AI is on every construction agenda, and its use is growing rapidly. In 2025, 33 percent of Dutch companies with 10 or more employees were using AI. In the construction sector, that figure was lower, ranging between 16 and 21 percent, according to Statistics Netherlands (CBS, February 2026). Ibis, a division of Aceve, is making that transition easier. Before the end of this year, Ibis will launch a new cloud-based cost estimation package designed to work in tandem with AI.
Why Companies Are Turning to AI
According to the Economic Institute for Construction (EIB), the construction industry will need approximately 75,000 additional man-years through 2029. AI can take over some tasks, but a cost estimate is the foundation for the project margin. An error in a quantity or markup carries over into the final accounting, and speed won’t help in that case.
The professional stays in control
“AI is changing everything about the trade, not the trade itself,” says Niels Poort, Product Owner for Ibis Solutions at Aceve. “Whoever prepares cost estimates, plans the work, or manages a project remains responsible for the outcome. That means you have to be able to explain where a figure comes from.”
What Ibis Calculeren Offers
Ibis Calculeren runs in the cloud, allowing everyone to work together on the same, up-to-date estimate. Through MCP—a standard that enables AI assistants to collaborate with software—AI can read, create, and adjust estimates. The estimation methodology remains the foundation. “The AI makes a proposal; the person doing the calculations makes the final decision,” says Poort. “That way, you save time without losing control over the outcome.”
What Management and Users Need
For owners and management, it’s all about margin control: you need to be able to trace any deviation from the budget. For those who do calculations every day, it’s about accuracy and saving time. “Excel calculates what you enter; Ibis calculates based on the system,” says Poort. “That also applies to AI: a result must be traceable.” Ibis has been developing cost estimation software for over 40 years, and more than 3,500 construction companies rely on it. Importing and exporting spreadsheets, as well as CUF imports, remain possible.
Ibis is participating in DigiBouw to talk with decision-makers and professionals about where AI belongs—and where it doesn’t. Stop by booth 02.C046 and see Ibis Calculeren with AI in action.
You’ll find Ibis in Hall 2, Booth C046
