The surveyor surveys. FOSS does the paperwork.
From nomination to every report and document in one system. Everything a cargo inspection needs comes straight out of it. Your surveyors enter everything once and your client follows progress themselves. No more retyping between Excel, Word, email and WhatsApp.
Built together with Intertek · admin per tank down from 8 hours to 2
Office work for work that is already done.
On board.
Ullage, temperature, density, tank number: noted in Excel on a laptop on deck, on paper, or in a message or email to the office.
At the office.
The same values typed in all over again: into another tab, into Word, into the PDF. Every handover costs time and is a chance for a typo.
On the phone and in the inbox.
The client calls, messages and emails: how far along are we, and when will the reports arrive?
And one error on a cargo can mean a protest, demurrage and late payment.
How it worksHow FOSS solves it: three steps, from nomination to report
Nomination
Client or officeThe client enters the nomination in FOSS, or your office does, with cargo, terminal, vessel, B/L weight and ETA, among other things. The contract type (FOSFA or GAFTA) follows from the cargo. The office assigns a surveyor and can reassign.On board
SurveyorMeasurements per tank, samples, photos by category (tanks, seals, damage, documents) and the timeline: arrival, connected, start, finished, disconnected. Data entry works without a signal too; everything syncs as soon as there is a signal again. FOSS calculates the tonnes and the outturn.Documents and client portal
FOSS → clientNine report types from the same entry: discharge report, weight certificate, sampling report, photo report, LCI, B/L report, cleanliness report, protest and Water & Quality Protocol. In your house style, from draft to final to signed. We build extra report types, in your house style, from the same entry. The client follows progress in the client portal and automatically gets an email at the start, when the times are known, when the reports are ready and at the end.
Built around how the work really happens
Offline on board.
No signal on deck? Data entry simply carries on; everything syncs as soon as there is a signal again.
Calculation methods built in.
Density correction, tonnes, loadport vs arrival and outturn. The calculation methods are built in, following the standards commonly used in the sector.
Outturn and protest.
Outturn per shore tank, tank barge, road truck or tanker, against the B/L weight. More than 0.5% short? FOSS flags it and drafts the letter of protest.
Samples through to result.
Taken, sealed (seal number required), dispatched, in analysis, result received as a PDF.
Client portal and automatic email.
The client follows the timeline and documents themselves and automatically gets an email.
Assignment and overview.
The office assigns a surveyor per nomination and can reassign. All running nominations in one overview, including on a wall screen.
Reports in your house style.
Nine report types from the same entry, with your logo and colours on every report. From draft to final to signed.
Who changed what.
FOSS records who changed what and when on a nomination, with the old and the new value, and also assignments, status changes and reports.
The nine report types
- discharge report
- weight certificate
- sampling report
- photo report
- LCI
- B/L report
- cleanliness report
- protest
- Water & Quality Protocol
Interface in Dutch and English. Missing a report type? We build it for you, in your house style, from the same entry.
Built together with Intertek
Developed with the sector specialist in our own team: 25 years in the port, 20 of them as a cargo surveyor, who keeps building FOSS with us. You notice it in the details: the steps on board, the protest threshold, the way a surveyor really works.
“We expected a software project of a year or two. Within a few months there was a working system. Before, we only worked with Excel; now the administrative work per unit goes from eight hours to two. With five to ten units per ship, that adds up quickly. And just as important to us: our data is well protected and everything is properly arranged legally.”
Also for a smaller company: FOSS works for you too. We show you in a 30-minute demo, with one of your own jobs.
Whether you work with a handful of people or five hundred
FOSS is built for surveyors and inspection companies that survey agri-bulk: vegetable oil and dry agri-bulk, from tank measurement to draft survey and weighbridge. It is one system with one standard way of working. What it solves applies to a small company and a large one alike; in a large company, scale comes on top.
For surveyors and inspection companies
You run a survey company of 1 to 15 people, often in the family for years. You work with permanent surveyors, and with freelancers when it is busy. There is no IT department. Right now it all runs through Excel, Word, email and WhatsApp.
Live quickly, no IT needed.
We set it up for you. You install nothing: FOSS runs in the browser and as a web app on a tablet or phone.
