VEMAGS stands for German “Process Management for Abnormal Road Transports” (“VEerfahrensMAnagement für Großraum- und Schwertransporte") and is an internet-based application to execute the approx. 150 000 permit procedures p.a. with about 400 000 hearings for abnormal road transports. Typical examples are transports of transformers, wind energy plants, truck-mounted cranes, parts for industrial facilities or buildings, log, construction and agricultural vehicles, yachts or vehicles for fairs.

VEMAGS is funded by all 16 Federal German States ("Länder") with the State of Hesse as overall project manager and was implemented as an official e-government project under the national programme “Deutschland Online” in 2007.

Connecting about 6 000 parties, the online-based application processes the communications of applications, hearings and permits of about 3 000 applicants and 1 700 traffic or road-building authorities. For the first time ever, applicants enjoy 24/7 online access to their ongoing and past applications and permits, including status displays of the connected hearings at all authorities involved.

Hauliers, crane and construction companies have to register their abnormal transportation projects with their initial traffic authority. There the project's feasability is examined, often so in cooperation with additional relevant authorities like the police or German Rail (Deutsche Bahn) and every single road authority along the entire route of the transport. A decision can only be issued when all written statements of those have reached the initial permit authority. Application input as well as maintenance of business and vehicle master data is carried out by the applicant himself and remains completely in his responsibility. The application data is given online at the disposal of the authority. The authority examines and decides which additional authorities are to be involved in the permit process (along the submitted route) and initiates the necessary hearing assignments. The affected authorities can process them directly and parallely in real-time. Over 80% of these transports are transit transports, meaning their routes cross borders of different Federal States of Germany and therefore involve numerous authorities on different levels of administration. Only then if all hearing partners have submitted their consent statements and requirements, the initial authority can create and issue the formal permit, delivering it to the applicant electronically signed via internet.

Before VEMAGS, this procedure was based on fax and very time-consuming (14 days upwards), which was highly risky to cause major delays for hauliers, because their customer orders often have to be dealt with in short terms. This is one of the major reasons why 50% of transports are guessed to take place without any authorization. These illegal transports distort competition and are a serious threat to traffic safety.
Hauliers, crane and construction companies have to register their abnormal transportation projects with their initial traffic authority. There the project's feasability is examined, often so in cooperation with additional relevant authorities like the police or German Rail (Deutsche Bahn) and every single road authority along the entire route of the transport. A decision can only be issued when all written statements of those have reached the initial permit authority. Application input as well as maintenance of business and vehicle master data is carried out by the applicant himself and remains completely in his responsibility. The application data is given online at the disposal of the authority. The authority examines and decides which additional authorities are to be involved in the permit process (along the submitted route) and initiates the necessary hearing assignments. The affected authorities can process them directly and parallely in real-time. Over 80% of these transports are transit transports, meaning their routes cross borders of different Federal States of Germany and therefore involve numerous authorities on different levels of administration. Only then if all hearing partners have submitted their consent statements and requirements, the initial authority can create and issue the formal permit, delivering it to the applicant electronically signed via internet.

Before VEMAGS, tThis procedure was very time-consuming (14 days upwards) and based on fax, which was highly risky to cause major delays for hauliers, because their customer orders often have to be dealt with in short terms. This is one of the major reasons why 50% of transports are guessed to take place without any authorization. These illegal transports distort competition and are a serious threat to traffic safety.
VEMAGS stands for German “Process Management for Abnormal Road Transports” (“VEerfahrensMAnagement für Großraum- und Schwertransporte") and is an internet-based application to execute the approx. 150.000 p.a. permit procedures with about 400.000 hearings for abnormal road transports according to German Federal Road Traffic Ordinance. Typical examples are transports of transformers, wind energy plants, truck-mounted cranes, parts for industrial facilities or buildings, log, construction and agricultural vehicles, yachts or vehicles for fairs. VEMAGS is funded by all 16 Federal German States ("Länder") with the State of Hesse as overall project manager and implemented as an official e-government project under the national programme “Deutschland Online” in 2007. Connecting about 6,000 parties, the online-based application processes the communications of applications, hearings and permits of about 3,000 applicants and 1,700 traffic or road-building authorities.

