OHLA is a global infrastructure leader operating across multiple continents with a focus on sustainable, high-quality developments. The company delivers world-class infrastructure projects while managing the complexities inherent in international construction operations, serving diverse communities through innovative engineering solutions.
Project Overview
OHLA's Dublin construction project exemplified the challenges of managing international construction teams where precision coordination across continents is essential. With 50% of personnel operating across different countries including Spain and greater Europe, the project required innovative approaches to maintain oversight and documentation standards.
Jaylan Jaftha, the site project manager overseeing this complex Dublin development, faced the challenge of coordinating distributed teams while maintaining constant site oversight. The project operated in Ireland's demanding regulatory environment, where documentation requirements, safety protocols, and contractor coordination standards require sophisticated management systems capable of providing detailed, time-stamped records of all significant site activities.
The distributed nature of OHLA's team structure presented unique advantages in expertise and cost-effectiveness, but also created challenges in maintaining unified oversight and consistent communication across multiple countries and time zones.
The Challenge: International Project Complexity
Claims Management and Financial Protection The construction industry's exposure to fraudulent and inaccurate claims creates significant financial risk for project owners. Without reliable documentation systems, contractors could submit inflated time claims, equipment damage allegations, or injury claims that project teams struggled to verify or refute.
"Delivery and standing time charges are prominent in the industry, which affected our site, as well as damage claims to personal and vehicles of up to €30,000 were issued to the site team," explains Jaylan Jaftha, Site Project Manager.
These disputes can result in either unwarranted payments or costly legal proceedings that consume significant management time and resources.
Remote Team Coordination and Oversight With 50% of the project team distributed across different countries, maintaining consistent oversight presented ongoing challenges. Traditional communication methods proved insufficient for providing the real-time visibility needed to coordinate activities, verify progress, and maintain security protocols across multiple locations and time zones.
"I would be flying around between different countries and I would always have Evercam on one of my three screens, able to see all work areas, check if concrete was being poured, see if gates are locked," notes Jaftha.
Measurement and Verification Accuracy Construction projects require constant measurement verification for materials, completed work areas, and billing purposes. Manual measurement processes consumed significant time and resources, particularly when requiring site visits for verification.
"It would probably take me about an hour to an hour and a half if I had to physically go out to site, with everyone approaching you, get to the top of everything, calculate everything, phone the supplier and state what is needed," describes Jaftha about traditional measurement approaches.
The time-intensive nature of physical measurements created bottlenecks in project workflow and increased costs associated with repeated site visits for verification purposes.
The Solution: Evercam's Multi-Application Platform
Comprehensive Claims Defense System Evercam's recording capabilities provided OHLA with detailed, timestamped documentation that proved invaluable for defending against fraudulent or inaccurate claims. The system enabled immediate investigation of disputed charges and incidents with precise visual evidence.
"I can say 'Hi, let's have a look on our Evercam system to confirm exactly how much time your truck was hanging around on site.' Then we can see snippet one time-stamped when he arrived, and snippet 2 confirming what time he left," explains Jaftha about the investigative process.
The platform's ability to provide specific timeframes and visual proof enabled rapid resolution of billing disputes and eliminated the basis for fraudulent claims. This capability proved particularly valuable in a high-stakes incident where detailed footage revealed the actual cause of a public injury outside the site, saving the client from a €30,000 injury claim.
Advanced Measurement and Verification Capabilities The platform's drone-enabled 360-degree measurement tools transformed OHLA's approach to site verification and quantity surveying, delivering dramatic efficiency improvements.
"The 360 drone gave us basically 98-97% accuracy to what the actual measurement would be when using a tape, but obviously this saves me from going up seven flights of stairs in the rain to measure with tape. I could just sit for a few seconds and then measure quickly on the screen," notes Jaftha.
"If my slab was approximately 300m³, I would maybe get 293m³ and then on the physical day, I would only need to measure that last two or three cubes to call off a final truck. I wouldn't necessarily need to measure the whole slab at the start."
