Exact Bouw (formerly Bouw7) REST API DICO + Peppol

Bouw7 integration for construction companies that want structure

Connect Bouw7 (now Exact Bouw) to your CRM, estimating tool, webshop, equipment management or accounting. Project administration becomes a data hub rather than an island. Built for contractors and installers who have outgrown spreadsheets.

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40% less manual work on project administration
Real-time project margins visible to management
No more duplicate entry: hours, purchasing and invoices
VCA + compliance kept in order automatically per project

Why a custom integration for Bouw7?

Bouw7 (Exact Bouw since 2024) is good at what it does: project administration for the Dutch construction industry. With 220+ apps in its App Store, a lot is prebuilt. But as soon as you have specific construction workflows, such as your own estimating tool, a customer portal for maintenance orders, or an integration with a niche player like Ibis or Calc4you in a non-standard way, you outgrow standard connectors.

We build construction-specific integrations where standard connectors fall short: multi-role workflows (site planner versus site manager versus administration), cross-project reporting, and integrations with on-site hardware (tablets, NFC cards, IoT sensors).

Our approach: first we understand how your construction business works, and only then decide which Bouw7 modules and which external systems need connecting. We don't write code for problems that don't exist.

A four-step implementation, not a big bang

Intake and understanding your construction process

We come to your site, or join a call, to walk through your project flow: from quote, through job preparation and execution, to post-calculation. Who does what in Bouw7? What frustrations are there? Which departments still work in spreadsheets?

Data mapping and scope

We define which objects synchronise: projects, hours, relations, articles, invoices. For each object we record the field mapping (for example, your 'work type' maps to Bouw7 'cost type X'). Peppol and DICO flows are addressed separately.

Development in sprints

Two-weekly sprints. First the most important flow (usually project changes and hours), then expansion to invoicing, purchasing and equipment. Between sprints we demo to your project administration lead, who needs to actually use it.

Go-live with parallel running

For the first two weeks we run in parallel: Bouw7 and your old process. Any differences are resolved during that period. After that, full switchover and management: monitoring, incident response, and quarterly reviews for new Bouw7 versions or module extensions.

Functionality we regularly build

Project administration sync

CRM leads that sign are automatically turned into a project in Bouw7, with the correct cost codes, work types and budget templates. Project changes flow back to the CRM for sales managers.

Timesheet import from an external system

If your employees already log hours in another tool (e.g. Clockify, Plandatum, Timewax), we aggregate those entries and write them to Bouw7 projects, including break rules, surcharges and leave balances.

Importing quotes and estimates

From estimating software (Ibis, Calc4you) or even Excel work estimates, we generate quotes in Bouw7 with the correct cost codes. Accepted quotes are automatically turned into a project plus purchase proposals.

Invoicing and G-account

Automatically schedule instalments, offset them against progress, split G-account payments per subcontractor, and send invoices to clients via Peppol. Export to your financial system (Exact, AFAS) for bookkeeping.

Equipment and logistics

Link construction site equipment with GPS trackers or NFC tags to projects for cost allocation. Stock levels visible per location. Transport movements booked automatically as project hours and materials.

Quality, safety and compliance

Toolbox meeting records and VCA documents synchronised with your HR system. RI&E (risk inventory and evaluation) automatically created per site. Integration with suppliers for safety data sheets and certificates per material.

Typical scenarios by construction segment

Maintenance contractor

Many small projects, fast turnaround, client portal for orders. We integrate the client portal with Bouw7 project administration, so a request from a tenant automatically becomes a project with work types and budget.

Installation company

Service contracts, periodic maintenance rounds, work orders via a mobile app. We integrate the work order tool with Bouw7 for hours and materials registration, and the service planning with your CRM for client updates.

Main contractor with subcontractors

Complex projects with many freelancers and subcontractors. G-account splitting, DICO communication with suppliers, and hour registration via NFC chips or tablets on site for correct project allocation.

Finishing and renovation company

Quotes based on estimating software (Ibis, Calc4you), material procurement linked to projects, invoicing per phase with progress claims. Client communication via email templates that report progress per phase.

Integration capabilities we deliver

REST

Bouw7 API

Projects, hours, invoices, relations, items: CRUD via REST endpoints.

DICO

Construction EDI

Electronic orders, invoices and change notifications following the Dutch standard.

Peppol

E-invoicing

Automatic sending to government and corporate clients via the Peppol network.

IoT

Site hardware

NFC tags, GPS trackers, tablets, integrated with project allocation.

Why Appfront?

We have been building software for construction and installation companies for years, so we know the vocabulary: work types, cost codes, G-account, DICO, project-based VAT. That means our intake is shorter and our solutions fit how you actually work.