Hauliers, crane and construction companies have to register their abnormal transportation projects with their initial traffic authority. There the project's feasability is examined, often so in cooperation with additional relevant authorities like the police or German Rail (Deutsche Bahn) and every single road authority along the entire route of the transport. A decision can only be issued when all written statements of those have reached the initial permit authority. Application input as well as maintenance of business and vehicle master data is carried out by the applicant himself and remains completely in his responsibility. The application data is given online at the disposal of the authority. The authority examines and decides which additional authorities are to be involved in the permit process (along the submitted route) and initiates the necessary hearing assignments. The affected authorities can process them directly and parallely in real-time. Over 80% of these transports are transit transports, meaning their routes cross borders of different Federal States of Germany and therefore involve numerous authorities on different levels of administration. Only then if all hearing partners have submitted their consent statements and requirements, the initial authority can create and issue the formal permit, delivering it to the applicant electronically signed via internet.

Before VEMAGS, tThis procedure was very time-consuming (14 days upwards) and based on fax, which was highly risky to cause major delays for hauliers, because their customer orders often have to be dealt with in short terms. This is one of the major reasons why 50% of transports are guessed to take place without any authorization. These illegal transports distort competition and are a serious threat to traffic safety.
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Policy Context

VEMAGS is an official e-government project under the national programme “Deutschland Online” and has been complying with the standards of the services directive since August 2007.

Description of target users and groups

VEMAGS serves about 6,000 direct participants, by connecting approx. 3,000 applicants (e.g. hauliers, crane and construction companies, armed forces) and approx. 1,700 traffic or road-building authorities on local, regional, state and federal level in Germany.


Transportation is a highly time-critical business, depending on efficient and transparent workflow-management, and on a reliable and accessable services of the cooperating administration and its authorities involved. In addition, efficient workflow management and transparency alike define the cornerstones eGovernment.<-->

Description of the way to implement the initiative

1. In 1998-2003, a first project group VEMAGS developped in cooperation with T-Systems a functional and technical specification concept. The resulting strategies were used to successfully organize and implement this very complex project.

2. Forming a sound project charter
The 16 Federal German States did not favor a PPP-model, so an administrative agreement was drafted that contained a scope of activities as well as the assignment of the federal state of Hesse as leading party and overall project manager.

3. Installing a sound project organisation matching the public sector’s needs
The project organisation is composed of the VEMAGS steering committee VEMAGS (representatives from all participating federal German states plus the federal government) as well as the project management team. Both project managers are members of the Federal State of Hesse Road and Transport Authority. This government agency is part of the administration of the federal State of Hesse, which is the leading party in the initiative and was assigned with its implementation and operations by the administrative agreement. The operational project management (Project Office) was given to a PMI and IPMA certified project management consultancy, MUT consult GmbH. It was important to focus on staffing the groups with functional representatives and not solely representatives from the IT-sector.    

4. Focus on necessary changes only
One fix basic condition was clear from the start: The new procedure is to support the existing processes and jurisdictions. Responsibilities are not to be modified. Modifications could lead to enormous risks and delays.

5. Integrate and manage stakeholders carefully and permanently
Because of the remarkable number of direct participants it was obvious that  integration and motivation of the stakeholders was the key to the project's success. Every state named a commissioner to support the acceptance, introduction in the particular state.

6. Keep it simple (-> Pareto rule!)
The administrative agreement VEMAGS divided the scope of services of the whole initiative in steps. The first step – VEMAGS procedure module (primarily focusing on workflow-managements) is now in operation.

7. Time to market
The implementation in steps and concentration on vital functions made it possible to call for tenders throughout Europe regarding the software-technical realisation after completing the initiating phase in the first quarter of 2006. The realization began in October 2006. Starting November 2006, the European call for tenders for technical operations was initiated as a competitive dialogue.Construction of the operational surroundings started in April 2007.
 
8. Preventive Action is the key
The high number of stakeholders as well as the novelties in procedure (countrywide integration of users in one work process, internet-based functional applications, electronic signature, provision of standard interfaces taking into account existing standards, consideration of federal safety standards) makes it necessary to permanently reflect on the project's progress in order to prevent problems through active risk management.

9. Implementation  -  Resources used for the initiative
Project resources were funded by the 16 Federal German States. The Federal State of Hesse acts as overall project manager.

Project Partners
•    Implementation Partner (software development): Steria Mummert Consulting AG
•    Project Management Partner: MUT consult GmbH
•    IT-Security Concept: Humpert & Partner Consulting GmbH

Technical Resources
Operational environment located in Frankfurt, Germany: Internet server, application server, fax server, interface, etc.

