Company-X launches testbed for roading verification records

Company-X has launched testbed, a software platform for geotechnical and pavement verification records, and presented it to the New Zealand roading sector in Hamilton.

The Hamilton software developer says the platform is designed to turn scattered project records into structured evidence that engineers, contractors and asset owners can review more quickly. It targets records created during roading and infrastructure work, where information is often spread across handwritten forms, scanned reports, PDFs, spreadsheets and project folders.

Speaking at a joint industry session with BBO Director Jarred Stent, Jeremy Hughes, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Company-X, outlined the problem the product is intended to address. Verification material is generated throughout construction and maintenance work, but much of it becomes difficult to search, compare and map in a usable way once projects are under way.

"Roading and infrastructure projects generate a constant stream of verification records, but that comes in the form of handwritten forms, scanned reports, PDFs, spreadsheets and project folders," said Jeremy Hughes, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Company-X.

testbed extracts data from test reports, including handwritten sheets, and applies project-specific pass, fail and review criteria. It then maps results by alignment, chainage, layer and location so users can review findings spatially rather than as isolated documents.

This is intended to help project teams determine whether an issue is limited to a single result or forms part of a broader pattern. Retests and remediation records sit alongside the original finding, allowing users to trace whether follow-up work resolved a problem or whether concerns continued across a site.

The software is built around an eight-step workflow. Teams upload project design information, after which the system scans and extracts test data. Users can then filter results on a map, review project-wide summaries and manage multiple projects from one interface.

Hughes said the same records are relied on by several parties over the life of a project, from laboratories and contractors to consulting engineers, asset owners and later maintenance teams. That can make consistency and accessibility of records as important as the original test result itself.

"testbed brings all of that together, so teams can see what was tested, where, and whether it holds up, in minutes instead of days, ensuring evidence is usable while it still matters," Hughes said.

Evidence trail

The software enters a part of the infrastructure market where record quality can affect both construction decisions and long-term asset management. On roading projects, verification documents are used to show whether materials and workmanship meet specification, while operators may later need the same records to investigate faults or plan maintenance.

By linking test outcomes to physical location, the platform aims to make those records easier to interpret in context. That is particularly relevant in pavement and geotechnical work, where isolated failures may not indicate a systemic issue, but clusters of poor results can point to a wider problem that requires intervention.

Company-X says the product is intended to help teams identify risk earlier in a project cycle. In practice, that means bringing data together before records become buried in separate systems or archived with limited visibility for those making time-sensitive decisions on site.

"The earlier that evidence is visible, the sooner teams move from reactive investigation to informed project control," Hughes said.

Broader work

testbed adds to a wider portfolio of software projects at Company-X. The business says it has also worked with the Road Efficiency Group on Transport Insights and with the Royal New Zealand Navy on virtual reality simulation training.

These projects point to a company model built around bespoke, sector-specific software rather than consumer products. In infrastructure, that focus appears to centre on handling complex operational data and presenting it in a form that non-technical users can apply to field decisions, compliance checks and maintenance planning.

The launch also reflects a broader shift in engineering and construction software towards digitising records that have traditionally remained paper-based or fragmented across contractors, laboratories and consultants. In geotechnical and pavement work, the challenge has often been less about generating test results than making them visible and comparable across time and place.

For asset owners and maintenance teams, the value of those records can extend well beyond the end of a construction programme. Historical test data may later be used to examine recurring defects, review whether remediation succeeded or establish whether earlier warnings were missed during delivery.

"A lot can change in a week, but this makes it far easier to prepare for and undertake maintenance before it turns expensive," Hughes said.