Expert article
Construction supervision: duties, process and the right software
Supervision is graded by criticality, documentation happens every day. Which duties belong to it, who carries them and how the proof comes about.
Expert article by Open Experience GmbH. As of: October 2026
What is construction supervision?
Construction supervision (Bauüberwachung) is the monitoring of construction work for conformity with the permit, the execution planning, the service specification and the recognised rules of technology, together with the documentation of what was checked. In building construction it is service phase 8 of the German HOAI, where it is another word for site supervision (Objektüberwachung). For engineering structures and transport infrastructure, local construction supervision is a special service alongside the overall supervision of the works. It is provided by the architect or engineer on behalf of the client, sometimes by the client's own site management. Software for construction supervision has to keep four kinds of evidence in one place: site walks, the site diary, defects with deadlines, and photos with location and time.
Legal framework: Germany (Civil Code BGB, construction contract rules VOB/B, fee schedule HOAI). Other countries have different rules, and contractual agreements take precedence over the standard periods named here.
Who provides construction supervision
On a construction site, several parties supervise, with different commissions and different liability. In everyday speech all three roles are called “site management” (Bauleitung), but they owe different things.
- The architect or engineer on behalf of the clientConstruction supervision under the HOAI, service phase 8. What is owed includes supervising the work, the site diary, the quantity measurement with the executing companies, acceptance and supervising the remedying of defects during the warranty period (Annex 10.1). Under § 34 HOAI, this phase accounts for 32 percent of the fee for buildings, more than any other.
- The client's own site managementLarger clients and project controllers employ their own site managers, who accompany site supervision or take it over entirely. § 4 VOB/B gives the client the right to supervise that the work is carried out in accordance with the contract, with access to workplaces, workshops and storage areas.
- The contractor's site managementUnder § 4 para. 2 VOB/B, the contractor carries out its work on its own responsibility and supervises its subcontractors itself. Its site manager documents obstructions, daywork and quantity measurements because VOB/B demands evidence for them.
The construction manager under the state building code is a fourth role, responsible to the authority for the site complying with public-law regulations. The roles can coincide in one person; the duties remain separate.
The duties of construction supervision in sequence
From the first drawing release to the end of the warranty period. The right-hand column names what has to exist at the end so that the supervision can still be proven years later.
| When | Duty | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Before construction starts | Release the drawing revision, draw up the schedule, define the parties and responsibilities | Release notes per drawing, dated schedule, list of parties |
| Daily | Keep the site diary with weather, staff, equipment, work performed, instructions and occurrences | Dated daily report, written continuously, not after the fact |
| At every site walk | Check the work, graded by criticality; record defects and notify them with a deadline | Site walk record, photos with location and time, defect notice with proof of receipt |
| Before building elements are closed up | Release waterproofing, reinforcement, insulation and services | Release photos per section, measurement reports |
| Ongoing | Take part in quantity measurement, check invoices, update the schedule, control costs | Checked measurements, invoice verification notes, updated schedule |
| At acceptance | Organise the formal acceptance, record defects and reservations, note the periods | Dated acceptance record, defect list, reservations |
| After acceptance | Supervise the remedying of defects during the warranty period, list the periods per contractor | List of periods, notices with proof of receipt, sign-offs |
The wording of the basic services is in HOAI Annex 10.1, service phase 8. The duties as a checklist to tick off are in the article on service phase 8, as PDF and Word.
Local construction supervision for engineering structures and transport infrastructure
For bridges, tunnels, roads or sewers, service phase 8 is called Bauoberleitung, the overall supervision of the works (HOAI Annexes 12 and 13). Whoever supervises on site there provides örtliche Bauüberwachung, local construction supervision, as a special service that is commissioned and paid for separately. At its core these are the same activities as in building construction: supervising the work on site, keeping the site diary, taking part in quantity measurement and attending acceptances. The difference is in the contract. The documentation is the same: here too, what was checked has to be evidenced with date and location.