This approach enabled rapid verification of square meter measurements for roads, landscaping, roof finishes, and slabs while maintaining exceptional accuracy. By using Evercam's measurements for bulk verification work and only requiring physical measurement for final precision confirmation, OHLA achieved dramatic time savings without sacrificing measurement reliability.
Real-Time Remote Project Management The platform provided continuous visibility into site activities, enabling effective management of distributed teams and maintaining security protocols. Multiple strategically positioned cameras provided comprehensive coverage of critical areas including gates, work zones, and material storage areas.
"I would always have Evercam on one of my three screens, and I would be able to see all work areas, check if concrete was being poured, see if gates are locked. I would always have it on my three screens or tabs," describes Jaftha about his multi-screen command center approach.
This real-time visibility proved essential for coordinating international teams and maintaining project oversight despite geographic separation. The system enabled immediate response to security concerns, work coordination needs, and progress verification requirements.
Integrated Security and Asset Protection Beyond project management applications, Evercam served as a comprehensive security system that provided evidence for investigating theft, unauthorized access, and equipment damage. The platform's recording capabilities enabled rapid identification of security breaches and provided law enforcement with actionable evidence when required.
Results: Substantial Financial Protection and Operational Gains
Significant Claims Defense Savings The platform's most substantial financial impact came through successful defense against fraudulent and inaccurate claims, delivering measurable returns that exceeded expectations.
"If I had to give a ballpark figure, I would probably say it saved us over €200,000, if not more. That's taking out the benefit of the measurements, taking out the benefit of the photos for commercial reasons. This number merely reflects our capacity to identify discrepancies between what may have been reported and what actually happened," estimates Jaftha.
The €30,000 fraudulent injury claim represents just one example of the platform's protective value. The system's ability to provide immediate, conclusive evidence eliminated the basis for claims while protecting OHLA and their clients from costly legal proceedings and unwarranted settlements.
Operational Efficiency Improvements The measurement capabilities delivered dramatic time savings by reducing verification processes from over an hour to under one minute. This efficiency gain across multiple areas throughout the project lifecycle generated substantial labor cost savings and accelerated project timelines.
The elimination of unnecessary site visits for verification purposes reduced travel costs, minimized work disruptions, and enabled project management resources to focus on higher-value activities.
Enhanced Project Control and Risk Mitigation The platform's comprehensive documentation capabilities provided OHLA with unprecedented project control and risk mitigation. Real-time visibility into site activities, combined with detailed historical records, enabled superior project oversight and rapid response to emerging issues.
Scalable Solution for International Operations The success of this implementation provided OHLA with a proven framework for managing complex international projects with distributed teams. The platform's capabilities align with OHLA's global operations and provide a foundation for consistent project management standards across multiple countries and project types.
Key Impact
€200,000+
Savings from claims defense
98%
Measurement accuracy compared to tape measure
50%
International team coordination across countries
As Jaylan Jaftha, Site Project Manager, summarized: "If I had to give a ballpark figure, I would probably say it saved us over €200,000, if not more. That's taking out the benefit of the measurements, taking out the benefit of the photos for commercial reasons. This number merely reflects our capacity to identify discrepancies between what may have been reported and what actually happened."
The estimated savings of over €200,000, combined with operational improvements in measurement accuracy and team coordination, demonstrate how strategic technology deployment can deliver both immediate financial protection and long-term operational advantages. The platform's ability to serve simultaneously as a claims defense system, measurement tool, security solution, and project management platform illustrates the evolving capabilities of construction technology.
For OHLA, this implementation validates the strategic value of investing in comprehensive visual documentation systems for complex international construction operations and provides a foundation for continued innovation in project management and operational efficiency. The success of this Dublin project provides a model for future implementations across OHLA's diverse project portfolio.
About Evercam
Evercam provides AI-powered construction camera solutions that enhance project oversight, improve safety monitoring, and streamline stakeholder communication. Our platform integrates with existing project management systems to provide comprehensive visual documentation and real-time visibility across construction projects worldwide.
