What is the difference between GPC, ETIM and DICO?.

The FBS Association is a Dutch network of manufacturers and consultants involved in digital specification services. As a member, you gain access to knowledge about data standards, legal developments (like ESPR), and best practices for digital product presentation. You stay up to date on topics like STABU, Building Decree, DSGO, and product data structures. You’ll also have a voice in shaping new guidelines and can exchange insights with other industry players. ZeeBoer actively participates in FBS and shares that knowledge with its clients.

More information about FBS can be found on the association website.

Where do you start as a manufacturer if you want to come in more often? How are you prescribed? ZeeBoer can help with this, because for more than 35 years we have been helping suppliers in the construction industry to distribute their product information, specification texts and BIM information.

1. What are your solutions for construction?
2. Where is the difference between your products and systems?
3. How, where, why, for whom?

Contact ZeeBoer and we will go through these questions with you. Without obligation of course.

The websites of ZeeBoer and Bouwspex.nl use functional and analytical cookies. This also applies to most online tools that we have made for our clients. These cookies are used to keep the website functioning properly and to obtain website statistics. With these two cookies there is no question of privacy sensitive information.

There is a third variant in this area: tracking cookies. Individual surfing behavior and / or personal data are collected in order to create a social profile of the visitor. When selling advertisements (Google AdWords or on Facebook) this is necessary. The visitor must give explicit permission for tracking cookies. As said: our own websites do not use tracking cookies.

More information can be found at the Dutch government website www.rijksoverheid.nl.

Do you already have specification texts or FPS? A short checklist follows.

1. Are your texts available in the correct STABU or RAW format?
2. Are your specifications up to date?
3. Are your specification texts resistant to faulty product combinations?
4. Do you offer choice support when composing a text?
5. Are you listed on Bouwspex.nl?

Should you have questions? Please contact us.

An FPS or manufacturer product specification is of interest to building suppliers. An FPS is brief product information that can be included in a specification description. As a manufacturer, you have different options. As a supplier, you want to be named in a tender and the specification experts seek assistance from the manufacturer.

Manufacturers can still buy a place in the STABU2-catalog at Ketenstandaard. You don't have to, but with an FPS you do have a kind of "advertisement" in the catalog. When the specifier turns on the FPS button, he sees the list. However, many manufacturers do not maintain their information, so many FPSs are years old. In addition, prescribers no longer see the wood for the trees. According to ZeeBoer, this means that FPSs are no longer in line with current times.

Specifications by ZeeBoer
ZeeBoer supports you in the creation of individual product specifications. You can then add it (or have it added) as FPS. However, we recommend creating a consultation tool that will help the author of the tender text to make a good selection. Also interesting is a combination of FPS and consulting tool. Advantage: better support. Disadvantage: One time investment and cost of updating the tool.

Would you like to know more? Contact us without obligation.

Absolutely! Many manufacturers successfully use Utopis for specification tools, product selectors, or integrations with ERP/webshop systems. Our blog and customer stories highlight how they manage product data more efficiently, publish faster, and improve visibility. These case studies offer inspiration and real-world proof.

Because we have built something for almost all subsectors in construction, we can often give examples for your industry. Go quickly to meeting.utopis.net and plan an online demo.

GPC, ETIM and DICO are data standards used in the construction sector.

• ETIM (ElectroTechnical Information Model) is a European standard for classifying the technical features of products, widely used in construction and installation sectors.
• GPC (Global Product Classification) is an international system for product categorization, widely used in DIY and retail.
• DICO (formerly SALES) is the Dutch standard for electronic data exchange in construction—for example, for sending offers, orders, and product specs.

Using these standards helps manufacturers present their data consistently, connect with platforms like 2BA or STABU, and integrate smoothly with BIM and ERP environments. Utopis supports all of these standards.

Manufacturers can easily manage their DoP or CE declaration thanks to the Utopis® Platform from ZeeBoer. A Declaration of Performance, also called a DoP or CE declaration, is a European declaration by the manufacturer about the performance of a product. The producer must say something about the essential product characteristics.

For some products, few or no characteristics at all have been set by Europe. For some industries, however, keeping a DoP is a lot of work. Here the characteristics often change or there are just many things that you have to record for a product. At that time it is interesting to start managing from a central database. Certainly if you already maintain a database with product characteristics for specification services, website or documentation. In this way, managing DoPs becomes easier, faster, cheaper and error-free.

Utopis can be integrated with almost any ERP system, including Exact, SAP, Microsoft Dynamics, or industry-specific solutions.

The integration enables automatic synchronization of product data such as article numbers, prices, stock levels, or technical details with Utopis. This prevents duplicate work and manual entry errors. Connections are typically made via APIs, web services, or data imports (e.g., XML, CSV).

ZeeBoer guides the process and tailors it to your system and needs.

Classify your products according to ETIM or DICO? Utopis PIM supports manufacturers in the construction industry. In our product information system Utopis® Platform, we have access to a ETIM tool with which you can manage your assortment. So if you want to distribute product information to your trade partners, ZeeBoer offers a good solution for this.

