Automation · Measurement and billing

The measurement is taken on the construction site, not in the office in the evening.

Automating measurement recording means: your foreman or fitter takes the measurements on the tablet, directly at the item from the bill of quantities, with quantity calculation and photo. We set up the surveying and billing rules of the relevant ATV from the VOB/C once, after that the measurement sheet calculates itself. What you need in the end, an auditable final invoice and, if needed, a GAEB file for the client, falls out of the same data.

Free initial analysis Use cases

The problem

The work has been done, but the quantities are sitting on a wet slip of paper.

On the construction site someone measures and writes it on a pad, in the office someone types the numbers into the construction software and recalculates the quantity with a calculator. Between the building component and the invoice lie three weeks, two different handwritings, and no one who still knows which opening was over-measured.

01Measurement slips get lost, get wet, or sit in the vehicle until the final invoice.
02The quantity calculation appears on the sheet only as a result: how the number came about is known only to the colleague who took the measurement, and by now he is on the next site.
03Over-measurement rules are interpreted differently depending on the colleague, so two people bill the same building component differently.
04Variations and time-and-material work never even show up in the measurement and are simply forgotten, meaning they are never paid.

Use cases

What we specifically automate in measurement recording.

Five routes that we build again and again in construction and trade businesses. Your bill of quantities, your construction software and your billing logic stay the same, only the paper slip and the retyping disappear.

Measurement at the building component on the tablet, with bill-of-quantities item

The colleague selects the item from the bill of quantities on the tablet and measures against it, instead of writing freely on a pad. A laser distance meter can send the measurements straight into the field via Bluetooth, so no transcription error creeps in when transferring. Items without a measurement stay visibly open, so what is still missing shows up at the end of the job.

Savings 3–6 h of re-recording per week

Quantity calculation per the billing rules of VOB/C

We set up the formula per item once, so length times height, deductions and over-measurement are no longer kept in the head of the person measuring. Which openings are over-measured and which are deducted is set out in section 5 of the respective ATV and differs from trade to trade. We build exactly this rule into the input screen, so two colleagues bill the same building component the same way.

Effect Same quantity calculation, regardless of the colleague

Photo documentation on the quantity calculation instead of in the phone gallery

Every photo is attached to the item and the quantity calculation it belongs to, not in a folder with 400 unsorted images. For concealed work, meaning everything that is later plastered over, backfilled or covered, the picture before closing is often the only proof you will ever get. When the client asks six months later why 14 meters were billed there, you open the sheet and see the photo.

Effect Proof at the quantity calculation instead of a memory

Joint measurement with site manager, digitally countersigned

VOB/B provides in § 14 para. 2 that the findings needed for billing should as far as possible be established jointly, in line with construction progress. On the tablet, the site manager signs the measurement sheet directly on site, and both sides hold the same version in their hands. A jointly signed measurement taken during construction progress costs ten minutes, a disputed measurement taken after completion costs weeks.

Effect Quantities clarified while the building component is still visible

Handover to invoicing and GAEB return

From the measured quantities, interim and final invoices are created without a second entry, including the quantity calculations that an auditable invoice under VOB/B requires. If the client requires the quantities electronically, we return them via GAEB data exchange, depending on requirements as GAEB DA XML or in the older DA-90 format. Public sector clients often additionally require the quantity calculation per the REB procedure, for example REB-VB 23.003, with formulas instead of mere final totals.

Savings No second entry for the invoice

Tools

What we use to connect your measurement recording to billing.

What fits depends on your construction software and on whether there is a signal on your construction sites: a company with Nevaris or iTWO operates differently from one with an industry solution that has no interface. We decide after the current-state assessment, based on the use case and not on a partner program.

Data hub

n8n

Takes in the finished measurement sheet from the construction site, checks the quantities for plausibility and writes them into your construction software and invoicing. GAEB export and import also run here, as does storage of the site photos. Runs on request on a server in your own building or in a German data center, so that project files and photos never leave the country.

View n8n automation

Microsoft world

Power Platform

If you already work in Microsoft 365, we build the measurement input screen as a Power App for the site tablet. Two points we state upfront rather than afterwards: offline operation in a dead zone only works with Dataverse as the data source and only in the Power Apps app on the device, not in the browser. And access to construction software hosted on your own premises runs via the on-premises data gateway, which is a premium capability and is not included in Microsoft 365 licenses. We work this out before implementation.

