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Wierts BV Transitions to Autodesk Build to Improve Transparency and Deliver Better Asset Management in The Netherlands

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Wierts BV is a Netherlands-based construction partner specialising in conversions, maintenance, and renovation projects. They migrated from PlanGrid within Autodesk Construction Cloud™ to Autodesk Build to take advantage of the solution’s robust project management capabilities, to comply with new government standards and collaborate across the supply chain.


A Digital Future

Frank Bijsmans, Project Planner at Wierts BV, supports the projects division of the company in undertaking energy upgrades and renovations. Over the last few years, the projects division in Wierts BV has improved its ways of working by implementing digital workflows. The team recently completed upgrades on 172 homes and used PlanGrid to access project drawings and capture key project information such as photos.

“We look after housing stock that was mostly built in the 1900s-1970s. Often when we start an upgrade project, we have no previous project data or very outdated drawings, so we begin by creating brand new drawings of the asset,” reflects Frank. “From here, I use PlanGrid to mark an issue on all of the major items in the asset and then carry out my property inspection using the PlanGrid application on my phone.”

In April 2021, Wierts BV decided to migrate from PlanGrid to Autodesk Build to fully utilise the solution’s comprehensive site and project management capabilities.


One Step at A Time

For Wierts BV, digitalising their processes is an iterative journey. With the transition to Autodesk Build, Wierts BV focused on introducing one workflow at a time to introduce even more digital workflows to their project teams. “In November 2021, we began using Autodesk Build on an upgrade project consisting of 84 homes,” says Frank. “Our client, the site-managers, sub-contractors, and other stakeholders are working in Autodesk Build. We use the issues functionality in the solution to track the project’s progress.” Frank marks up issues on the 2D drawings stored in Autodesk Build during the initial property inspection. He assigns issues that need resolving to the relevant construction contractor and the dedicated site manager. With everything captured in Autodesk Build, their site managers can communicate directly with their supply chain subcontractors and resolve queries that previously would have been managed over emails and phone calls. Project members can filter issues from the individual property’s address to the owner of the issue, and subcontractors can close out their assigned issues directly in the solution. This enhancement allows Frank and the site managers to have a more comprehensive view of the project to track progress more efficiently.


 

“There is an added layer of transparency and traceability working in this way, as anyone with access to Autodesk Build can see the information and a record of communication.”

Frank Bijsmans
Project Planner


Preparing for Change

In the Netherlands, a new construction law will come into effect in January 2023, which focuses on quality assurance practices. “The new law focuses on information management and the golden thread of data,” says Frank.

Wierts BV views the RFI functionality in Autodesk Build as one of the most beneficial workflows as they prepare to adapt to the government’s new legislation.

“We used to manage our RFI process over email,” says Frank. “Using Autodesk Build to complete this activity is much better because it ensures all project collaborators have the information they need and allows us to capture data better when closing a project, complying with the new standards.” Capturing and storing data more richly allows Wierts BV’s clients to develop proactive maintenance and repair schedules for the future. And with information captured in Autodesk Build, now vital information is at their fingertips to make decisions and track processes with ease.

For Wierts BV, rolling out more features and functionality that Autodesk Build supports is their priority. The next integration the team is looking to implement is between AutoCAD and Autodesk Build.

For Frank, embedding new ways of working across the team is vital. And for Wierts BV, this allows them to develop their use alongside the development of the solution.


 

“Autodesk is constantly evolving their technology and listening to the feedback we as users provide.”

Frank Bijsmans
Project Planner