“Letter from the minister provides backing: exactly what the sector needs”

Minister Elanor Boekholt-O’Sullivan wrote a letter to Parliament about digitization in the construction industry. Full efforts will be made in this area. Pim van Meer also read the letter. He shares his enthusiasm in this special edition of his digital maze.

Let me start with something I don’t often write about so generously. Minister Elanor Boekholt-O’Sullivan’s letter to Parliament on digital and data-driven work in the physical living environment is fantastic.

That’s really fantastic.

So far, I’ve been very impressed by what this minister is doing and saying. I now quote her statement on the housing crisis almost every day:

If the housing shortage is a crisis, why isn’t anything being done about it?

Wonderful.

That’s not policy jargon. That’s administrative clarity.

And now there is a letter on digitization in construction and area development. A letter in which digitization is not dismissed as a technical tool, but is viewed as a transformation of the core process—a way to make better decisions, conduct assessments more quickly, reduce errors, and, above all, create process advantages.

That makes me happy.

Not just a little happy. Really happy.

To be honest, reading this letter sometimes felt as if someone had been rummaging through Pim’s digital maze. I’m not saying that the minister or her staff went through my columns with a digital think tank to neatly pull out everything that was useful from the thicket.

But if that’s the case: you’re welcome.

Anyone who has read my previous articles will immediately recognize the key points upon reading the letter: minimal information requirements, better commissioning practices, objectively measurable quality, digitization as part of the primary process, no wish lists, no non-binding pilots, and no requests for data without providing a process benefit in return.

For everyone who has been working on these issues for years, this letter is more than just a policy document. It is administrative confirmation.

For everyone who has long been trying to explain that digitization in the construction industry doesn’t start with software, but with agreements. With the need for information. With client leadership. With decision-making. With transparency. With the courage to say: this is what we need, right now, at this level of quality, in order to make this decision.

For that group, this letter is a victory.

So, kudos to Minister Elanor Boekholt-O’Sullivan. She provides direction, a clear message, and backing. Exactly what we need to get the sector moving.

But of course, this letter doesn’t mean the work is done. On the contrary. It’s only just beginning. Because The Hague still isn’t going to solve everything for us. Above all, this letter provides backing for the standard-bearers—the people who don’t want more data, but better decisions.

That’s important. Because we know that transparency is gentle on the surface but harsh beneath. As a result, there will always be people who feel offended. They try to dig in their heels because digitization changes—or even takes away—their excuses. And that can be painful.

With this letter in hand, we no longer need to let anything hold us back. Now it’s our turn to press forward and make progress on transparency, asking better questions, organizing more effectively, fostering a more honest dialogue, and improving communication.

Go ahead and share your counterargument. I’m curious to hear it.

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