In short. We analysed 905,501 records of direct awards published in SEAP for Q3 2026 and kept 3,709 awards relevant to cadastre, topography, measured surveys and photogrammetry. Public authorities buy measured surveys at a median of RON 6,060, cadastre services at RON 4,300 and topography at RON 5,000, excluding VAT. The term “3D laser scanning” appears explicitly in two records in the whole sample. In the sample analysed, documentation of existing buildings for strengthening projects appears mostly as part of wider design contracts (DALI, DTAC), not as a separate purchase.
Why we did the analysis
When a designer or an administration asks us for a quote to document a building, the first question is “how much does it usually cost”. For the private market there is no public data. For the public market there is: SEAP publishes all direct awards, and data.gov.ro releases them quarterly. We read all of those from Q3 2026 and extracted what concerns measuring buildings and land.
Methodology
- Source: data.gov.ro, the “Achiziții publice 2026” dataset, the file “Achiziții directe, trimestrul III 2026” (direct awards, July–September), plus the file “Contracte, trimestrul III 2026” (contracts) for procedures.
- 905,501 = the number of records in the direct awards file. 3,709 = the awards kept after filtering and deduplication (the file contains each award twice).
- Filter: CPV codes in families 7135 (topography, cadastre, cartography, geodesy), 7125 (architecture, engineering and surveying), 7122 (design), plus any award whose title contains “topografic”, “cadastru”, “releveu”, “fotogrammetrie”, “ortofoto”, “scanare laser”, “LiDAR”.
- Excluded: CPV 79999100-4 “scanning services”, which in practice means scanning documents, not 3D scanning (65 awards).
- Values are those declared in SEAP, in RON, excluding VAT. Median and quartiles are calculated on the deduplicated awards.
- Limitations: direct awards are capped at RON 270,120 excluding VAT for goods and services (Law 98/2016, art. 7); large works go through procedures and appear in the contracts file, not here. Titles are written freely by the authorities, so some measured surveys may be recorded under “cadastre” or “topography” without the word “releveu”.
Results: what the state pays in Q3 2026
| Category | Awards | Total (RON) | P25 | Median | P75 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cadastre (CPV 71354300-7) | 1.297 | 20.99 m | 2.000 | 4.300 | 13.150 |
| Topography (CPV 71351810-4) | 907 | 16.47 m | 2.500 | 5.000 | 16.800 |
| Measured survey (title contains “releveu”) | 51 | 0.90 m | 1.900 | 6.060 | 14.350 |
| UAV / orthophoto / photogrammetry | 15 | 1.25 m | 6.000 | 53.719 | 124.032 |
Of the 3,709 awards, 162 were funded from EU funds.
In the contracts file (procedures, not direct awards), cadastre has 313 contracts in the quarter and topography 11. Large systematic cadastre and infrastructure works go to tender; building measured surveys rarely appear as separate procedures in the contracts file analysed.
What a measured survey bought by the state looks like
Some direct awards from the quarter, as they appear in SEAP (values excluding VAT):
- County hospital, measured surveys for several wings and land register update: RON 30,200.
- County council, measured surveys for a museum complex: RON 47,832.
- Commune, architectural measured survey and 3D modelling for a building: RON 26,880.
- Town, measured surveys for six properties: RON 68,200.
- Commune, measured survey for an apartment block: RON 20,000.
- Commune, OCPI-endorsed measured survey for school medical offices: RON 6,060.
- Commune, measured survey for the town hall building: RON 1,000.
- Commune, measured survey for office spaces: RON 1,280.
The difference between RON 1,000 and 47,832 is not just the area. In the examples analysed, low values mainly correspond to simple administrative or cadastral requirements (outline, areas, partitions), while higher values include several wings, levels or deliverables for design: floor plans, sections, elevations, sometimes a 3D model. The title in SEAP is the same, “releveu”; the content is not.
Where is 3D scanning?
In the 905,501 records, “3D laser scanning” appears explicitly twice: a scan of a public market in Bucharest, RON 3,000, and a contract for traditional or LiDAR measurements for several sites, RON 103,493.
This does not mean administrations do not receive 3D documentation. The same sample contains dozens of design awards for strengthening, rehabilitation and restoration, at RON 50,000–172,000 each, in the DALI, DTAC and DTOE stages. In intervention projects, documenting the existing conditions is part of the design groundwork (Government Decision 907/2016 requires an analysis and description of the existing situation in the DALI); how it is done depends on the brief, complexity and project requirements. In the sample analysed, 3D scanning rarely appears as a separate purchase and in many projects seems to be included in wider design or documentation services.
What it means for designers
If you have won a strengthening, rehabilitation or restoration project on public funds, the geometric documentation of the building is usually your responsibility and within your budget. Two practical consequences:
- The public price of a “cadastre” measured survey (RON 4,000–6,000) is not the price of documentation for design. A three-storey public building with deformations and a history of interventions cannot be documented correctly at the price of a land register sketch. The survey budget must be sized by what the project has to deliver, not by the SEAP median.
- Incomplete data gets paid for during construction. In strengthening works, deviations from vertical, floor deflections, positions of visible structural elements and levels of accessible elements can influence the solution. If they are not documented sufficiently before the DALI, the differences can resurface later as extra measurements, design revisions or on-site decisions.
What it means for administrations
For a building facing an intervention (strengthening, change of use, ISU fire safety permit, regularisation), the lowest-priced offer does not always mean the lowest cost for the project. A measured survey made for the land register may not contain the information needed for design and may have to be completed or redone. Well-done documentation of the existing conditions can support several stages: cadastre, design and checks during construction, depending on the requirements of each.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a measured survey of a public building cost?
In Q3 2026 direct awards, the median is RON 6,060 excluding VAT, with half of the awards between RON 1,900 and 14,350. Low values correspond to cadastral sketches; high ones to documentation for design, across several wings or levels.
Why does “3D scanning” appear so rarely in SEAP?
In the sample analysed, the term appears explicitly twice. In many projects, 3D documentation of public buildings appears to be included in design or documentation contracts rather than bought separately.
Are the figures with or without VAT?
Without VAT, as declared in SEAP.
Can I check the figures?
Yes. The files are public on data.gov.ro, in the “Achiziții publice 2026” (Public procurement 2026) dataset. The filtering methodology is described in the article; the analysis is repeated quarterly.
Common thread: a “measured survey” is not a standard product. The price only makes sense in relation to what the designer must be able to do with the data received.
Have you won a strengthening project or a DALI?
Send the area, the town and the available documentation. Within 48 working hours of receiving the files, we tell you what needs to be measured before design and which deliverables make sense to request. No obligation.
1. What documents do you have for the building?
2. What stage is the project at?
3. What is the project timeline?
Town of the building
Send on WhatsAppSend the files by email
Send the old drawings, the design brief or the expert report to office@3ddiscovery.ro (PDF, DWG, photos). First reply within 24 working hours.
See also: How much does 3D scanning cost · Interventions on existing buildings (CATUC) · The regularisation permit
Source: data.gov.ro, “Achiziții publice 2026”, the files “Achiziții directe T3 2026” and “Contracte T3 2026”, downloaded on 22 October 2026. Analysis by 3D Discovery, published on 22 October 2026. Informational material; not public procurement advice.