AI helped Bodø Municipality win a 30 million NOK construction dispute

After multiple court proceedings, Bodø Municipality prevailed in a dispute involving the completion of Mørkvedbukta School and Kindergarten. Artificial intelligence proved instrumental in demonstrating that facility documentation standards were inadequate.

The school and kindergarten facility was originally scheduled for completion in autumn 2021. When officials withheld occupancy approval, Bodø Municipality declined to accept the building. The municipality contended the FDV (Facility, Design, and Ventilation) documentation provided fell short of requirements.

Documentation Expertise Gaps

During the initial district court hearing in spring 2023, the municipality failed to establish that documentation was incomplete. “You need specialized knowledge to assess whether all required documentation was actually delivered,” explained Sissel Olga Pettersen, project manager at Bodø Municipality.

She attributes the district court’s unfavorable ruling to insufficient expertise in this technical domain.

Appeal Strategy Using AI

When the contractor appealed, the municipality appealed the FDV documentation inadequacy to the appellate court, engaging Findable—a Norwegian AI startup specializing in FDV documentation management—to analyze what was truly delivered.

Findable generated a deficiency report offering visual documentation of how much had been delivered and approved at four distinct project phases. The AI analysis revealed submitted materials failed to meet standards. “Operation manuals for heating and ventilation systems contained no usable information,” Pettersen noted.

Manual review would have required examining approximately 12,000 documents—“not feasible,” she emphasized.

The Verdict

The appellate court ruled in favor of Bodø Municipality, validating their position that the documentation was indeed inadequate. The AI-powered analysis provided the technical expertise and evidence needed to demonstrate the shortcomings that were difficult to prove through traditional means.

Strengthening Future Requirements

Reflecting on the case, Pettersen advocates for stricter building owner oversight. Norwegian Standards compliance and continuous documentation monitoring throughout construction could prevent similar issues, she concluded.

Key Takeaways

This case highlights several important lessons for the construction industry:

• Technical expertise matters: Documentation standards require specialized knowledge to evaluate properly
• AI as an expert witness: Technology can provide objective analysis at a scale impossible for manual review
• Prevention over cure: Continuous documentation monitoring during construction prevents disputes
• Standard compliance: Following Norwegian Standards and regulatory requirements protects all parties

The 30 million NOK ruling demonstrates that proper documentation isn’t just a bureaucratic requirement—it’s a fundamental aspect of construction project delivery that can have significant financial implications.