DEUTSCHE BAHN

QUICK & EASY ACCESS TO THE IDEAL FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT PARTNER

ABOUT DEUTSCHE BAHN

“Deutsche Bahn AG“ is wholly owned by the Federal Republic of Germany and combines a total of more than 600 subsidiaries. With annual sales of 39.9 billion euros, the company employs more than 322,768 people (as of 2020).

AT A GLANCE

CUSTOMER: Deutsche Bahn
INDUSTRY: Logistics, Mobility
PROJECT: Deutsche Bahn framework agreement tool 2.0
SOLUTION: Web application
TECHNOLOGIES: Kotlin/JS, Angular, PostgreSQL

RESULT IN BRIEF

THE CHALLENGE

Deutsche Bahn AG has been using the system programmed by us for performance and capacity queries for framework agreement call-offs since 2006/2007. In the framework agreements, the company regulates prices and delivery conditions for a defined catalog of services, e.g. Construction monitoring services, track planning or rail technology monitoring. Until 2019, the framework agreement families were managed in over 16 different RV tools, which have been integrated into an “umbrella application” over the years. In view of increased requirements, including those relating to ICT security, Deutsche Bahn AG was looking for a more efficient, standardized and modern solution.

THE SOLUTION

In 2019, Deutsche Bahn commissioned us to program the RV-Tool 2.0. N4 Leipzig was entrusted with the implementation and started the project in November 2019. Various requirements and UX workshops were held to ensure that the focus during development was on users and their actual needs. This quickly resulted in a prototype that realistically depicted the system and therefore provided a perfect template for development. Right from the start, the project was characterized by a remarkably good and cooperative partnership between all those involved – a key factor in the project’s success.

The result is a solution that combines efficiency and outstanding usability. Whereas previously communication with suppliers had to be by e-mail, the new system enables work without media disruptions. In September 2021, all framework agreement families were transferred from the old RV tool, meaning that it will no longer be used.

User acceptance and satisfaction are incredibly high. Deutsche Bahn employees can now access the new tool via the intranet and quickly request services and capacities from suppliers, thus determining the most cost-effective contractor. The system calculates billed services according to the Ordinance on Architects’ and Engineers’ Fees (HOAI). Every year, Deutsche Bahn conducts a customer or user survey on satisfaction with the IT applications for which the procurement department is responsible. The RV tool achieved an excellent result in this survey: Thanks to its user-oriented application development and good user support, the web solution came out on top of the 13 IT applications surveyed.The digital journey with Deutsche Bahn continues rapidly. The next project will be launched shortly: an intuitive cloud-based web application for digitizing contract awarding for architectural and engineering services. Implementing this so-called A+I tool is intended to significantly reduce the effort involved in tendering services for all parties, especially for purchasers.

The digital journey with Deutsche Bahn continues apace. The next joint project will be launched shortly: an intuitive cloud-based web application to digitize the awarding of architectural and engineering services. The implementation of this so-called A+I tool is intended to significantly reduce the effort associated with service tenders for all parties involved, especially for purchasers.