The value of information management for surveyors

When appointed by a client as an architect, surveyor, project manager, engineer or contractor on a project, the chances are that an organisation is going to produce information such as a cost plan, programme or model.

This information will quite possibly be needed by the client themselves. Where this is case, the obligation to deliver the information that should be captured in the appointment between the client and the organisation. The information might also be necessary to support work by other parties, whether the client needs it or not.

So, there is information that has to be delivered to fulfil contractual obligations and information that needs to be delivered for the project to progress and for other members of the team to fulfil their obligations.

While we might be extremely competent in our particular specialisms, there are times when we're poor at sharing information when it's needed, in the right form and format and to the correct level of detail.

Maybe the client hasn't been specific about what they want and when; maybe we didn't get the information we needed from the client or other parties. Whatever the reason, this failure to provide the right information tends to have consequences for someone – often the client, sometimes ourselves – during the asset's life.

However, time passes, we learn from experience and initiatives change and evolve. BIM Level 2 is no more. In its place we have the UK BIM Framework - the delivery vehicle for the information management mandate in the UK government's 2021 policy paper Transforming Infrastructure Performance: Roadmap to 2030 (TIP).

The paper helpfully defines BIM as a combination of processes, standards and technology through which it is possible to generate, visualise, exchange and assure – and subsequently use and reuse – data and information as a trustworthy foundation for decision-making.

The standards include the BS EN ISO 19650 series, which sets out the processes for managing information during the design, construction and operation phases of an asset. The series is relevant to anyone who requires and uses or produces information. I think we can safely say that means all of us.

New standards will be available in due course, to cover information exchange superseding BS 1992-4, and health and safety, superseding PAS 1192-6.

If you are familiar with the requirements of PAS 1192-2 and 1192-3, it is worth highlighting that there are aspects of these that are picked up by the ISO 19650 series. Equally, there are new concepts to consider.

When I was a practising quantity surveyor, I both feared and relished aspects of my job. I was often hesitant to start a big quantity take-off or cost planning activity. But by the end of it, I knew the design inside out and I'd often learned about some configuration of construction I hadn't seen before. I was equipped for detailed and confident discussions with the client and other members of the design and construction team.

It was a valuable process. But quite a lot of my work involved activities that could be easily automated. In addition, I was often reproducing or duplicating information that I had been given. The potential for error was high. So what informed my approach to such tasks?

Admittedly it's a long time since I was in an active surveying role, although colleagues continue to report similar experiences. However, things have changed and we need to evolve.

First, if the processes set out in ISO 19650-2 are embraced by the client and the design and construction team then information should be available to us when we need it in an accessible and useable format. We should also be able to trust that the information we need is as complete as it needs to be and as correct as it needs to be.

Second, technology has moved on significantly. Using geometrical modelling software to produce designs certainly benefits surveyors. The data generated in modelling can be accessed, manipulated and supplemented so we can model and manage quantities, costs, options and risks.

This means that there is no duplication of specifications, no unnecessary measuring of quantities, no manual comparison of designs, and no poring for hours over drawings. It means that it is much easier to recommend or respond to changes in design. The ability to visualise and navigate geometrical models also helps us to understand design proposals in detail and in context.

To do this we have to be able to trust the data and information that we receive and produce, and we have not only to rely on but also contribute to sound information management processes.

So visit the UK BIM Framework and take a look at the guidance and resources available. Think about the information you produce, the information you rely on, and the benefits for you, the project team and the client of information that can be trusted. Think about how you use technology – how your processes, and ultimately your profit margins, could be improved if you had reliable data and information you could use.

Then, the next time you see the words BIM Level 2 in a tender or appointment document, stop. Go back to the client and steer them towards the UK BIM Framework. And when you see UK BIM Framework in a tender or appointment document, check the resources that set out the information and technology processes and start planning how you will produce and share information.