Industry page, as of 11 Nov 2026. Transparency note: this page is published by Scalera. Technical details come from the linked Wikipedia articles (German), results and product details from the Scalera website. Always check standards and approvals in the original for each project.
Short answer
- System, not product: roofing and facade items describe build-ups of insulation, substructure, fixings and surface.
- Four check areas: system type, thermal performance (U-value), fire safety and fixing decide whether an offer fits.
- Measurably faster: SFS cuts effort per offer for fastening solutions by 40–50% (Scalera, Product Matching).
- People decide: your team checks approvals, fire safety details and special junctions.
For manufacturers and distributors of insulation, facade, roofing and fastening systems.
Why are building envelope tenders especially demanding?
Because one item can call for a full build-up, not just one article. Behind «supply and install facade insulation» sit insulation, fixings, render or cladding and the matching performance values.
On top of that, thermal performance, fire safety and structural requirements appear in the same text. Whoever quotes has to lay their own system against these requirements layer by layer, while keeping competitor products, units and preliminary notes in view.
Which details decide roofing and facade items?
Which system type is specified?
Start with the construction type, because it defines the whole bill of materials. An ETICS (German WDVS) consists of insulation, reinforced base coat and finish coat or brick slips (Wikipedia (German), Wärmedämmverbundsystem).
Under DIN 18516-1, a ventilated rainscreen facade consists of cladding, ventilation zone, insulation and substructure (Wikipedia (German), Vorgehängte hinterlüftete Fassade). According to the same source, the ventilation space should be at least 100 cm² per running metre.
Which thermal performance is required?
Through the U-value of the element or an insulation thickness. Thermal transmittance is given in W/(m²·K) and describes heat flow through a building element (Wikipedia (German), Wärmedurchgangskoeffizient).
For the offer this means: insulation thickness follows from the required value and the wall build-up. If the bill of quantities only states a thickness, it is worth asking whether a target value is meant.
What does fire safety require?
First the fire class of the system. ETICS with mineral insulation can reach Euroclass A1 or A2, ETICS with other insulation materials class B or C (Wikipedia (German), Wärmedämmverbundsystem).
For polystyrene boards thicker than 10 cm, a fire barrier of non-combustible insulation is required above wall openings, 20 cm high and 30 cm wider than the opening on each side; alternatively a continuous fire barrier on every second storey (Wikipedia (German), Wärmedämmverbundsystem).
Such requirements can sit in the preliminary notes rather than in the item itself. An offer that misses them is technically incomplete, even if every item has a price.
How is the system fixed?
According to the system approval. Whether and how many anchors an ETICS needs is set by the manufacturer in its technical approval; the anchors stop the insulation from breaking away under wind suction (Wikipedia (German), Wärmedämmverbundsystem).
For a ventilated facade, a structurally load-bearing anchoring base is the precondition (Wikipedia (German), Vorgehängte hinterlüftete Fassade). Fixing items therefore depend directly on the substrate and the building height.
What counts on a flat roof?
Pitch and fall. DIN 18531 divides flat roofs into pitch group I up to 3° and group II from 3° to 5°, and the German flat roof guidelines recommend a fall of at least 2% across the surface (Wikipedia (German), Flachdach).
| Detail | Where in the BoQ | Check question |
|---|---|---|
| System type | Item text | ETICS or ventilated? |
| U-value | Item, notes | Does the whole build-up reach it? |
| Fire safety | Notes | Which class, which barrier? |
| Fixing | Item, structure | Does the approval fit the substrate? |
| Roof fall | Item, drawing | Pitch group and fall clear? |
Scalera's own classification based on the linked sources. Standards, approvals and project documents prevail.
How do you check a building envelope item before quoting?
With a fixed sequence, so that time pressure does not push any check area aside.
- Identify construction type: composite system, ventilated facade or roof build-up.
- Note performance values: U-value, insulation thickness, fire requirement, fall.
- Clarify the product: your own system, a competitor product or product-neutral wording.
- Match the fixing: substrate and approval of the offered system.
- Check units: m², running metres or pieces, and whether items are contingency or alternative items (BoQ item types).