What legally distinguishes site supervision, construction supervision and building control, and what the site supervisor is liable for, is covered in the neighbouring article.
Which software suits construction supervision?
One that lets the four kinds of evidence from the table come about in the same place while the work is going on. Six criteria decide that.
- The plan as the order of thingsDefects, photos and site walks are located on the floor plan, in the BIM model where needed. “Ground floor, back left” is no longer enough six months later.
- Site diary in the same systemDaily report and defects sit in one project file. If they sit in two systems, everything is entered twice and, in a dispute, searched for twice.
- Defects with deadline and addresseeEvery defect carries a responsible party, a deadline and a status. The contractor gets access of its own, free of charge, and marks the defect as fixed there.
- Photos with location and timeEvery capture carries a timestamp and a position on the plan. 360° captures from the helmet record whole floors before building elements are closed up.
- Offline in the shellCapture without a signal, synchronise later. In the basement and in the stairwell, that is the normal case.
- Servers in Germany and periods that run for yearsThe data is stored on servers in Germany, and the warranty periods per contractor keep running in the system long after the project team is working elsewhere.
Which vendors describe which of these on their website is set out in the market comparison of ten vendors, with sources and date.
Construction supervision with Open Experience
Construction Defects, Construction Diary, Construction Photos and Construction Checklists form one project file per project: the site walk with defects on the plan, the daily report with readings from the weather station, photos with location and time, and the release before closing up as a checklist. The DIGIBAU 360 helmet camera captures whole floors in a single site walk. After acceptance, the warranty periods per contractor keep running in the same system. Site supervisors, general contractors and client representatives have been working with it since 2009.
Frequently asked questions
Which software suits construction supervision?
One that keeps site walks, the site diary, defects with deadlines and photos with location and time in one project file, works offline and carries the warranty periods on after acceptance. Open Experience meets these criteria and adds the 360° helmet camera; which other vendors describe what is shown in the market comparison, with sources.
What does construction supervision include?
Supervising the work for conformity with planning, contract and the rules of technology, the site diary, site walks with defect notices, releases before building elements are closed up, quantity measurement and invoice checking, schedule control, acceptance and supervising the remedying of defects during the warranty period.
Is construction supervision the same as site management (Bauleitung)?
In everyday speech yes, legally no. Construction supervision is the service the architect or engineer provides for the client under the HOAI. The construction manager under the state building code is responsible to the authority for compliance with public-law regulations, and the contractor's site manager runs the contractor's own work.
Who may take on construction supervision?
The HOAI does not require a particular professional title; architects and civil engineers are customary, and engineering firms for transport infrastructure and engineering structures. The construction manager under the state building code must have the necessary expertise and experience; the requirements are in the respective building code.
How often does the construction supervisor have to be on site?
As often as the work demands. Simple work is checked on a sample basis; supervision-intensive trades such as waterproofing, reinforcement or insulation are monitored closely, up to and including presence. What decides is the proof of what was checked when.
What does construction supervision cost?
For buildings, § 34 HOAI assigns 32 percent of the total fee to service phase 8. For engineering structures and transport infrastructure, local construction supervision is agreed separately as a special service, often by time spent or as a percentage of the construction costs.
Sources and legal basis
The legal statements in this article are based on the primary sources listed below. The article is not a substitute for legal advice in an individual case.
- HOAI, Annex 10: the wording of service phase 8 (site supervision)
- Section 34 HOAI: scope of services for buildings and interiors, share of service phase 8 in the fee
- HOAI, Annex 12 (engineering structures): Bauoberleitung and örtliche Bauüberwachung
- HOAI, Annex 13 (transport infrastructure): Bauoberleitung and örtliche Bauüberwachung
- VOB/B (2016 edition), official text of the German building ministry, Section 4: execution and the client's right of supervision
Supervise as before, prove it with a system.
45 minutes on your project: site walk, defect, deadline, daily report, once through the real workflow.