Bartoš: The digitization of building management is being postponed to the next government

Prague – The completion of the construction permit digitization project has been postponed to the next government following today's decision by the cabinet. There is no guarantee of what form it will take or at what cost, said former Minister for Regional Development Ivan Bartoš (Pirates) today on network X. Bartoš resigned from the cabinet in September at the suggestion of Prime Minister Petr Fiala (ODS) due to problems with digitization, and the Pirates responded by leaving the coalition. The cabinet decided today not to continue the development of the current system; a newly created one is expected to be operational by 2028 at the latest.

The online systems launched in July were criticized by building authority staff and construction experts for deficiencies and missing functions. According to Minister of Transport Martin Kupka (ODS) and Minister for Regional Development Petr Kulhánek (STAN), they do not meet the expectations of users or legal requirements.

Bartoš stated that he has always aimed for the digitization of the construction process to be completed through a modern solution at an adequate and fair price. "Not for nearly two billion, which was the estimated cost of the original four contracts that I 'inherited' at the Ministry of Regional Development after Klára Dostálová (ANO)," he said. The project is expected to speed up construction permitting, reduce construction costs, and limit opportunities for corruption in the long term, he added.

The former minister and outgoing head of the Pirates also admits that the system has not yet matured to this stage. "The new systems have problems due to time pressure and complications in development that need to be gradually resolved. Before maximum comfort and efficiency for their users can be ensured, we wanted to relieve the authorities during this transition period," he stated.

The ministry, still under his leadership, worked on allowing authorities to temporarily use existing systems along with the new national system, Bartoš added. "The government is now building on this in a modified form. During this time, according to all available materials I had, it was possible to develop and complete the existing systems," he noted.

"Nevertheless, there is now talk of tendering a completely new agenda system with a finish by 2028," he pointed out. He appreciated that Kulhánek mentioned the possibility for the new supplier to build on the functioning foundations and elements of the current solution. "This would make sense both economically and timewise," he believes.

He is hopeful that at least the Builder's Portal, a document repository with records, and the Geoportal will continue. "However, the completion of the entire project is being postponed to the next government, so there is no guarantee that digitization will actually happen, in what form, or at what cost," he concluded.