Our servers are hosted by CSN Group, part of Interstellar, and are located in Schiphol-Rijk and Enschede. Both of these places have traditionally formed the backbone of the Internet. The way in which your website or online tool is linked to the internet is highly dependent on the data center. CSN understands this art and works for many major parties in the Netherlands and the rest of the world.
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.
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.
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.
GPC, ETIM and DICO are data standards used in the construction sector.
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:
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.
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.
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.
ZeeBoer is a co-initiator of Open Specifications Format (OSF). OSF is a file format for specifications. Think of product specifications, specifications and project specifications. Independent of the classification used.
Previously, a STABU specification was saved in SUF format. Today STABU uses OSF for its catalog and updates. In addition, KOMO has created a library based on OSF and ZeeBoer itself naturally also uses OSF for its specification texts.
Many manufacturers set up a BIM library. It seems interesting to offer a 3D model of all your products. Are modellers really waiting for that? ZeeBoer thinks not. After all, your product will only be included in the BIM model if a design has been in place for some time. Will the existing elements in the model be replaced by your BIM element? No.
The solution? Offer good meta-data that enriches the BIM model. This will make designers, modellers and contractors happy.
Contact ZeeBoer for more information. Without obligation of course.
NBS is the abbreviation for National Building Specification and is the standard for building specifications in the United Kingdom. ZeeBoer supports its customers in creating neutral, generic, product data. We therefore support every standard with this. In addition to the Dutch specification standards NL/SfB, RAW and STABU2, we could therefore also draw up specifications in C3A (Belgium), GAEB (Germany), ÖNORM (Austria).
Nederlandse Besteksystematiek
Whether or not coincidentally, the abbreviation NBS is also used by a "competitor" of STABU. The Dutch Cutlery System was founded by two former employees of STABU and wants to provide an alternative to STABU2. NBS has now included various manufacturers in a catalog. ZeeBoer can also specify in the NBS standard if you wish. For your market area, do you have the impression that specifications are written in NBS format? Then an NBS specification service is interesting.
Are you overwhelmed by abbreviations and standards in the construction landscape? You really are not the only supplier in the construction industry who is. In this knowledge base ZeeBoer tries to inform you about various topics. Of course you are also welcome for additional information, tailored to your own organization if desired.
Digital System for the Built Environment or DSGO wants to make the renovation of the Netherlands affordable. Because we are facing major construction challenges in the Netherlands, the construction sector signed a declaration of intent last year together with the Ministry of the Interior. Goal: to achieve a digital coherence of construction projects. Think of the total life cycle of a building or infrastructure project..
We notice that many manufacturers are thinking about their role in DSGO. However, we also hear that people can no longer see the forest for the trees. ZeeBoer wants to highlight topics that manufacturers can get started with.
As a manufacturer, do you want to respond step by step to DSGO? Then contact us to exchange knowledge.
There are different types of PIM systems. Some focus mainly on e-commerce (feeding product data into webshops), others are designed for product development and engineering processes.
Utopis defines itself as an Advisory PIM: a platform that combines product management with practical tools for sales and marketing. With Utopis, you manage your product data centrally and use it directly in tools like specification services, product selectors, processing guides, and brochures. This makes your PIM not just a data repository, but a powerful sales enabler.
Our servers are hosted by CSN Group, part of Interstellar, and are located in Schiphol-Rijk and Enschede. Both of these places have traditionally formed the backbone of the Internet. The way in which your website or online tool is linked to the internet is highly dependent on the data center. CSN understands this art and works for many major parties in the Netherlands and the rest of the world.
The Basis ILS is a national Dutch standard for exchanging object information in BIM projects.
For manufacturers, it means that your product data must be structured, consistent, and delivered in the correct format so designers and contractors can easily integrate it into their 3D models. Utopis helps you manage your data, including classifications like ETIM. This improves your chances of being included in BIM files and increases your relevance to specifiers and supply chain partners.
ZeeBoer developed Utopis at the beginning of this century especially for construction manufacturers as a uniform application-supporting product information system. This made it way ahead of its time. Since then many new features and versions have followed. As a PIM, Utopis is still unique because of its construction-specific approach: the application of products comes first. Sounds simple and it is with Utopis.
The Quality Assurance for Building Act, in Dutch "Wet kwaliteitsborging" or Wkb, guarantees the relationship between project developer, building consumer and contractor. This strengthens the position of the private and business building consumer. Due to the increasing complexity in construction, a revision of the current system of quality assurance is necessary.
In the law, the contractor is responsible for the final result that he produces. Suppliers of building materials are closely involved in the proper delivery of a building project as an important knowledge partner of the construction process.
By properly documenting and distributing your solution, the required materials and the processing thereof, you are responding to the law.