Human Resources
Project Implementation:
•    Steria Mummert AG: approx. 1,200 person days
•    MUT consult GmbH: approx. 500 person days

In addition to project partners:
•    Project Managers: approx. 400 person days (resulting from specific responsabilities of the Federal State of Hesse as leading partner of the initiative).
•    VEMAGS Steering Committee Members: approx. 400 person days
•    VEMAGS State Commissioners: approx. 500 person days

10. Sustainability
An Intergovernmental Administrative Agreement has proven a sound common basis for action and a pragmatic solution for inter-state projects of this kind. Additional modules to VEMAGS will be implemented on this basis. The use of the qualified electronic signature will further increase by its integration into VEMAGS. The chosen model of a central keeping of data serves as basis for the VEMAGS workflow management. This provides an easier and less error-prone way than usually used in inter-state projects, as it reduces the number of interfaces.

VEMAGS aims at further development, e.g. technical examination module, as well as an extended support along transport execution beyond application and permit procedures. Operational success and transparency of VEMAGS may soon lead to the creation of a federal road network basis – a tool needed most urgently in transport management.

Also, VEMAGS indeed is a real showcase for the implementation of the EU Services Directive: One central point of contact using e-government procedures is responsible for channelling and interacting communications with numerous stakeholders in an application and permit procedure, not just starting but closing the process as well.

11. Transferability
Transport management and logistics will continuously benefit from the experiences gained by developing and using VEMAGS. VEMAGS is front-runner in inter-state project management. Many experiences gained and strategies used are transferable to other projects of any comparable scale or setting.

This technical solution can be applied directly into any other comparable application and permit procedures. Many transports cross borders within EU - thus it appears adequate to develop common standards for application data processing based on VEMAGS.

Technology solution

Technology choice: Standards-based technology, Mainly (or only) open standards

Main results, benefits and impacts

Time & Cost Saving :
VEMAGS cut half the average processing time by putting an end to time-consuming media changes and redundant work steps between fax, email and local software applications. Fewer work steps, reduced costs for paper (telefax) and phone calls and no software purchase and update costs for businesses using the application, as it is online-based.

Transparency and Service-Orientation of the Administration:
Processing the application via the internet enables authorities as well as applicants to check on the status of the application procedure at any time. The reduction of non-permitted transports will decrease current distortions of competition in the transportation business.

Increased Traffic Safety:
Processing the application via internet enables authorities to react quickly and effectively to particular incidents such as route changes, unanticipated construction sites, etc.) relating to the applicant and the driver. This ensures the accomplishment of the transport as well as enhancing safety for other participants in traffic. Like this, also the conversation of infrastucture investments (buildings and constructions) is supported.

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Return on investment

Return on investment: Larger than €10,000,000

Lessons learnt

• With inter-state projects, the role and responsability of the Project Owner must be sharply defined and consistently established. The project scope of inter-state projects must be paid particluar attention to.
• Designing a budget prior to the project start is vital. Preparing and planning that lead to the project is significantly longer than the time needed for realisation.
• Professional Project Management is a must and the decisive factor of success. With inter-state projects, the effort spent on project management tends to be higher than the effort spent on development.
• It is insufficient to call for bids in a general contractorship.
• A sound functional solution is necessary, but not sufficient for the project's overall success.
• Professional Stakeholder Management and Active Acceptance Management are vital.
• Transparency throughout the process is necessary regarding the multitude of change requests.
• Admniistrations are reliable partners with high concern for safety and security, resulting in low "entrepreneurial" readiness to assume risks.
• Excellent starting conditions, such as in the Federal State of Hesse, are essential.
• The stabilisation of the production environment must be incorporated as a project phase.
• "Keep it simple": The first step of implementation needs to focus on workflow management. Memoranda, inquiry calls etc. are simple but useful functions. The system remains largely intuitively usable and does not develop into an experts-only system.
• Technical IT shall be a key partner, but not be assigned with leading project management. Otherwise, professional experts often feel left out and might tend to block further progress of the project.
• Use time-to-market strategy when dealing with government and private organisations.

Reflections on Lessons Learned – Preventive Action is the Key. Checking on project status in a weekly “Jour Fixe” including the entire project team, the actual state of the project was being reflected on and best-suited solutions were identified and discussed. Additonally, this was done more extensively in workshops of 1-2 days every three to four months. Thus critical situations could be identified, and avoided or immediately tackled.

Scope: Cross-border, International, Local (city or municipality), National, Regional (sub-national)