Seamless GAEB Integration in SAP

With GAEB, the Joint Committee on Electronics in the Construction Industry has created a uniform standard for the digital exchange of specifications in the construction sector. GAEB supports all requirements for electronic processes for tendering, awarding and invoicing in the implementation of construction measures. GAEB eliminates potential sources of error, accelerates the entire procurement process for construction services and makes it controllable and transparent. Fast, effective data exchange between clients and contractors is guaranteed. 

No GAEB interfaces in SAP 

However, SAP-based procurement organizations reach their limits when it comes to mapping the GAEB process. For example, SAP does not currently provide an interface that could transfer the GAEB service specifications into the SAP-compliant data format. Conversely, SAP service specifications cannot be provided as GAEB documents either, as the interface is also missing here.

Whether SAP ECC or SAP S/4 Hana: Anyone who relies on SAP-based purchasing solutions must therefore accept unpleasant media disruptions when processing construction services, which are very time-consuming and costly and reduce data quality. In addition, the lack of comparability of service specifications leads to costly efficiency losses. This is a problem for many energy supply companies, among others, whose core tasks include the expansion and maintenance of network connections for energy, water and gas. In order to meet these requirements, the energy supply companies largely purchase the necessary construction services from specialized external companies. It is therefore particularly important for utilities to expand the SAP standard if they want to achieve end-to-end digitalization and seamless mapping of the corresponding service processes.  

Web-based collaboration forms with integrated GAEB software, which are integrated into the existing SAP system environment as an add-on, offer an innovative approach. This allows energy supply companies to continue to carry out SAP-based purchasing processes and at the same time benefit from all the advantages of a standardized GAEB process when coordinating with construction service providers. This begins with the creation of service specifications from their own SAP data structures in standardized GAEB documents. These are then used to generate invitations to tender, purchase orders and framework agreements, which the suppliers can then process seamlessly.

This allows construction service providers to create their offers for current tenders and inquiries as well as the corresponding order confirmations electronically. The software also makes it possible to map performance confirmations to clients completely digitally. Users can record their measurements in a short space of time and send them to the energy supply company managers for approval. As there is no need to manually enter the measurement specifications on both sides, a lot of time can also be saved in this process step.  

SAP with proven add-on

The 2bits Supplier Collaboration Suite (SCS) and 2bits eRfx (tenders) provide SAP user companies with proven add-ons for digitizing all operational processes relating to the procurement of construction services. The integration of GAEB interfaces ensures that all business applications involved in the construction work can correctly transfer and process the transmitted data.   

Time and again, energy supply companies in particular are faced with the difficult task of having to handle complex construction services with little market and spending transparency and a low level of standardization. However, this challenge cannot be mastered with SAP-based purchasing solutions alone, as the corresponding GAEB interfaces are missing.

With the software from 2bits SCS, however, utilities can close the gap - and track and process the relevant exchange phases of the service specifications across the entire procurement process. This applies both to the current SAP MM-SRV-based service procurement and to the new lean service functions of S/4 Hana.

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