The BIM management competency

Building information modelling (BIM) management is one of the optional competencies on the Building Surveying APC pathway. BIM can help save costs, enabling more efficient design and improving the use of built assets throughout their lives; and as it becomes increasingly sophisticated, expectations from clients and the profession are also increasing.

You should be familiar with the BIM issues in your final submission documents, and be ready to address questions on them and related issues.

Q: Please explain how you applied BIM in project X to refurbish buildings and construct new ones on a public-sector site.

A: This ongoing project is quite large, involving the refurbishment of 11 buildings and the construction of a further eight, as well as associated infrastructure improvements, with an estimated construction value of £210m. As this is a centrally funded public-sector project it is mandatory for us to use BIM Level 2, satisfyingly we brought experience in BIM from similar construction work on this property portfolio.

I am part of the in-house project team assigned to BIM. I liaised with my organisation’s BIM manager to obtain our policy and strategy, the terms of reference and employer’s information requirements (EIRs). I also worked with the BIM manager to consider the ways in which the project modelling should be developed. I found that methodical preparation and communication are key to successful implementation, bringing the various stakeholders together at the early project stages.

Working to our BIM policy, BS EN ISO 19650 and the international standard Construction Operations Building Information Exchange, (including a compliant common data environment, capital phase and security), I developed the project-specific information development plan (IDP), aligned to the EIRs and endorsed by the BIM manager.

The IDP defined the schedules of information required at each stage of the RIBA Plan of Work. The schedules made it easier to answer the plain language questions, used to assure the project progression through the gateway reviews for each respective RIBA stage. This improved the gateway review efficiency and aided gateway decisions. Additionally, I developed the asset information requirements (AIRs), so that they met the organisational needs.

I found it was useful to apply lessons from similar previous projects in preparing the IDP and AIRs. I organised and led a series of workshops for the project team and stakeholders to develop and refine the AIRs and IDP. This included agreeing the information file and naming format; the federated design model for collaborative design development (a model with links to the separate disciplinary models) and 2D/3D outputs for AIRs.

The process was methodical, bringing together stakeholders to agree the depth of information to collect, as well as storage, access, collaboration, archiving, analysis, roles and reporting arrangements and responsibilities.

Related competencies include: BIM management

RICS’ International BIM Implementation Guide, 1st edition global guidance note