By Ole Gunnar Honningsøy — Strategic Advisor at Elektroforeningen (EFO) and Project Manager at Byggstand

The BEAst standard (Bygg- og anleggsnæringens Elektroniske Standard — the Building and Construction Industry’s Electronic Standard) has been developed to streamline information flow in construction projects through digitisation and standardisation of documents and processes. Despite clear benefits, implementation in many Norwegian companies has been slow. Why?

What is BEAst?

The BEAst standard includes a range of digital document formats and processes for, among other things, ordering, delivery, invoicing, and product information. It is designed to ensure traceability, reduce errors, and improve collaboration between actors in the value chain. The BEAst standard with climate data in invoices is available in its latest version 2 on Byggstand.

The benefits are clear

• Efficiency: Automated processes reduce manual work and errors.
• Traceability: Products and deliveries can be tracked throughout the entire value chain.
• Sustainability: Improved visibility provides a basis for more environmentally friendly choices.
• Cost savings: Less time spent on manual documentation and fewer errors lead to lower costs.

New requirements: Climate data in the invoice message.

An increasing number of contractors and clients now require that climate data — such as the CO2 footprint per product or delivery — be included in the invoice message. This is part of the industry's broader push for carbon accounting and environmental reporting.

The BEAst standard supports this through extensions to the invoice format, but many suppliers are not ready to provide such data. This creates a new layer of complexity in the implementation.

Examples of climate data that may be required:

• CO2 equivalent per unit: e.g. XX kg CO2 per m² of gypsum board.

• Transport emissions: Emissions associated with transport from the manufacturer to the construction site.

• EPD-referanse (Environmental Product Declaration): Lenke eller ID til miljødeklarasjon for produktet.

• Material content: Proportion of recycled material or renewable raw materials.

• Energy used in production: e.g. kWh per unit produced.

BEAst Supply 4.0 is a digital standard developed by BEAst (Byggbranschens Elektroniska Affärsstandard) and has been fully adapted to the international Peppol network.

Peppol (Pan-European Public Procurement On-Line)

Peppol is a network and infrastructure for electronic document exchange, primarily used for invoices, orders, and delivery notifications, and is based on ISO standards.

The integration between BEAst Supply and Peppol:

• Simplifies connectivity between parties: You only need one connection to the Peppol network to communicate with all other parties, instead of separate integrations.
• Supports international trade: Norwegian product numbers such as NOBB, NRF and EFO are approved as international standards and can be used in Peppol for electronic invoicing. In Norway this is better known as the EHF invoice, and the implementation methodology is aligned with DFØ (the Norwegian Agency for Public and Financial Management).
• Increased traceability and efficiency: Electronic commercial documents provide better control and traceability of deliveries and reduce transaction costs..
• The Ministry of Finance has issued a consultation paper in which the Norwegian Tax Administration (Skattedirektoratet) has examined introducing mandatory digital bookkeeping and e-invoicing for businesses required to keep accounting records in Norway. Peppol and the EHF standard are highlighted here as tools to achieve this: Consultation – Mandatory digital bookkeeping and e-invoicing between businesses – regjeringen.no

In short: BEAst Supply 4.0 + Peppol = a common digital platform for efficient and traceable collaboration in the construction industry, both in Norway and internationally.

Several stakeholders are taking the lead.

Although implementation is generally progressing slowly, several actors have come a long way. Companies such as Neumann Bygg, Gausdal Landhandleri, Optimera, Ahlsell, Bygger’n, EA Smith Stål, 7Steel (Celsa), Unicon, Schwenk, Mestergruppen (XL-Bygg og Byggtorget bedrifter), Byggma, as well as several firms from the timber and building‑materials sectors, have either already implemented BEAst solutions or are in the final phase of including climate data in their invoices.

These actors show that it is possible — and necessary — to take action now. They help set the standard for the rest of the industry and provide valuable experience that others can learn from.

Why is progress still so slow?

1. Complex value chain: Many small and medium-sized actors with varying levels of digital maturity make coordination challenging.
2. Lack of competence and resources
   It requires investment in both technology and training to meet new requirements.
3. Resistance to change
   Entrenched routines and manual processes are difficult to change without a clear benefit.
4. Technological fragmentation
   Different systems and platforms make seamless integration challenging.
5. Voluntariness and lack of requirements. When requirements for BEAst and climate data are not set by the top of the value chain, they become a lower priority.

The way forward: Focus on doors and windows.

As part of the strategy for wider implementation, a dedicated project for the product areas doors and windows will now be initiated. This area was chosen because:

• High volumes and complex deliveries.
• Requires precise product information and traceability.
• Has significant potential for climate data and EPD integration.

The project will help develop and test the functionality of the BEAst standard in practice, and create templates and best practices that can be used by the entire industry.

In the door and window industry, the system supplier CalWin is widely used as a platform, and the project will be a value chain initiative in the construction industry involving manufacturers using CalWin, CalWin as the system provider, and the customers of the manufacturers, such as wholesalers and contractors.

Conclusion

The BEAst standard is a key tool for digitizing and making the construction industry more sustainable. However, to realize the full efficiency potential—including requirements for climate data—the entire industry must work together. The projects within doors and windows, along with the efforts of leading actors who are already underway, show that the path is possible—and that the future is digital.