Automation for construction companies
Tenders, change orders and site diaries — paperwork that decides about money in a dispute.
Does this sound familiar?
On site people work; in the office things are written up afterwards. Site diaries are written from memory, change orders are announced too late, and the measurement is missing for the interim invoice. That is exactly where the disputes come from that cost margin.
- Tenders arrive as GAEB files and are prepared for costing by hand
- Change orders are only announced once the work has long been done
- Site diaries are written in the evening or not at all
- Measurements are on scraps of paper and photos on phones
- Daywork sheets are countersigned too late and then disputed
What we actually do
Pre-sort tenders
Incoming bills of quantities are checked for scope, deadlines and suitability before anyone invests time in costing.
Recognise what matters for change orders immediately
Instructions and changes from correspondence and the site diary are flagged and presented for notification while the deadline is still running.
Keep the site diary on site
Weather, staffing, progress and obstructions are recorded on the construction site — with timestamps and photos.
Prepare measurement and interim invoice
The measurement basis for the interim invoice is created from recorded quantities instead of being reconstructed at the end of the month.
Starting point
Automation after process analysis
From instruction to a paid change order
This is how the process runs today — and this chain is exactly where automation comes in.
- A change is instructed on site or in writing
- Record it in the site diary with a timestamp
- Check relevance for a change order
- Announce the change order before the work is carried out
- Cost the effort
- Submit the change order quote
- Document the approval
- Carry out and bill the work
Systems typically used here
This is the existing landscape an automation connects to. Listed is what is widespread in this industry — it says nothing about which system you use.
- Construction software such as Nevaris, BRZ, iTWO or Bau-SU
- GAEB exchange for bills of quantities
- Mobile site diary and measurement apps
- Tender portals such as the Deutsches Ausschreibungsblatt
- Time recording linked to sites
What matters most here
VOB/B: announce before carrying out
Under Section 2(6) VOB/B, a claim for additional payment must be announced before the work is carried out — whoever only notifies afterwards often loses the claim entirely. That is the most expensive recurring mistake in construction, and it is purely a timing problem. An automation that immediately flags an instruction as relevant for a change order prevents lost claims here, not typing.
Frequently asked questions
There’s no signal on the construction site.
That’s why the apps record offline and transmit later. The timestamp is created when recorded, not when transmitted — that is the decisive point for its value as evidence.
Can a system decide whether something is a change order?
No, that is a contractual assessment. It recognises indications — changed quantities, new items, instructions in correspondence — and presents them for review. Site management decides.
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Check your websiteWorking in Wiesbaden, Mainz, Frankfurt am Main, Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis.
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