: This paper introduces a tailored procedure model to construct reference models by using rich empirical data. The procedure model has been built based on requirements from the public administration domain and has been applied in two case studies. Public administrations are currently confronted with the challenge of demands for an increased service level and an efficient handling of requests from citizens and companies. Therefore, there is a strong need to identify common and best practices for business processes. This knowledge is crucial in order to guide reorganisation efforts. Reference models have been established as an important mean to document process knowledge that applies to more than one organisation. To empirically acquire process knowledge in public administrations we propose a tailored procedure model and exemplify its application.