Government deals with the digital quality of buildings in three ways. It sets the rules. It rents offices itself. And it owns a lot of public property, from town halls to schools. In all three roles, the IT-Label can help.
First, an important note: the IT-Label is an independent, voluntary label. It is not a legal requirement, unlike the energy label. That is exactly what makes it a useful tool for getting a grip on something that has often remained invisible until now.
Government as regulator
Europe and the Netherlands are setting more and more requirements for the digital side of buildings. A few examples that we discuss in more detail on our page IT and regulation:
- Fibre-ready construction. For new builds and major refurbishments with a permit application after 12 February 2026, the European Gigabit Infrastructure Act requires the building to be fibre-ready.
- Building automation. Since 1 January 2026, non-residential buildings with a heating or cooling system of 290 kW or more must have a building automation system. From 2030, that threshold becomes 70 kW.
- Cybersecurity. The Dutch Cybersecurity Act (Cyberbeveiligingswet), the Dutch implementation of the European NIS2 directive, sets requirements for organisations that provide essential or important services.
The IT-Label is not proof that a building complies with these rules. But an audit does show what is in place: whether fibre runs into the building, how the building systems are set up and whether the networks are properly separated. That is a good basis for determining, with your advisers, what still needs to be done.
Government as tenant
Ministries, municipalities and government agencies often rent office space. They work with sensitive information and therefore have strict information security requirements. Dutch government organisations work with the Baseline Information Security Government (BIO), the framework for information security within government.
Part of that security depends on the building. Think of:
- a separate, shielded network, apart from other tenants and from the building systems (see network segmentation);
- a properly locked technical room;
- a reliable connection, with a second route if work must not stop (see redundancy);
- clear agreements on who manages what, recorded in the IT Demarcation List.
In an accommodation project, it helps to record these requirements early, for example in the programme of requirements. If a building has an IT-Label, you can quickly see whether it comes close. If it has no label yet, a pre-inspection provides clarity, before anything is signed. How to include digital requirements in a tender is something to agree with your procurement specialist.
Also read: cybersecurity in smart buildings.
Government as owner of public buildings
Municipalities and other public bodies manage many buildings: town halls, schools, libraries, sports halls and community centres. More and more of what happens there also runs on the network. Pupils work on laptops, visitors expect WiFi and installations are managed remotely.
For these buildings, the IT-Label is useful in a few ways:
- One scale for all buildings. With one scale from IT1+ to IT5 you can see at a glance which buildings score well and where they fall behind.
- Well-founded maintenance. The outcome of an audit is a good basis for including the digital infrastructure in the long-term maintenance plan. Read more on our page for technical managers, or download the free checklist.
- Together with sustainability. When making a building more sustainable, you can include the digital infrastructure straight away. See IT and sustainability.
Transparent and accountable
Governments invest public money and must account for it. An independent, comparable measure helps with that. The IT-Label is determined by a certified partner, using one fixed method, with no interest in the outcome. That turns the digital quality of a building into a fact, rather than an estimate.
And just like a periodic vehicle inspection: the label is a snapshot and valid for two years. After that comes recertification. That keeps the picture up to date.
Where do you start?
Do you work for a government organisation, and is there a move, a refurbishment or a maintenance plan coming up? Start with the free self-scan for a first impression, or get in touch. For a purchase or a large portfolio, digital due diligence is the logical step.
This blog is not legal advice. For an opinion on what the rules mean for your organisation, we recommend consulting a lawyer.