According to a nationwide survey, more than a third of respondents are still unsatisfied with the current state of digitalisation within public institutions in Germany (source zu wenig Dynamik bei der Digitalisierung | Öffentlicher Dienst | Haufe).
However, it is well known that the best way to achieve major goals – such as the digital transformation of public administration – is to take many small steps.
The problem is that these small steps often go unnoticed in everyday life, creating the (albeit wrong) impression among many people that little or nothing is being done to progress and advance institutional digitalisation.
A closer look at the country’s northeast tells a different story: due to a lack of suitable off-the-shelf Software-as-a-Service products, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern’s Road and Transport Authority has chosen to take an individual and bespoke path to digitalisation. Since 2023, it has been working closely with IT experts from infraView GmbH to jointly develop a new, tailor-made Construction Support Software (in German called: Bauunterstützungssoftware (BUS)). The software is designed to manage construction contracts for engineering and transport infrastructure projects, including associated facilities, in accordance with the regulations of the German Construction Contract Procedures (VOB/B) and the Additional Terms of Contract for Civil Engineering Works (HVA/B).
The software is expected to be operated over a five- to ten-year period and will integrate seamlessly into the authority’s existing system landscape. A key feature of the new platform will be its user interface, which complies with data protection and security requirements.
Here’s what a typical construction project lifecycle using the tool might look like:
1. Project Setup
Users create a new construction project and upload the bill of quantities (BoQ) associated with the contract. All BoQ items can then be tracked individually.
2. Construction Progress Tracking
Users document the construction progress within the tool until project completion. This includes:
- Writing daily construction reports (site diary)
- Documenting progress through “site observations”, including photos and links to BoQ items
- Reviewing and assessing daily reports and observations in the office (e.g. identifying defects)
3. Document Management
All project-related documents are organised in a folder structure. Users can either upload files directly or generate documents via a built-in report generator.
Upon completion of the construction works, the project can be archived.
The software / app is scheduled to go live in February 2026 and will be available both as a web-based desktop application and a mobile version for users on the go.
With the implementation and go-live of this new construction support software, the Road and Transport Authority of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern expects to achieve greater project efficiency, improved data transparency, and cleaner construction documentation, significantly reducing time spent on administrative tasks.
infraView is proud of the very successful collaboration and is looking forward to the go-live of this bespoke software solution, which—alongside features such as “site diary” and “photo documentation”—will also include workflows for contract, defect, and change management, and can be extended to incorporate plan review processes.
This article was originally published by infraView.
