OpenConstructionERP Documentation

OpenConstructionERP provides a continuous workflow for construction project management, moving from initial design and measurement through to site operations. The typical project lifecycle follows this path:

1. Measurement & Takeoff: Extract quantities from PDF drawings, 2D DWGs, or 3D BIM models.
2. Estimating: Convert quantities into a priced Bill of Quantities (BOQ) including rates, assemblies, markups, and preliminaries.
3. BIM Integration (5D/6D): Use models for cost tracking (5D) and carbon accounting (6D).
4. 3D Model Import: Import mesh formats (OBJ, STL, DAE, FBX, 3DS) for area and volume measurement.
5. Cost Analysis: Compare scope against national cost databases and manage multi-currency/multi-region rates.
6. Validation: Use a traffic-light check system to identify errors in imports or estimates.
7. Design Comparison: Compare multiple design variants based on total cost, trade differences, and cost per square metre.
8. Tendering: Manage subcontractor invitations, collect bids, and perform side-by-side bid comparisons.
9. Project Controls: Implement 4D scheduling, 5D cost tracking, earned value, forecasting, and change control.
10. Site Operations: Manage daily diaries, inspections, safety, and deliveries to maintain a contemporaneous project record.

The aus partner pack provides the following pre-configurations and assets:

Localization & Finance

• Locale: en-AU (includes Australian terminology like tradies, EBA, RDO, BAS, ABN).
• Currency: AUD.
• Taxation: au_gst_10 tax template (10% GST).

Regional Data

• CWICR regions: Pre-loaded for Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide.

Standards & Validation Rule Packs

• ncc_2022: National Construction Code 2022 (Vol 1 commercial, Vol 2 housing, Vol 3 plumbing, Section J energy uplift).
• as_1684_timber: AS 1684 Parts 1-4 (Design Criteria, Non-Cyclonic Span Tables, Cyclonic, Simplified).
• as_3600_concrete: AS 3600:2018 concrete structures.
• as_4100_steel: AS 4100:2020 steel structures.
• as_4000_contracts: AS 4000-1997 / AS 4902-2000 contract suite (Annexure Parts A + B).
• rawlinsons_benchmarks: Rawlinsons Australian Construction Handbook 2024 cost benchmarks.

Onboarding Wizard

The pack includes a six-step onboarding wizard covering:

1. Company profile (ABN/ACN).
2. State builder licence (e.g., NSW Fair Trading, VBA, QBCC, etc.).
3. NCC volume selection and compliance path.
4. AS 1684 wind class & BAL.
5. AS 4000 contract variant.
6. Cost-data subscriptions.

OpenConstructionERP is an open-source (AGPL-3.0) workspace for construction project management designed for self-hosting. Key capabilities include:

• Cost Estimation: AI-powered estimation supporting 7 LLM providers (Anthropic, OpenAI, Gemini, Mistral, Groq, DeepSeek) and a database of 120,000+ cost items across 30+ regional standards (e.g., DIN 276, NRM, CSI MasterFormat, GAEB, SINAPI).
• Data & Hosting: Self-hosted architecture ensuring data remains on your own network. Supports open data exports in GAEB, XLSX, and JSON formats.
• BIM & CAD Integration: Supports CAD/BIM takeoff for RVT, IFC, DWG, and DGN formats. Includes 3D globe/geo-anchoring via Cesium 3D Tiles.
• Project Lifecycle: Supports the full property development lifecycle from Lead → SPA → Handover.
• Collaboration & API: Features real-time collaboration with soft locks and a full REST API.
• Localization: Full UI translation in 29 languages, including right-to-left support for Arabic.

The Doker Formwork Partner Pack pre-configures OpenConstructionERP with specialized settings for the German formwork and concrete industry:

• Localization: Sets German (de) as the default locale with 80+ trade-specific term overrides (e.g., Schalung, Bewehrung, Sichtbeton-Klassen).
• Tax & Costing: Sets de_vat_19 (19% VAT) as the default tax template and preloads CWICR cost regions for Berlin, München, and Düsseldorf.
• Onboarding: Replaces the standard wizard with a 6-step Schalung flow covering company size, project type, inventory systems, pour rates, consistency classes, BG-BAU membership, and legal defaults (VOB/B vs BGB).
• Branding: Applies Doker industrial blue (#003D7A) and safety orange (#F58220).
• Formwork Systems: Loads a curated catalogue of 8 Doka/Doker systems (including Frami Xlife, Alu-Star 100, and Xclimb 60) into metadata.doker_systems at boot, including their DIN 18218 classes and max pressures.

