ClockWise: control over hours in complex construction projects with multiple contractors

Construction company Heijmans has been working with ClockWise for over ten years. “We use ClockWise on projects where we collaborate with fellow contractor companies,” says Leo de Cort, operations manager for process & environmental management at Heijmans’ infrastructure division.

Why ClockWise?
Especially in joint projects, it is crucial to keep a grip on hours, progress, and costs, without parties having to work in each other's systems. For Heijmans, that is exactly the reason to use ClockWise. “Each party works with its own system for time registration,” says Leo de Cort. In the past, this caused problems.
“We used Excel sheets where people had to fill in their hours every week. That was processed into a total sheet for the project, but it was very error-prone, time-consuming, and hard to control. ClockWise is the shared environment where all parties record and approve their hours, alongside their own systems,” De Cort explains. “You have short-cycle hour monitoring. It’s easier, faster, and more reliable.”
Anita Borst, co-owner and involved with ClockWise from the start, adds: “ClockWise is quickly deployable and scales easily, which fits well with the dynamics of complex projects. Our vision is that software should be easy and quick to deploy.”

Groundbreaking, even in the tender phase
For Heijmans, the added value is mainly in overview and speed. “We used ClockWise intensively during the A27 tender,” says information manager Cecile Mathijsen enthusiastically. “I found it quite groundbreaking to do that already in the tender phase.” In that early phase, it turned out that one shared environment helps to keep a grip on capacity, hours, and collaboration. According to Mathijsen, the system maintains an overview in complex situations. “You see faster where capacity is going and how hours are developing within such a project. That helps enormously in making choices.”

Complex projects, clear structure Borst also emphasizes the flexible configuration options “We support complex Work Breakdown Structures (WBS) in which you can assign rights and roles in a clear way. Approval is important. We’re talking about large amounts.”
That flexibility also works across organizational boundaries. “If multiple organizations are working on a project, you can precisely set which party has which role in the approval process,” says Borst. “Moreover, the system can soon be configured to support the construction collective labor agreement (CAO), think of the various allowances. ClockWise ensures the correct export.”

NEC4-ready: trust through transparency
ClockWise is also used by TM ROCO for the Oosterweel connection. “There, they work with NEC4, a new contract form to promote collaboration,” says Karel de Vos, also co-owner. “Risk management is important. With the audit trail in ClockWise, you limit the risk of ambiguity about what is being declared. All parties can see exactly what has been declared and why.”
“It’s about having one central truth for hours that are written and for information that is jointly built up. That creates trust between parties who sometimes meet for the first time on a project.”
ClockWise offers more than just time registration. “You can link rates to hours and get the financial picture,” says De Vos. “Not only entering hours, but also approval is recorded in that audit trail. For large projects, that significantly reduces risks.”
This way, you keep speed and control, even when several parties are working together on one project.