Digitising Project Communication: How Groothuis Bouwgroep Works with Autodesk Forma
July 2026Groothuis Bouwgroep uses Autodesk Forma (formerly Construction Cloud) to manage all project information and communications. Now, everyone
has access to a single source of truth anytime, anywhere, and the chances of making mistakes are significantly reduced.
Entrepreneurship is stewardship
Groothuis Bouwgroep in the Netherlands believes that entrepreneurship starts with stewardship: taking good care of what is entrusted to them, such as people, resources and the world around them. The family business, with more than a hundred committed employees, realises sustainable real estate solutions for now and later. Attention to each other, responsibility for the environment and the ambition to create lasting value are central.
Projects such as TMA in Amsterdam, the PON Center in Amersfoort and the residential and care complex in Philadelphia show what Groothuis Bouwgroep stands for. The employees are also an important part of this pride. Recent research shows that 97 percent of them consider the company a Great Place to Work, a place where stewardship is actually experienced.
Cloud migration
A few years ago, Groothuis Bouwgroep chose to migrate their project information for all employees and construction partners to the cloud. Business operations information management is now supported by the AFAS ERP system and Microsoft 365, while project information and communication are centrally organised in Autodesk Forma.
"Our vision behind the cloud migration is that we want to work (together) in a more data-driven way based on a single source of truth," says Gerco van Olst, IT Business Partner at Groothuis Bouwgroep. "And by reducing the number of systems used, we also increase the ease of use."
Data-driven operations
"To better structure our data exchange and communication, we first drew up a longlist and then tested three solutions in pilots. Based on these experiences, we deliberately opted for the Autodesk Construction Cloud (now Forma)," van Olst continues.
"The main reason for this is its extensive functionality and scalability. We started with the Files, Photos and Meetings modules in Autodesk Build (now Forma Build), and we have now expanded this with the Notifications and Forms modules, in combination with the Microsoft Fabric platform for data management and analytics and Power BI for all reports."
Quality and safety
Groothuis Bouwgroep also uses Autodesk Forma for quality and safety management:
"This year, as part of the Safety Awareness Day, we have paid extra attention to registering safety reports, our idea is that every X number of near misses can eventually lead to an actual accident. By reducing the number of near-accidents, we therefore directly reduce the risk of accidents and strive for a completely safe construction site," says van Olst.
"We have also added our inspection manual with forms for quality checks, inspections and work logs, so that everything is immediately digitised and we collect valuable data. With Power BI, we translate that data into insights that we can actively steer," says Van Olst.
Efficiency through one central platform
The main added value of Autodesk Construction Cloud (now Forma) is that project information no longer has to be sent back and forth. All information and communication takes place centrally and is therefore always up-to-date and accessible to everyone."
Added value
"The main added value of Autodesk Construction Cloud is that project information no longer has to be sent back and forth. All information and communication takes place centrally and is therefore always up-to-date and accessible to everyone," concludes van Olst.
"This not only prevents costly errors due to outdated document versions, but also gives us more overview and control over our projects. Moreover, the environment is so user-friendly that our employees enjoy working with it, and thanks to the available data, we get much better insight into all our projects."
Lessons learned
"During our transition to the Autodesk Construction Cloud, we experienced and learned that it is very important to have vision and support from the management and to both involve and guide employees," says van Olst.
"That is why, among other things, we have developed a handbook and provided internal training ourselves, which are tailored to our processes. Looking to the future, we want to work even more data-driven based on the increasing amount of data and discover and apply the other functionality of Autodesk Construction Cloud."
Learn more about Autodesk Forma
Questions about Autodesk Forma?
Contact us to learn more, get a quote, or book a demo.
Director
+353 18542947