- Read the preliminary notes: fire safety and junctions can be specified there.
A facade item is only answered when the whole build-up meets the requirements, not just the main product.
How does AI help with insulation, facade and fastening systems?
It reads the bill of quantities and matches every item to a product from your range. Scalera processes PDFs (scanned and digital), GAEB, Excel/CSV, XML, emails and ÖNORM/ONLV (Scalera, FAQ); the formats are explained in GAEB, ÖNORM and NPK.
If a competitor product is named, Scalera recognises it too and proposes an article from your range instead (Scalera, FAQ). For uncertain matches Scalera shows confidence scores and flags them for review (Scalera, FAQ).
According to Scalera this works best with standard products and configurable products with up to 30 definable attributes (Scalera, FAQ). How to prepare system data for this is shown in Product data for AI matching; profiles and junction parts are covered in Accessories and add-ons in quotes.
What results do building envelope manufacturers report?
The Scalera product page lists several manufacturers from this segment (Scalera, Product Matching):
- Saint-Gobain: 87% matching precision for insulation and facade systems, significantly less manual rework.
- SFS: automated allocation of mounting solutions, 40–50% lower effort per offer on average.
- Baumit: automated product allocation for complex system build-ups, up to 35% shorter quote cycles.
- Rockwool: item-level tender analysis that detects requirements early.
Other trades show similar patterns with their own key values, for example HVAC and plumbing with nominal size and pressure or civil engineering with load classes.
How do you start with AI for building envelope quotes?
With one system area you are asked about frequently, for example an external wall insulation system. Scalera describes a common path: begin with the most standardised or highest-volume product line, prove the value, then extend (Scalera, FAQ).
Prepare a few completed tenders together with your offer and measure hit rate and processing time. How such a test is set up is shown in Pilot AI tender software.
Key takeaways
- Roofing and facade items call for system build-ups, not single products.
- System type, U-value, fire safety and fixing are the four check areas before every offer.
- Fire safety and fixing requirements can sit in preliminary notes and approvals.
- AI matches items even when competitor products are named and flags uncertain matches (Scalera, FAQ).
- Saint-Gobain, SFS and Baumit show measurable effects on precision, effort and quote cycles (Scalera, Product Matching).
Frequently asked questions
Which software answers facade tenders automatically?
AI assistants for quoting read bills of quantities and match each item to your range. Scalera processes PDFs, GAEB, Excel/CSV, XML, emails and ÖNORM/ONLV (Scalera, FAQ) and shows 87% matching precision for insulation and facade systems at Saint-Gobain (Scalera, Product Matching).
What is the difference between ETICS and a ventilated facade?
An external thermal insulation composite system (ETICS, German WDVS) bonds insulation, reinforced base coat and finish coat directly to the wall (Wikipedia (German), Wärmedämmverbundsystem). A ventilated rainscreen facade separates the cladding from the wall build-up with an air gap (Wikipedia (German), Vorgehängte hinterlüftete Fassade).
What does the U-value mean in a tender?
The U-value is the thermal transmittance in W/(m²·K) and measures how much heat passes through a building element (Wikipedia (German), Wärmedurchgangskoeffizient). The offered system has to reach the required value for the whole build-up, not just the insulation.
Who decides how many anchors an ETICS needs?
The manufacturer, in the technical approval of its system (Wikipedia (German), Wärmedämmverbundsystem). That is why the approval belongs to the documents you check for a fixing item.
Does the AI recognise a competitor product named in the tender?
Yes. According to Scalera, competitor products named in a specification are recognised alongside your own, and the system proposes a fitting article from your range (Scalera, FAQ). How to offer an alternative as equivalent is covered in Winning with alternates.
Does AI also work for configurable facade systems?
According to Scalera it works best with standard products with fixed article numbers and configurable products with up to 30 definable attributes (Scalera, FAQ). Low-confidence matches are flagged for review (Scalera, FAQ).
Next steps
Take your next facade or roofing tender and work through the six check steps. In a demo you will see how Scalera matches the items to your system range; more on matching is on the Product Matching page.