Custom VISI Integration Development
Appfront builds integrations with VISI, the open standard for formal communication in construction. On government projects VISI is often mandatory, and messages such as a request, a notification or an instruction pass through a VISI system. We connect that system to your own contract management, document management or ERP, so messages and documents don't have to be re-keyed by hand.
What is a VISI integration?
VISI is an open standard for formal communication on construction projects. It sets out who supplies which information to whom, and when. This takes place within a framework of roles, transactions and messages: a transaction is an agreement on communication between two roles, and messages are sent in the order of that transaction. Clients and contractors thus share the same digital project file.
For Dutch government bodies, VISI has been on the 'apply or explain' list of the Standardisation Forum since 9 December 2014. The standard is maintained by digiGO. In practice, communication runs through a VISI system, while the work itself happens in other systems: contract management, document management, planning or ERP. A lot gets re-entered in between.
We build custom solutions because projects and systems differ: which framework the project uses, which transactions matter to you, and where messages and documents need to land. We will look at which route your VISI system offers for this in the first step, together with you.
Messages in the right place
VISI messages in your contract management, document management or ERP.
Replies back
Responses and documents back, in the correct transaction.
In line with the framework
Checked against the project's framework.
How we build your VISI integration
We start with your projects: which framework, which roles and transactions, which systems sit alongside the VISI system, and where the most re-keying happens. We often begin with the most frequent transactions, such as notifications and requests, and add the rest once the first integration runs smoothly. That way you quickly see whether the integration saves time. When a new project comes with its own framework, we configure the integration for it.
Framework, roles, transactions and systems.
What your VISI system offers for integration.
Messages both ways, with documents.
Go-live, monitoring, and management of new frameworks.
What a VISI integration actually does
The components below come up in almost every VISI integration. Which ones you need depends on your projects.
Messages
Incoming and outgoing.
Transactions
Status per transaction.
Documents
Attachments to the file.
Deadlines
Response deadlines monitored.
Framework
Checks against the framework.
Audit log
Every message recorded.
Who we build VISI integrations for
The integration is intended for parties who work with VISI alongside their own systems. The more projects that use VISI, the more time an integration saves.
Contractors
Many messages per project. Deadlines matter most.
Engineering firms
Documents and reviews. The file is central.
Clients
Multiple projects. Overview matters.
Installation companies
Part of large projects. Avoiding duplicate work matters.
Technology and integrations
This page is about integrations with VISI. For software for civil, road and hydraulic engineering, see our page on GWW and infrastructure software, for documents, our page on document management for engineering, and for contracts, our page on contract management software. You can read about how we work under building software.
Why choose Appfront for your VISI integration?
A message that is transcribed by hand, and a deadline nobody sees running out, cost money and lead to disputes on a construction project. That is what we build around: messages in the right place, replies back in the correct transaction, and an integration that follows the framework.
No manual re-entry
Messages arrive automatically.
Deadlines in view
Every transaction flagged.
Per VISI
The framework stays in charge.
Security and privacy in a VISI integration
The integration processes project information, contract documents and correspondence. Access credentials are stored encrypted and used only by the integration, and every message is logged.
The integration runs in a European data centre, with encrypted storage and daily backups. We record the processing in a data processing agreement, and you decide who has access to the log.
Frequently asked questions about a VISI integration
Questions construction firms ask before getting started.
VISI is an open standard for formal communication on construction projects. A framework defines the roles and transactions, and messages are sent in the order of a transaction. The standard is maintained by digiGO. Because every message belongs to a transaction, you can always trace afterwards who requested and who responded to what, and when.
For Dutch government bodies and the semi-public sector, VISI has been on the Forum for Standardisation's 'apply or explain' list since 9 December 2014. So if you work for such a client, you will often encounter it.
The VISI system sends and receives the messages. The integration connects that system to your own contract management, document management or ERP, so you no longer transcribe messages and documents by hand. The VISI system remains the place where formal communication takes place; the integration ensures the rest of your organisation can see it too.
The integration follows the framework of the project. When a new framework comes along, we define which transactions and messages go where. A framework you use often is set up once, so a new project using that framework can start without extra work.
Yes. For each transaction you can see when a response is expected, and when a deadline is about to expire you receive a signal. That way you do not miss a response deadline on a notice or request, even when messages are spread across several projects and people.
The integration reports the problem and records what went wrong. The message is retried or set aside for review, so no formal message is lost.
For contractors, engineering firms, installation companies and clients who work with VISI extensively and want their messages and documents in a system of their own. If you are working on a single project with VISI, the VISI system itself is often sufficient; an integration pays off when multiple projects are involved.
VISI connected to your own systems?
Tell us which VISI system and which frameworks you work with, and where messages and documents are currently transcribed by hand. We will show you what the integration would look like.