Bouwspex.nl is an online platform on which tender and construction specifications of building manufacturers and suppliers can be found quickly. ZeeBoer maintains the platform. A basic entry is added free of charge. Before 2019 the website was called Bestekservices.nl. ZeeBoer maintains Bouwspex on the basis of data from STABU and KOMO, specifications and BIM tools supplied by ZeeBoer and also third-party tools are added. Visit Bouwspex.nl.
STABU and RAW are contract forms for construction. STABU and RAW are both a specification system. STABU is a standard that is used specifically for residential construction and B&U. RAW is a standard for ground, road and hydraulic engineering (GWW). Recording agreements is important. Also in a BIM process. STABU and RAW are increasingly being combined with BIM.
The manufacturer is a knowledge partner for construction. It is interesting for suppliers to work out solutions for inclusion in STABU or RAW. ZeeBoer can support you with this. Would like to know more? Request our free white paper.
STABU is the independent organization that standardizes and manages building specifications for the Dutch building process. Bouwbreed (Dutch for construction wide) has been developed to participate in the BIM process. However, this new system was insufficiently taken over by users and suppliers.
STABU has been working with ZeeBoer since 2018 to establish a good link with the BIM model. SfB plays an important role here.
Curious as to what ZeeBoer can do for you as a manufacturer or supplier in the construction sector? ZeeBoer helps more than 100 manufacturers with the distribution of product information, specifications, specification texts and BIM data.
During an introductory meeting we discuss, without obligation of course, the solutions that you offer for construction. In what way do you now distribute product information? Does a prescriber, architect, specifications writer or BIM modeller know where to find you?
PIM stands for product information management system. ZeeBoer helps manufacturers to create tools that configure a good solution for construction. UP (Utopis PIM) forms the basis for this.
Products play an important role within a system solution. The product data in UP is not only interesting for a good building specification. Documentation, product sheets and DoPs also use product information from UP.
Neutral question and answer specifications are standardized building blocks used in specification documents and advisory tools. A question specification focuses on performance-based and functional criteria (such as insulation values or connection types), without referencing specific brands. This fits seamlessly into EMVI tenders, design & construct projects, and collaborative construction teams.
EMVI stands for Economisch Meest Voordelige Inschrijving, which translates to Most Economically Advantageous Tender (MEAT). It is a procurement method used in the Netherlands where tenders are not only evaluated on price, but also on quality, sustainability, risk management, and other added-value criteria.
The answer specification explains how a specific product meets these criteria. This structure supports hybrid procurement models, where transparency, cooperation, and results-based selection are key.
With Utopis, your product data fits directly into these processes, increasing visibility among specifiers.
ZeeBoer pays its suppliers quickly. Because we pay our invoices at a fixed time in the month, usually at the end of the third week of the month, the average payment period is 15 to 16 days.
Certainly! ZeeBoer is co-founder and enthusiastic member of BNB and FBS, the industry organizations for the digital exchange of product data in the construction industry.
The BNB (Branche Association for Dutch Building Specification Experts) was founded in 2001 on the initiative of, among others, ZeeBoer. It is a trade association for specifiers, contract experts and BIM modelers involved in specifying building materials. More information can be found on the BNB website.
Vereniging FBS is an interest group for specifying building products. ZeeBoer is one of the founders of the association and is an extraordinary member himself. Sharing knowledge about specifications, BIM specifications and transaction data can be very interesting for you as a construction supplier. Unfortunately, in recent years, FBS has had less and less focus on suppliers in the civil engineering sector. Although ZeeBoer is a reliable advisor for many of our manufacturers, we welcome the fact that our customers also become members of FBS. This is because of its independent character. More information can be found on the FBS website.
Many people think that STABU and ZeeBoer are competitors. That in itself is understandable, because Stichting Ketenstandaard (Dutch for Chain Standardization), the organization that manages the STABU standard, has two focus areas.
Ketenstandaard's core business is the promotion, improvement and maintenance of standards such as STABU2, ETIM and DICO. Just like other construction partners, ZeeBoer uses these standards. The right to exist of Ketenstandaard and STABU is therefore evident to us.
However, Ketenstandaard also advises manufacturers on specifications. Something she has in common with ZeeBoer and other commercial parties. Manufacturers have to deal with many standards, each of which requires a financial contribution and effort. After all, non-profit parties also have a revenue model. Although Ketenstandaard therefore acts as both the keeper of the STABU standard and its operator, ZeeBoer believes that manufacturers can make sufficient choices when distributing their product data.
If you want to know more about the different interests, standards and parties in the construction industry, we will gladly explain our vision to you without obligation! Make an appointment with us quickly.