Utopis PIM can connect to your own product data in ERP or PIM. Of course you can also use the other options that UP offers. Think of a specification service, up to date and on the fly product information, an advice tool or knowledge base.

Want to know more? Please contact us.

Specification services are mainly used by specifiers—architects and consultants—who want to quickly and correctly add products to their project documentation. Through smart tools on your website, they can select the right product and automatically generate specification texts, installation guides, and documents. This increases the chance your product is chosen.

But beware: many stakeholders value a specification service. It is an ideal system configurator that provides good product advice.

Product selectors and advisory tools make your product portfolio interactive and directly usable for specifiers such as architects, installers, and specification writers. They help users choose the right product based on project-specific input and automatically generate specification texts, datasheets, or calculations. This lowers the barrier to selection and increases the chances of your product being included in designs and specifications.

Utopis offers tailored tools, directly linked to your up-to-date product data. In fact, we are the market leader in this field: we have been making cutlery and advice tools since 1987.

Yes, that's right. Antoon and Peter participate in Voortaan. Together with other partners from the construction sector. In this way, we bring construction into the desired acceleration.

Voortaan means "From now on" in Dutch.

From now on, as a developer, you can quickly design neighborhoods and districts digitally based on the available housing concepts in our libraries. Including insight into the performance of your plans based on advice from trusted consultancy firms.

From now on, everyone in the chain can participate in this digital transformation. Y

ou can find more information at voortaan.nl

Marketing automation is a collective name for digital tools that make selling your solutions easier. Examples of marketing automation are a smart program to email customers. The internal marketing process is hereby automated. However, you can also digitize the acquisition or the advisory process. Consider a choice configurator, a smart calculation tool, digital catalog or BIM specification tool.

To answer the question: yes. Marketing automation is especially interesting for construction. Marketing automation starts with a centralized product information system or PIM. Utopis® Platform is a PIM that has been specially developed for construction.

NL/SfB is the Dutch variant of SfB. Yes, SfB is an old classification method. However, the Building Smart Data Dictionarry (BSDD) used in BIM is based on SfB. This makes the classification completely hip again. ZeeBoer likes to translate your solutions for a good connection to BIM.

If you would call us a marketing agency, then we are a very special agency. The Utopis team combines three different qualities:

1. We are product data specialists. Centrally managing data and exchanging it with other software or databases is what we do.
2. We have developed our own software for this. Why? Because there was nothing there when we started.
3. We only work for construction. That's what we studied for. So we know which information is best for your target group.

When creating our tools, in addition to the software (back-end), we often also take care of the layout (front-end). Of course we will coordinate this with you. So let your own advertising agency do what they are good at and we will provide the right database and software.



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We created KISScore as an internal CRM to streamline our own operations and experiment with modern technologies such as .NET Core, Blazor, and TypeScript. KISScore links client data to projects, quotes, Utopis statistics, and accounting. It helps us work more efficiently and deliver better service.

Important to note: KISScore is not a commercial product. We don’t sell it, because our focus remains on what we do best—supporting manufacturers with product data, specification services, and PIM solutions via Utopis. Stick to your core business.

Yes, Utopis is compatible with tools such as SalesFeed. These allow you to recognize business visitors, track their on-site behavior, and qualify leads. ZeeBoer can assist with integration and setup. While Leadinfo is not integrated by default, we can assess together whether it fits your situation.

By the way, the collaboration between SalesFeed and ZeeBoer is close: we developed Utopis Insights together.

Yes, with the Utopis Platform you can enrich each product with processing guidelines, installation tips, or usage instructions. This information can be shown automatically when a specific product is selected within the specification tool or selector. It provides additional support to both specifiers and installers—without requiring extra searches. This helps prevent errors and builds trust in your brand.

Moreover, such information is becoming increasingly important due to legal requirements: both the Dutch Quality Assurance Act (Wkb) and the upcoming Digital Product Passport (DPP) demand clear processing instructions and real-life application data. Centralizing this makes your data more usable and reduces mistakes on the job site.

According to European legislation, governments are not allowed to just commit to a particular supplier. Neutral prescribing is usually mandatory in public works. However, there are exceptions to this rule. 

• Your product distinguishes itself aesthetically from other products
• The requested system must match a previously applied solution
• Stating a manufacturer's name is necessary due to delivery time and logistics

As a manufacturer you can therefore be mentioned in the specifications on the basis of the above exceptions. Specifiers generally appreciate good support in putting together a correct tender specification. By the way, the European rules only apply to public works. The project owner does not have to adhere to this in a private project.

In the selection tools and specification services that ZeeBoer makes for its clients, the name of the manufacturer is stated by default. Naturally the specifier decides whether to include the name in his specification. Note: even if your name isn't in the specifications, you can distinguish yourself in the market. ZeeBoer can also be of service to manufacturers for these neutral specifications.

Click here for more information about preparing specification texts or make an appointment for a no-obligation consultation.