The Saudi Vision 2030 pack modifies the OpenConstructionERP environment to support Saudi Arabian construction requirements. Key configurations include:

• Localization: Switches default locale to ar (Arabic) with RTL layout; falls back to en for untranslated keys. Supports Hijri calendar and bilingual exports.
• Financials: Sets default currency to SAR and applies the sa_vat_15 tax template (ZATCA 15% VAT).
• Regional Data: Preloads the CWICR cost region cwicr-eng-riyadh. Other regions like Jeddah, Dammam, and NEOM are available via the onboarding wizard.
• Branding: Applies Saudi flag green branding (#006C35 primary, #FFFFFF accent) and a bilingual wordmark.
• Onboarding: Replaces the default onboarding with a 9-step Saudi-specific workflow covering CR/ZATCA, MoMRAH/Aramco qualifications, Nitaqat bands, and SBC toggles.

Note: This pack does not add new validation rule classes; it enables existing rules within the OCERP core that correspond to Saudi standards.

The OpenConstructionERP module ecosystem is organized into several functional areas. Use these categories to locate specific tools for your project workflows:

• Estimating and the bill of quantities: Tools for the core estimating stack, from conceptual estimates to detailed Bill of Quantities (BOQ) and resource summaries.
• Cost data and catalogs: Management of rates, resources, cost databases (including CWICR), and supplier catalogs.
• BIM, CAD and reality capture: Model management, CAD conversion (DWG, DGN, RVT, IFC), quantity takeoff, clash detection, and point cloud ingestion.
• Scheduling, cost and controls: 4D/5D scheduling, project controls, progress tracking, risk registers, and financial management.
• Commercial and procurement: Tendering, bid management, procurement (POs, receipts), subcontractor management, and contract engines.
• Field and site operations: Daily site diaries, RFI management, submittals, transmittals, and commissioning (Cx).
• Quality, safety and sustainability: Validation engines, quality inspections, safety management (HSE), and carbon/ESG reporting.
• Documents, files and collaboration: Document management, ISO 19650 compliant Common Data Environments (CDE), markups, and real-time collaboration tools.

OpenConstructionERP provides several key workflows for construction project management, ranging from initial estimation to field execution:

• Role-Based Onboarding: A wizard that pre-selects relevant modules (e.g., Admin, Estimator, or Manager) based on the user's role.
• Project Setup: Create new projects by selecting currency, classification standards, and regional factors. Includes integrated live maps and weather data.
• Bill of Quantities (BOQ) Management: A keyboard-first editor for building BOQs using a database of 120K+ priced items. Features include an AI cost finder and live quality scoring.
• BIM & CAD Integration:
  • BIM to BOQ Bulk Linking: Link multiple BIM elements (e.g., walls) to a single BOQ line with aggregated quantities (area, volume, length).
  • DWG Layers: Link DWG entities across multiple layers directly to the BOQ.
  • 3D BIM Viewer: Browser-based federated model viewing with category and storey breakdowns.
  • Clash Detection: Geometric coordination across federated models with a clash matrix and BCF export.
• Quantity Takeoff:
  • PDF Takeoff: Measure distance, area, or count on floorplans and push results directly to the BOQ.
  • AI-Assisted Takeoff: Use AI to extract quantities from drawings.
• AI Estimation: Generate a scoped BOQ from text, photos, PDFs, or spreadsheets using GPT-4o and YOLO, complete with confidence scores.
• Project Control & Analytics:
  • Task Management: Link issues to specific BIM model elements and track them via Kanban boards alongside schedules and requirements.
  • Data Explorer: Pivot CAD/BIM data into BOQ positions.
  • Validation: Built-in scoring against DIN 276, NRM, and MasterFormat rules.
  • Portfolio Dashboard: Global view of projects with multi-currency totals (grouped by currency, never blended).
  • Finance & Earned Value: Track budgets, invoices, payments, and earned value against the original estimate.

The South Africa Construction Pack pre-configures OpenConstructionERP with local standards, procurement frameworks, and regional settings:

• Financials: Currency set to ZAR and 15% VAT (per SARS Value-Added Tax Act 89 of 1991).
• Localization: en-ZA locale with South African construction vocabulary and regulators.
• Measurement Standards: SANS 1200 (civil engineering) and the ASAQS Standard System of Measuring Building Work.
• Contractor Grading: CIDB contractor grading (grades 1 to 9) across various classes of work.
• Procurement: PPPFA preferential procurement scoring (supporting both 80/20 and 90/10 systems) and National Treasury infrastructure delivery/procurement gates (FIDPM 2019).
• Regional Data: Nine provinces available as cost regions, configured to point to the ZA_JOHANNESBURG CWICR dataset.
• Branding: South African flag colors for co-branding.