View Power Platform

Construction software without an interface

UiPath

Some industry and trade software simply does not accept measurement data from outside, and the manufacturer no longer builds an interface either. In that case, a software robot takes over the entry exactly as your office staff would type it, just at night and without transcription errors. That is the bridge when a software change is not currently on the table.

View UiPath automation

How we work

The 30-day model.

We work at a fixed price instead of an open time sheet: after the initial analysis you know what it costs before we start. The first workflow goes live within 30 days.

Initial analysis on site (free of charge)

In 60 minutes we walk through your current path from folding rule to final invoice: who measures, who types, which construction software, which clients require GAEB or REB. After that, both sides know whether digital measurement recording pays off for your order structure.

Measurement logic per trade and fixed price

We agree with you which items get which formula and which over-measurement rule, specifically for the trades you actually bill, not for the entire VOB/C catalog. You receive a quote with a fixed price and fixed scope.

Pilot on one construction site, parallel run against the paper slip

We start with one trade on one construction site and let the digital measurement run in parallel with the paper slip for a few weeks. Only once the quantities match up and the colleagues can operate the input screen wearing gloves do we roll out to the remaining crews.

Handover with audit trail

You receive documentation, a briefing for foremen and site managers, and an audit trail: for every quantity in the invoice it is traceable who measured it, when, at which building component and with which calculation. You keep control, we remain available on request as ongoing support.

From measurement into the rest of the construction process

Measurement is usually the first construction site, not the only one.

Once the quantities land cleanly in the invoice without retyping, it quickly becomes clear that the site diary, time sheets, material orders and variation quotes are still running by hand. On the overview page for process automation you can see what else can be taken off your hands around the construction site.

View process automation

Free initial analysis

How many quantities did you fail to bill last year?

In the free initial analysis we go through your path from measurement to final invoice and calculate what the retyping and the forgotten variations are costing you: 60 minutes, no obligation, with an honest assessment. If the paper slip is the cheaper solution for your order size, we will tell you so.

Book an appointment kontakt@nordflux.de

Fixed price instead of an open time sheet
Measurement data and site photos stay on German servers
Every quantity in the invoice traceable down to the quantity calculation

Frequently asked questions

What construction companies and tradespeople often ask about digital measurement recording.

Is a digital measurement even permitted under VOB?

Yes, the VOB does not prescribe a paper form for the measurement. § 14 VOB/B requires that you bill in an auditable way and submit the quantity calculations with the invoice, and whether that calculation comes from software or from a squared notepad makes no difference. A digital measurement sheet actually meets auditability more easily, because the quantity calculation runs along automatically with formula and reference to the building component. If your contract prescribes a particular form or a particular handover format, we follow that.

What is the difference between measurement and quantity calculation?

The measurement is the record taken at the building: you measure what was actually built and record the raw dimensions. The quantity calculation works out the billable quantity per bill-of-quantities item from these dimensions, that is with formula, deductions and over-measurement according to the rules of the relevant ATV. On paper, both steps often merge and in the end you only see one number. Digitally they stay separate, so it can later be traced whether a dispute concerns the measurement or the calculation rule.

Can we return the measurement to the client via GAEB?

Yes, that is one of the main reasons for recording the measurement digitally at all. We read in the client's bill of quantities as a GAEB file, attach your measurement to the correct items and return the quantities in the required format, usually as GAEB DA XML, or in the older DA-90 format for older systems. Public sector clients often additionally require the quantity calculation per the REB procedure, in which not just the total but the calculation approach with formula is handed over. We clarify in the initial analysis which format your clients actually require, before we build anything.

What helps if the client disputes our quantities in the final invoice?

Three things, and all three only exist if they were recorded at the time of measuring: the joint measurement signed by the site manager, the traceable quantity calculation instead of just a final sum, and the photo of the building component before it was covered. A digital measurement provides these three pieces of evidence along the way, instead of someone having to gather them afterwards. Also important for payment is auditability: an invoice without the associated quantity calculations does not even start the review deadline running. The legal assessment of your specific case is a matter for your lawyer, we provide the evidence he can rely on.

What does it cost to automate measurement recording?

That depends on the number of your trades, on the required handover formats, and on how well your construction software can be connected, which is why we do not seriously name a flat price without an analysis. The biggest effort is rarely in the input screen itself but in the billing rules per trade and in the interface to the invoice. After the free initial analysis you receive a fixed-price offer with a fixed scope, not an open time sheet. As digitalization consulting, our services can also be eligible for funding, for example via the BAFA advisory grant.