To prevent social fraud and increase safety on construction sites, the government imposes specific legal obligations. This brings a substantial amount of paperwork, which many construction companies struggle with on a daily basis. Thanks to Zen by Conneqtr, this is now a thing of the past. By digitally consolidating all related documents through a user-friendly cloud platform, both main contractors and subcontractors can quickly and efficiently transition to a paperless work environment. The tool can also be useful for project owners. We spoke with Swinnen, a general contractor and real-estate developer, which is getting value from it.

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Construction companies have long faced significant challenges in digitalization, administrative management, and process optimization. Projects are becoming increasingly complex — with more specific requirements and more subcontractors involved — where tight margins and strict deadlines have become more the rule than the exception. Efficiency is therefore an absolute must, both on-site and in the office. This is why Conneqtr was founded in 2021: to give digitalization in the construction sector a strong boost, with support from industry federation ADEB-VBA and seven major contractors. With Zen, this independent spin-off developed an innovative tool that significantly reduces the administrative burden on and around construction sites while ensuring the necessary compliance.

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Three fundamental pillars: smarter, safer and more efficient

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“Zen brings together technology, regulations, and collaboration in a single cloud-based platform that makes the construction sector smarter, safer and more efficient,” says Hendrik Van Putten of Conneqtr. “Social security, work declarations, Checkin@work, on-site attendance management… it’s all included, with seamless integration with common access control systems (Heras Mobile Fencing and Security, BauWatch, BetaGuard, Werfix, AllConnects, IQ Pass, APKIOSK…). At the heart of Zen is the web portal, where all the necessary documents for each active site are collected. On the construction site itself, the project managers can use a smartphone app to perform the required checks for attendance registration. This way, everyone has all the required documents immediately at their fingertips.”

It is a concept that clearly resonates, as by 2025 around five thousand construction companies are already using Zen, 15 to 20% of them operating internationally. “The platform is used daily in projects such as the Oosterweel construction site — 'the construction site of the century' — where it streamlines the complex administration of hundreds of parties involved. With new regulations on the horizon, such as stricter checks on illegal employment of third-country nationals under the Flemish Duty of Care from January 1, 2026, Zen proves its practical value. It ensures that our clients are fully prepared in advance.”

Streamlining and digitalizing business processes

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Since Zen was developed in close collaboration with several major (main) contractors, the tool quickly gained traction among industry leaders such as BESIX, Artes, Stadsbader, Denys, Litran, Wyckaert, Dethier, APK Group, Aertssen, Louis De Waele, Jan De Nul Group, and others. Smaller construction companies also benefit from it. A good example is Swinnen, a family business from the Kempen region founded in 1989, active in three segments: industrial construction, public works, and real-estate development.

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“For a construction company of our size, we have always been a frontrunner in digitalization,” says Jan Swinnen, who joined as a director two years ago. “The experience I gained previously at a globally active real-estate developer allowed me to further streamline and digitalize various business processes, from administration and costing to execution. Conneqtr’s Zen platform helps us tremendously with this. It not only saves us a lot of time by handling numerous administrative tasks, but it also enables us to ensure on-site safety much more precisely. The risk of violations and the associated heavy fines during site inspections and social audits has been significantly reduced, as our project managers can present all required documents immediately. Moreover, the implementation went very smoothly, so we are happy to rely on it.”

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Beneficial for both subcontractors and project owners

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Zen is not only very useful for main contractors but also for subcontractors. “From the start, our goal was to develop something for the entire construction chain. That’s why we actively involve subcontractors in this digital workflow,” emphasizes Hendrik Van Putten. “They are provided with a free web environment where they can manage documents and share them with main contractors with a single click — or even automatically if desired. We call this the Zen Action Center, because it sets everything in motion immediately and facilitates collaboration among all parties involved. This saves time and increases efficiency for everyone.”

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“This was the decisive factor for us to start using Zen,” adds Jan Swinnen. “The tool only makes sense if subcontractors are also willing to adopt digital document management. Initially, we were a bit skeptical, but when we learned that 60 to 80% of our subcontractors were already using Zen, we were quickly convinced. The more parties that join, the smoother and more efficient Zen makes the administrative process for everyone.”

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In addition to being a contractor, Swinnen is also a real-estate developer — a group that shows strong interest in Zen, Hendrik Van Putten notes. “Clients also see the advantage of using our platform to track all social and administrative responsibilities and obligations. By using Zen, Swinnen essentially kills two birds with one stone. We are confident that many more contractors and/or real-estate developers will follow their example in the near future. In addition, with Smooth, we offer an online platform where contractors and suppliers can exchange delivery notes digitally. This ensures a seamless and paperless delivery process. In this way, we are helping lay the much-needed foundations for a digital construction world!