CCTB, VMSW or QUALIROUTES: which applies
By the ArchiMind teamUpdated on
Three texts, and one question that matters
Belgium does not have a single standard specification. It has several, and three of them reach an architect's desk: the CCTB, the Bouwtechnisch Bestek Woningbouw — still called the VMSW specification by everyone — and QUALIROUTES.
They do not compete. They cover different domains and come from different authorities. The question is therefore not which text is best, but which one governs the project in front of you, and where that is written down.
The nature of the works comes before the region
The first split is not geographic. It is about what you are building.
A building falls under the CCTB in Wallonia and under the Flemish text in Flanders. A road, a sewer or an engineering structure falls under QUALIROUTES in Wallonia: a different text, from a different directorate of the Public Service of Wallonia, with its own numbering and its own measuring clauses. Beware a common confusion: the surroundings of a building do not fall to QUALIROUTES by default. The CCTB covers them in its tome 9. A mixed contract may cite both texts, but the split is the one written in the contract documents, not one the nature of the works decides on its own.
The region comes second, and mostly explains the language and the issuer.
Where: Wallonia, Flanders, Brussels
In Wallonia, buildings refer to the CCTB, published by the Public Service of Wallonia. Edition 01.13 was published on 17 March 2026. The text is organised in tomes, then sections, titles, sub-titles, chapters, articles and line items.
In Flanders, the building reference is the Bouwtechnisch Bestek Woningbouw. The official Flemish government page describes it as the model specification of Wonen in Vlaanderen. It is written in Dutch and organised in ten parts numbered 0 to 9. The profession still calls it the VMSW specification: in 2023 the staff and part of the tasks of the Vlaamse Maatschappij voor Sociaal Wonen moved to Wonen in Vlaanderen, while the VMSW continued with its financial tasks. The name stayed, the authority changed.
In Brussels, there is no regional technical corpus equivalent to the CCTB, so the CCTB serves as the everyday technical reference, completed by the regional sustainable building guide for environmental clauses. Brussels contracting authorities do publish their own model specifications: the SLRB issues SLRB/MT2026 for the open procedure. Those models govern the procurement rather than the technique, and they sit on top of the technical reference rather than replacing it.
The table
| CCTB | Bouwtechnisch Bestek Woningbouw | QUALIROUTES | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Issuer | Public Service of Wallonia | Wonen in Vlaanderen | SPW Mobilité et Infrastructures |
| Domain | Buildings | Buildings | Roads, sewers, engineering structures |
| Region | Wallonia, and the everyday reference in Brussels | Flanders | Wallonia |
| Language | French only | Dutch only | French |
| Structure | Tomes, then sections, titles, sub-titles, chapters, articles, line items | Ten parts, 0 to 9 | Chapters named by a letter |
| Edition | 01.13, of 17 March 2026 | Named by the contract | Updated each January; edition of 1 January 2026 |
The two building texts describe the same trade without being aligned. The numbers do not correspond, the articles are cut differently, and the measuring clauses do not always count the same way. That is why a practice library built on one of them does not transpose onto the other.
Four situations
Renovating a building for a Walloon municipality. The CCTB, in the edition the contract names. Check that the special specification actually names the edition, and that the bill of quantities follows the measuring clauses of the text cited.
A housing project in Flanders. The Bouwtechnisch Bestek Woningbouw, in Dutch. Check that the client really works on that text, which is not automatic outside social housing, and which version the contract names.
An office building in Brussels. The CCTB as the technical base. Check which model specification the contracting authority imposes, the environmental clauses, often referred to the regional sustainable building guide, and the language expected.
A road and its sewer in Wallonia. QUALIROUTES. Check that any building part of the same contract stays under the CCTB, with its own numbering, and that each part cites its own edition.
The contract documents decide
The region and the nature of the works tell you which text is likely. They do not tell you which text is mandatory.
The reference that applies, and its edition, are named by the client in the special specification. That is where the answer is read, and nowhere else. An obligation can also come from a subsidy, from the contract, or from a contracting authority that imposes its own model.
Two habits avoid most of the trouble. Read which text and which edition the contract names before you open the first article. And when the document does not say, ask the contracting authority rather than infer it.
In ArchiMind
ArchiMind supports the CCTB, the VMSW referential and QUALIROUTES for starting projects. Your own templates are created on the CCTB; on the other two referentials that is not possible yet. For roads, the derogation mechanics the trade works by are being built: the QUALIROUTES page says where each part stands. Choose the text your contract names: each reference keeps its own numbering, levels and drafting conventions. The Flemish text retains its Deel, Hoofdstuk, Sectie and Artikel levels, for example.
The project tree, selected articles, attached bill of quantities and readiness checks stay together in the same workspace. Choosing a reference does not replace checking the applicable edition and reviewing the clauses specific to your project.
What to remember
The domain decides before the region. Buildings and roads share neither the same text nor the same numbering. The CCTB is French, the Flemish text is Dutch, and neither is a translation of the other. And whatever the logic suggests, the special specification is what names the reference and its edition.
Further reading: the CCTB explained in full, the VMSW specification, QUALIROUTES, and the definitions of CCTB, specification, the VMSW reference and QUALIROUTES.
Sources and references
Frequently asked questions
Does the CCTB exist in Dutch?
No. The CCTB is published in French only, and there is no official Dutch or English edition. A Dutch-speaking project that wants a reference text in its own language uses the Bouwtechnisch Bestek Woningbouw instead. That is a different document, written in Dutch and issued by a different authority.
Is the Flemish specification a translation of the CCTB?
No. They are two separate documents from two different authorities, with their own content, their own numbering and their own update cycle. An article of the CCTB has no direct counterpart in the Flemish text, so translating numbers from one to the other does not work.
Does QUALIROUTES cover road works across Belgium?
No. QUALIROUTES is the Walloon standard specification for roads, sewers and engineering structures, issued by the Public Service of Wallonia, and it governs Walloon contracts. For road works elsewhere the contract documents and the contracting authority name the text that applies, so do not assume QUALIROUTES outside Wallonia.
Which reference applies to a building in Brussels?
The CCTB is the everyday reference for buildings in the Brussels region, often completed by the regional sustainable building guide for environmental clauses. As everywhere, the special specification decides: read which text and which edition it names before you start drafting anything.
Can one specification cite two references at once?
It happens on mixed contracts, a building and a road for example, but each part then cites its own text and its own edition. Mixing two numbering systems inside one lot makes the document unreadable on site and creates arguments when the bill of quantities is checked.
How do I know which edition to cite?
The edition that applies is the one the contract names, and it stays applicable until the works are accepted, even if the issuer publishes a new one meanwhile. If the contract documents do not state it, ask the contracting authority before drafting rather than after tenders are in.