The digitalisation of the investment and civil engineering process will commence this Monday. From that day on, all forms required for the civil engineering process may be downloaded and filled in at the e-budownictwo site (e-budownictwo.gunb.gov.pl) We also want to enable on-line submission of civil engineering documentation beginning in Autumn.  And at the end of the year - submitting civil engineering permit applications via the internet.

Online submission is going to be enabled for the following applications:

• construction works registration (apart from the registrations which must be submitted with a project),
• demolition permit,
• demolition registration, 
• application for transferring a decision on construction permit,
• application for transferring a decision on construction renewal permit,
• application for transferring the rights and obligations under the registration,
• notification of the planned commencement date of construction works,
• application to access to a neighbouring building, premises or a neighbouring property,
• application to change the use of a civil structure or its part,
• declaration on the right to administer the property for civil engineering purposes.

– From the beginning of the United Right's administration, our country – with regards to the digitalisation of public services – has went through a real revolution. We have disseminated the trusted profile – the number of trusted profiles has increased from approximately 400 thousand a few years ago up to over 5 million. Now, we can submit an online application for an identity card or register our address. Medical doctors can now issue electronic prescriptions and sick leaves. Currently, we can also check the number of penalty points or drive our cars without the need to keep a registration certificate. Soon, we will also be permitted to drive without the need for a physical driver’s license - says Deputy Prime Minister Jadwiga Emilewicz. 

She stresses: – Now it is the time to modernise the investment and civil engineering process. We are gradually moving towards the digitalisation of the investment and civil engineering process and leaving behind the excessive bureaucracy and the need to submit paper documentation to a relevant office. That is going to be particularly convenient for engineers, architects or investors. In addition - more importantly - these measures will allow for a faster construction of housing units or residential buildings in Poland.   

Deputy Minister Robert Nowicki explains: – The measures taken for the digitalisation of the investment and civil engineering process are a joint initiative of the Ministry of Economic Development and the General Office of Building Control. Our first step involves the introduction of the e-budownictwo portal.  Beginning on Monday, the initial 10 online forms will be available on the site. These forms can be filled online, printed, signed and submitted to the relevant public office. But this is just the beginning. In the Autumn, it is going to be possible to sign the completed form using the ePUAP platform using the Trusted Profile and submit it electronically without leaving home - using the e-budownictwo portal.

The acting deputy of the General Inspector of Building Control Dorota Cabańska points out: – The digitalisation of the civil engineering process aims to simplify and accelerate the activities implemented under the current procedures. The need for the digitalisation of another area of public administration was show by the lockdown imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Initially, the first ten forms are going to be made available online. We have invited the key stakeholders to participate in the digitalisation of the Polish construction industry, i.e. the construction business representatives, architects and engineers who have been testing and providing feedback on the individual solutions at the initial development stages.

- Digitisation in civil engineering is an idea which involves just the replacement of printed documents with their electronic counterparts; it enables the use of functional solutions in order to facilitate the administrative and civil engineering procedures. It is a necessary tool for designing, communication with public offices and supervision over the execution. The relevant, well-designed legal regulations will enable the jump towards the “digital civil engineering area.”  It is also necessary to establish a system to enable investors, designers and public offices to access the digital information sources on land or investments. The designers who, until now, had to share their time between designing and the need to finalise all formalities and complete the documentation, will be able to dedicate more time towards the quality of the designed architecture and spatial order - says Małgorzata Pilinkiewicz, the President of the National Council of the Chamber of Polish Architects.

She stresses: - The community of architects places great hopes on the digitalisation of investment procedures, including the administrative procedures, which is the natural consequence stemming from the common use of computers in the architectural process, and the electronic permit will supplement the activities carried out in such manner.

- The digitalisation in various areas of construction works continues to progress and it is not reversible. Today, we discuss administrative procedures in the investment and civil engineering process. The Polish Chamber of Civil Engineers takes this initiative as an important impulse for further and complex actions, which also relate to our professional practice. We will be happy to share our knowledge and experience with self-government in the current and the subsequent steps of the broadly understood digitalisation of Polish civil engineering - adds Zbigniew Kledyński, the President of the Polish Chamber of Civil Engineers.

What are the further steps in the digitalisation of the investment and civil engineering process?

The facilitations brought by the e-budownictwo portal are just the beginning.  The further steps of our initiative will include:

• introduction of a Digital Construction Logbook;
• new electronic, central register of persons who hold building qualifications;
• investor’s account on the e-budownictwo portal;
• enabling – by the end of the year – completely electronic submission of a request for a construction permit, by attaching all required documents and signing them using the trusted profile. 

For instance, 99 833 permits were issued for single-family homes and 5 301 permits for multi-family buildings. Until now, each submitted application had to be physically processed by an officer. This is going to change after the introduction of our solutions. This is also going to be a great facilitation for the officers who struggle with excessive work.

What are the benefits of the digitalisation of the investment and construction process?

The requests for the digitalisation of the constructions process have been raised by numerous representatives of the construction business. That need was also exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic.

These activities are going to be enabled through amendments of legal regulations. The draft of the new regulations was accepted by the government last Tuesday and is now awaiting the approval of the Sejm. The amendments pertain to the Building Law included in the so-called social section of the residential package.

Simultaneously, the existing - paper form - of the documentation submitted to the civil engineering authorities will also be accepted. Each person will have the right to choose if they wish to contact the authority by electronic means or on paper.