BIM Competence

OCTOBER 2017 FIRST STEPS TO BIM COMPETENCE A GUIDE FOR SPECIALIST CONTRACTORS ABUILDING ENGINEERING SERVICES ASSOCIATION

FIRST STEPS TO BIM COMPETENCE A GUIDE FOR SPECIALIST CONTRACTORS AUGUST 2017FIRST STEPS TO BIM COMPETENCEA GUIDE FOR SPECIALIST CONTRACTORS Foreword 3 Executive Summary 4|81.0 Why this guide? 9 | 102.0 Introduction to BIM 11 | 143.0 The business case for BIM 14 | 204.0 The challenges of using BIM 21 | 265.0 A roadmap to BIM competence 27 | 296.0 Roles and responsibilities in a BIM environment 30 | 327.0 Legal and contractual issues 33 | 358.0 Estimating and bidding with BIM 36 | 379.0 Project Management and the flow of information 38 | 4210.0 The evidence for BIM: Project and business case studies 43 | 44Appendix A: Websites, blogsites and BIM groups 45Appendix B: List of abbreviations 46Appendix C: Jargon buster 47Appendix D: References 48PAGE 2

FIRST STEPS TO BIM COMPETENCE A GUIDE FOR SPECIALIST CONTRACTORS AUGUST 2017FOREWORDANNE KEMPIt is with great pleasure that I write this introduction to the BESA Guide.The journey to digital transformation for our industry is not an easy one. It is anythingbut straightforward, and is unlikely to be linear. Perhaps that has been one of thechallenges in describing the journey as a stepped process, moving through what areoften interpreted as strictly defined “Levels”.The reality – as so often is the case in life – is rather different. For many in the industryit feels as though it is all rather a muddle. There have been – and continue to be -disappointments on the way. But there has been progress. As the UK BIM Task Grouphas led the UK along the path towards digital transformation, the definition of these“Levels” of BIM have evolved to match the experience gained as more people havebecome involved, and as standards have developed and been released to help theindustry converge on a common understanding and implementation.This Guide focuses on the incarnation of “BIM” as Construction Engineering. This will no doubt helpfocus on where BIM can most effectively leverage change and deliver value for the target audienceat this point. But for the Building Services community, and for the wider audience, it does provide aninformative narrative on the key principles of the BIM movement within the context of project delivery– with signposting to its role across the whole life cycle, and in the wider context.For the built environment doesn’t stand on its own. It blends with and exists within the context of thenatural world – and it is continually tweaked and interfered with by those who have created it, and thosewho live within it, drive it and exploit it. You and me.Being able to deliver the digital data which can flow through the entire system – through planning, design,construction, operation and maintenance – and ultimately the flexible and secure use of the overall builtenvironment – is fundamentally what BIM is about – better information management. Each of the playersin our industry needs to know what to do to deliver that data, how to manage it, and how to use it. Noneof us can shirk our responsibilities here – we are ALL players in this game.The trick is knowing just enough to ensure that what needs to be done is done. We don’t all of us needto do it all. And that is the nub of the problem. Confusion remains as to who does what. Too often this“BIM” thing is pushed off to the side. The opportunity is to put it front and centre, embedded withinproject management, quality assurance and technical assurance.This Guide helps to set you on the right path. It can’t address all the confusion around BIM. But it does goa long way to simplifying the language and the way into the subject for the building services community.Finally, YOU can help. To really enable our industry to embrace BIM and move forward on the digital journey,we need to pull together. We need to collaborate like never before. The UK BIM Alliance is working tohelp coordinate efforts across the industry to support BIM uptake – and needs input and feedback fromyou to do this. So please - don’t be shy. Reach out, make contact and be curious.I wish you luck on your digital journey – but set your sights on the outcome we all surely want. A betterworld for ourselves, our families and society as a whole.Anne KempChair, UK BIM Alliance PAGE 3

FIRST STEPS TO BIM COMPETENCE A GUIDE FOR SPECIALIST CONTRACTORS AUGUST 2017EXECUTIVE SUMMARY1 This Guide is published by the Specialist Engineering Contractors’ (SEC) Group and the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) in collaboration with the BIM Academy at the University of Northumbria. The Guide also has input from the Build UK. The Guide has been endorsed by the Cabinet Office and Build UK. This is the third revision of the Guide. The 2016 deadline for the 2 Government’s BIM mandate is now behind us and there have, of course, been further developments to take account of.3 Building Information Modelling (BIM) is not a new concept. Digital building modelling has been around for some time but was given added focus by the Government’s stated aim, in 2011, of introducing 3D (dimensional) BIM on central government construction works by 2016. This Guide seeks to help specialist contracting firms to become more conversant with BIM so that they do not miss out on work opportunities. Public sector procurers (and also private sector clients) will be demanding BIM-enabled projects to deliver efficiency and savings through the elimination of waste. Much of this will be achieved through having a “one-stop shop” for all information relating to a project which then becomes available to the user and manager of the asset to help deliver the required performance.4 A better descriptor for BIM maybe Digital Construction as this is part DIGITAL of a process of the industry transitioning from analogue to digital. CONSTRUCTION 5 Whilst almost all have been aware of the 2016 mandate to achieve Level 2 BIM, there are concerns about the wholesale ability of the industry to achieve this target.PAGE 4