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SAP in Civil Engineering – Process Acceleration with GAEB and Structured Object Management

Architects, craft as well as commerce and industry: a multitude of information is exchanged between the participants of a building project. However, the processing of this data in the user departments is time-consuming and cost-intensive. Occasionally, detailed service specifications are still manually compared with incoming quotations in order to assign the countless items to each other on long paper lists. This process is not only time-consuming, but also prone to errors.

Furthermore, many companies in industry and wholesale process complex projects in the course of building projects (e.g. the renovation of a hospital). The complex correlations of these objects, e.g. the multitude of quotations and service descriptions of different craftsmen concerning various products or services, cannot be displayed in a clear and structured way in the SAP standard version. This leads to confusing workflows that reduce the efficiency of employees.

Managing projects and service specifications with Object Management and GAEB by FIS

These are the scenarios where the SAP optimizations by FIS comes into play. They enable the acceleration of these processes and simplifies data exchange via ÖNORM or GAEB interfaces. The GAEB format (“Gemeinsamer Ausschuss Elektronik im Bauwesen”: Joint Committee for Electronics in Civil Engineering) is used as a standard file format for the transmission of service specifications. ÖNORM represents the GAEB standard for Austria. GAEB files can directly be processed and created from the quotation and SD documents simply generated from service specifications (SS). This means that enhanced functions can be used compared to the SAP standard version and, as a result, costs and time are saved.

The FIS optimization for the GAEB interface can ideally be combined with the FIS object and project management for building projects. The optimization for object management in SAP supports you in processing complex building projects and considerably facilitates the operational business.

Process acceleration and simplification via GAEB

A GAEB interface is used to digitally process and exchange project data and, consequently, considerably simplify and accelerate purchasing and SD processes. The FIS optimization enables the easy exchange of relevant data in the current GAEB and ÖNORM formats: GAEB 90, GAEB 2000 and GAEB XML as well as ÖNORM B2063.

Tasks that normally take several hours, such as the search for the appropriate material or the creation of bid invitations in SAP ERP or SAP S/4HANA, can be carried out with just a few clicks when using the FIS optimization. The generated files can then be sent electronically via corresponding interfaces.

The transfer of building data in the standard GAEB format is also of major importance for the Building Information Modeling (BIM). BIM is a widespread working method in civil engineering used to plan, carry out and manage buildings and structures by means of specific software. All relevant building data is digitally saved and combined and mapped virtually and visually. This data must continuously be exchanged between all parties involved in the building project, such as architects and craft. A standardized format such as GAEB is ideal for this purpose. The FIS solution also supports this performance, which is and remains particularly important.

Important functions of the GAEB interface by FIS

  • Process simplification in inbound processing:

Relevant inbound data includes service specifications, bid invitations, quotation submissions, quotation requests and purchase orders. Central functions within inbound processing are the import and processing of service specifications for bid invitations as well as the creation of an SD document for the underlying service specifications. Using the FIS optimization, the data entered is automatically compared with the quotation and directly assigned by means of a matching.

Moreover, service specification data can easily be requested at the vendor and imported into the SAP system via a GAEB interface. In turn, the quotations and service descriptions of the vendors can be compared and imported into the customer quotation.

  • Creation of GAEB files for outbound processing:

The FIS optimization can be used to easily create GAEB files, also directly from quotation entry. GAEB-relevant quotations can clearly be selected and displayed by means of one single transaction. Within this display as well, a GAEB file can be created and exported.

  • Efficient article search and recognition:

The optimization can be used to search SS long texts for key words from the article master as well as for characteristics from the class system. As a result, an article hit list will be generated for each SS item. This enables the quick and efficient search for specific materials and articles in SAP.


Structured management of building projects with project management by FIS

You can use the FIS optimization to enter building projects in the system as early as during the presales phase and gain more effectiveness and efficiency. At the same time, you manage all documents and data centrally, such as price conditions, dates, status specifications or responsibilities for trades, and compare them. The FIS object monitor visually formats the defined information and spares you valuable time due to simple information search via diverse search parameters.

For presales objects mostly controlled by planners or architects, the FIS object management provides partner roles containing the contact persons of the individual trade sections. Consequently, the contact persons/data can quickly be found in SAP at any time and managed in a clear way. During pricing, project conditions can be defined that are used for further document creation.

Another benefit of the FIS optimization is the option of directly linking an object with existing service specifications. Civil engineering processes can considerably be simplified and accelerated through digital processing and the exchange of project data in the standard GAEB format. Service specifications, for instance, can easily be transferred to the SAP system and promptly processed by the person responsible for the project.

Overview of important FIS object management functions

  • Assignment of objects and projects to your own sales organization:

Depending on who is responsible for the processing of an object, you can make an individual assignment according to specific employees or employee groups. As a result, the responsibilities and associated tasks are always clearly distributed.

  • Classification of objects:

Division, estimated costs, object volume and object size can be used to classify an object. It is also possible to individually classify the priority of an object via a classification key figure. In this way, you will always have an overview of all important projects.

  • Object structure tree:

The object structure tree provides a comprehensive overview of the complete object visualizing the complexity at a glance. In this way, you can view quickly and easily all data, orders etc. that have been entered for a specific project and their current statuses.

Further services by FIS

Would you like to accelerate and simplify your processes in civil engineering through electronic data exchange and the structured mapping of project data in SAP? The FIS team will be pleased to answer your questions. Just contact the experts!

Stefan Hinterwälder
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