A dedicated point of contact, no offshore handovers, and we apply modern DevOps practices (CI/CD, automated testing) to construction integrations too. That lets us release safely without your site managers facing a crashed system the next morning.

Specifically, we have production integrations with Bouw7/Exact Bouw, AFAS Profit, Exact Online, Visma, SnelStart and NMBRS in our portfolio. Integrations with estimating tools (Ibis, Calc4you), plant and equipment management systems and client portals are standard in our repertoire.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Bouw7, and is it the same as Exact Bouw?
Since 2024, Bouw7 has been part of Exact and is also commercially called Exact Bouw. The core software and the API have remained the same; only the brand and the account environment (Exact portal) have changed. Existing Bouw7 integrations continue to work, but for new integrations you connect via Exact's platform. We work with both: clients who still run purely on Bouw7 and clients who have already migrated to Exact Bouw.
Which type of construction company is Bouw7 / Exact Bouw suitable for?
Bouw7 is built for SME construction companies: contractors, installers, maintenance firms and finishing trades with 10 to 250 employees. Its strength lies in project administration, time registration and costing, rather than stock management or production planning as found in a full industrial ERP. From €129/month per user, with several modules available (project management, planning, costing, quality & safety).
Which Bouw7 modules do you integrate most often?
Top 5: (1) Project administration: budgets, costs, revenue and margins per project, (2) Time registration via the mobile app, (3) Quotes and cost estimating, (4) Invoicing including G-account (blocked account) splitting, (5) Purchasing and subcontractor contracts. Less often: quality and safety (toolbox meetings), equipment management, planning. It depends on your workflow.
Which typical integrations do you build for Bouw7?
CRM to Bouw7 (converting leads into projects, e.g. HubSpot, Pipedrive, Salesforce), BIM/estimating to Bouw7 (Ibis, Calc4you, BIMcollab for work budgets), webshop/client portal to Bouw7 (private client maintenance orders directly into project administration), time registration devices to Bouw7 (NFC chips, tablets on site), equipment IoT to Bouw7 (GPS trackers, fuel registration). Also integration with accounting (Exact Online) where it sits separately from Bouw7.
Does Bouw7 / Exact Bouw have its own API?
Yes, Bouw7 offers a REST API that lets you read and write projects, hours, quotes, invoices, contacts and materials. Authentication runs via API keys or OAuth2 (depending on your licence). Alongside the API, Bouw7 has an App Store with 220+ pre-built integrations, which we can extend or work around if the feature does not cover what you need.
How do DICO and Peppol work in Bouw7 integrations?
DICO is the Dutch standard for electronic construction communication (orders, invoices, rejection notices). Bouw7 supports DICO natively, but for custom integrations with suppliers or subcontractors who do not yet use DICO, we build a bridge. Peppol is for e-invoicing to government and large corporates; Bouw7 sends there by default, but if you have a custom invoicing flow (e.g. splitting by cost centre per debtor), we integrate that separately.
Can you integrate Bouw7 with our existing accounting?
Yes. Bouw7 has its own invoicing, but many clients prefer to keep their bookkeeping in Exact Online, SnelStart, Twinfield or AFAS. We then build an invoice export from Bouw7 to the accounting package, with correct general ledger mapping, cost centres and VAT rules. Time bookings are sometimes forwarded to a separate payroll tool (NMBRS, Loket, Visma).
How does G-account invoicing work?
For projects involving freelancers or subcontractors, you often need to pay part of an invoice into the G-account (tax withholding obligation). Bouw7 supports this: when invoicing, you automatically split a percentage to the subcontractor's G-account. We make sure that split flows consistently through your accounting and payment batches, including correct VAT treatment.
What does a Bouw7 integration cost and how long does it take?
A standard integration (e.g. CRM to project administration, or quoting tool to Bouw7) typically takes 4-6 weeks and ranges between €8,000 and €18,000 depending on complexity. Larger projects with multiple modules (webshop + CRM + payroll + equipment) take 10-14 weeks. We work agile in two-weekly sprints, so you see working parts quickly and can steer the scope.

Ready to make your construction administration really work?

Book a no-obligation intake. We'll come to your office or the site, look at where your processes get stuck, and sketch which integrations will deliver the most value.

If you work with BouwWorks from BouwInfosys and want hours from the site without retyping into the administration, see our page on a BouwWorks integration.

If you work with Bouwportaal instead of Bouw7, see our page on a Bouwportaal integration.

Book an intake Call us directly on 085 401 1220

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Current context (May 2026)

REST architecture has now become the de facto standard for web APIs, based on stateless HTTP requests and resource-oriented URLs, a pattern Roy Fielding defined in his dissertation in 2000.

Source: MDN Web Docs — REST (developer.mozilla.org)

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