strong>in</strong>imum rate, as unskilled<br />
workers. <strong>The</strong> Norwegian labour market <strong>in</strong> general has generous holiday, m<strong>in</strong>imum<br />
pay (specified per <strong><strong>in</strong>dustry</strong> <strong>in</strong> the respective collective agreements) and other<br />
provisions. <strong>The</strong>se must be conformed to by foreign subcontractors <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong>.<br />
Collective agreements must be entered <strong>in</strong>to if 10% or more of the company’s<br />
workforce are members <strong>in</strong> the relevant Norwegian trade union, however, it is typically<br />
the larger foreign subcontractors <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong> that have to do so.<br />
Given the extensive requirements, likely the best entry strategy <strong>in</strong>to <strong>Norway</strong> is to f<strong>in</strong>d<br />
a suitable general contractor who can help to settle the required formalities.<br />
Generally, it is possible to communicate <strong>in</strong> English, as most of the relevant<br />
specialists and university-educated personnel speak this language, but hav<strong>in</strong>g<br />
Norwegian language skills is a def<strong>in</strong>ite advantage when develop<strong>in</strong>g activities towards<br />
<strong>Norway</strong>. This also applies to basic <strong>construction</strong> workers, because the on-site<br />
language is typically Norwegian (even if relevant <strong>in</strong>structions, safety <strong>in</strong>formation, etc.<br />
are translated <strong>in</strong>to English): basic <strong>in</strong>formation is shared <strong>in</strong> English, but key details<br />
may only be available <strong>in</strong> Norwegian.<br />
Construction <strong><strong>in</strong>dustry</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>Norway</strong>: Factsheet 2012 Page 19 of 20
References<br />
Alt<strong>in</strong>n: public report<strong>in</strong>g portal https://www.alt<strong>in</strong>n.no/en/<br />
Norsik: Construction ID cards https://www.norsik.no/byggekort/Default.aspx<br />
<strong>Norway</strong>.no: public sector guide http://www.norway.no/temaside/tema.asp?id=200<br />
Legislation: Lovdata http://www.lovdata.no/<strong>in</strong>fo/lawdata.html<br />
StartBANK supplier system http://www.achilles.com/en/<strong>Norway</strong>/our-sectors/<strong>construction</strong>/<br />
Statistics <strong>Norway</strong> http://www.ssb.no/bygg_en/<br />
<strong>The</strong> Directorate for Construction http://www.dibk.no/<br />
Quality<br />
<strong>The</strong> Norwegian Construction http://www.bnl.no<br />
Industry Association<br />
<strong>The</strong> Norwegian Confederation of http://www.lo.no/language/English/?tabid=1735<br />
Trade Unions<br />
<strong>The</strong> Norwegian Labour Inspection http://www.arbeidstilsynet.no/artikkel.html?tid=79289<br />
Authority<br />
<strong>The</strong> Norwegian Tax Adm<strong>in</strong>istration http://www.skatteetaten.no/en/International-pages/<br />
<strong>The</strong> Norwegian United Federation http://fellesforbundet.no/<br />
of Trade Unions<br />
<strong>The</strong> Norwegian United Federation http://fellesforbundet.no/<br />
of Trade Unions<br />
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