Less messaging and emailing with the client.
The client follows progress in the client portal and automatically gets an email.
Predictable costs.
You know where you stand up front. No surprises per report.
Built-in calculation methods.
The calculation methods are built in, following the standards commonly used in the sector.
Reports in your house style.
Nine report types from a single entry. You set up your own house style: logo and colours on every report. No retyping in Word.
Who changed what.
FOSS records who changed what and when on a nomination, with the old and the new value, and also assignments, status changes and reports.
Works on board.
Data entry on board works even without a signal; everything syncs as soon as there is a signal again.
Larger companies with several branches
Even at large inspection companies, much of the work runs on Excel, Word and email, except that every branch does it its own way. Whatever applies to a small team applies to you too. Scale comes on top.
- One standard across all branches. The same way of working, the same calculation methods and the same reports in every branch.
- Start with a pilot. In one branch or department, so you see how it works before you roll it out more widely.
FOSS itself is not a member of, or recognised by, FOSFA or GAFTA.
FOSS is actively developed
With new features added continuously, and AI as the next step: the basics first, then AI on the platform. Operium also builds custom AI integrations on top of FOSS, so it takes even less time.
What we are working on
- A FOSS app for phone and tablet. FOSS now runs in the browser and as a web app.
- The previous cargo check inside FOSS itself. You can already try it on its own: previous cargo check
- Integrations: the ship's ETA, for example via MarineTraffic, with a notice before arrival, and delays per terminal or buoy, with the cause.
- AI: an assistant on your own procedures, and an AI agent that runs on top of FOSS, understands your workflows and carries out actions in them.
- EUDR: origin documents per batch in the client portal, for traders and producers.
The whole chain on one platform
FOSS is for inspection companies and their clients today. We also want to connect other chain partners, such as terminals, labs and shipping lines, with their own portal or an integration, built to fit their work. That way everyone in the chain works with the same data.
Are you a terminal, lab or shipping line? We would be glad to talk.
Get in touchAnother sector.
FOSS is built for agri-bulk, but the principle is broader: work done outside, on location, entered once, with the reports and the client following automatically. If you have a process like that, we build it for your sector. That is our trade: custom work where off-the-shelf software does not fit.
See what we build to order →Book a 30-minute demo
One nomination, from creation to report. Leave your details and we will find a time.
Do you work alone and handle a few nominations a month? Then Excel may well be fine. Read when Excel is perfectly fine →
Frequently asked questions
How do I know the calculations are right?
The calculation methods are built in, following the standards commonly used in the sector. If your Excel and FOSS give different results, that is a reason to check which of the two follows the standard. If you like, we will put the results side by side.
What is involved in switching?
At the start we help you set up your vessels, clients and house style. You install nothing: FOSS runs in the browser and as a web app on a tablet or phone. No IT department is needed. How long it takes, we discuss in the demo.
What happens to our data?
Clients, surveyors and the office only see what belongs to their role. We set out the processing in a data processing agreement.
Can FOSS also make our own report type?
Yes. We build extra report types, in your house style, from the same entry. You do not enter anything twice.
Is there AI in FOSS?
AI integration is in development. We start with the basics; AI on the platform follows. Operium also builds custom AI integrations on top of FOSS, so it takes even less time. We are happy to discuss that separately.
Does FOSS help with audits?
Yes. FOSS records who changed what and when on a nomination, with the old and the new value, and also assignments, status changes and reports. That lets you show how a report came about.
Does it work offline on board?
Yes. Data entry on board works even without a signal; everything syncs as soon as there is a signal again.
Can our clients follow along?
Yes. Clients follow progress, the timeline and the documents in their own client portal and automatically get an email.
Can I use my own house style in the reports?
Yes. You set up your own house style: logo and colours on every report.
Which cargoes?
Agri-bulk: vegetable oil and dry agri-bulk. No mineral oil or chemicals. Do you work with other commodities? We can build them into the platform for you.
What does it cost?
It depends on the number of surveyors, nominations and the reports you need. You know where you stand up front: in a demo we make it concrete, so there are no surprises afterwards.
Try it free first, then read up at your own pace
Want to see how we calculate first? These tools are free and need no account.
