The European Commission awarded the EU BIM Task Group funding for two years (2016-2017) to deliver a common European network aimed at aligning the use of Building Information Modelling in public works across the region. Europe’s public procurers, policy makers and public estate owners recognise the positive and transformative effect that digitisation brings to both public works and the construction sector. The Task Group’s vision is to encourage the common use of BIM, as ‘digital construction’, in public works with the common aim of improving value for public money, quality of the public estate and for the sustainable competitiveness of industry.
The EU BIM Task Group was formed to deliver a pan-European approach to best practice in BIM (building information modelling). It brings together national efforts into a common and aligned European approach to develop a world-class digital construction sector. The website highlights the current developments and outputs of the Task Group, including current news, events, documents and resources. It also offers the EU BIM Task Group’s Handbook for BIM implementation and the Cost Benefit Analysis for BIM. Publications are available in several languages.
The Conference of European Directors of Roads (Conférence Européenne des Directeurs des Routes – CEDR) produced this document titled ‘Technical report 2017-05 Utilising BIM for NRAs’. The report was drawn up by a CEDR’s Task Group focused on Information, led by Rijkswaterstaat (the Netherlands). The report has been authored by a collective group with input from national road agencies of the following European countries: Germany, Denmark, Finland, France, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom. The goals of this report are to share knowledge about Open BIM, build a sustainable International community that can influence EU decision-making regarding development, maintenance and use of Open BIM Information standards, and also improve the shared investments in the development and use of Open BIM standards.
The purpose of this report is to inform National Road Authorities (NRAs) and other interested parties about the collective findings of the task group in relation to the digital transformation needed to improve information management. For NRAs, BIM means focusing on Building Information Management, with the main goal being to digitally procure asset data using Open BIM standards. Furthermore, an additional goal is to enhance the possibilities of the client in handling data and improving its quality in the lifecycle of assets. The focus of CEDR’s Task group is on the information of constructing, developing and maintaining infrastructure for roads (and their surrounding areas). Open BIM consists of open information in the structured data sets, open exchange standards and software to use them (BIM tools).
An archive version of this information article has been created if the original is no longer accessible (Archive information from January 2024)
Developed by the Colombia’s BIM Technical committee, this guide to Standards, Methods and BIM Procedures helps to explain and outline all the elements needed for adopting BIM in a structured and consistent way. It helps to explain the technical framework for BIM in Colombia.
This document aims to guide the project’s parties in the definition of standards, norms, methods and procedures required for BIM implementation in a structured and consistent way. It supports the creation of a collaboration plan from the early stages of a project, including permits and the structure of collaboration. This will help team members to optimise communication during the development of the project, allowing the efficiency of a collaborative management system, in order to:
- Give a clear definition of the information that the project client or asset owner needs, as well as the methods, processes, deadlines and protocols for the development and verification of this information.
- Ensure that the quantity and quality of the information developed is sufficient to satisfy the defined needs.
- Allow efficient and effective transfers of information between the different participating agents in each part of the asset lifecycle, especially between the development phases.
Developed by the Colombia’s BIM Technical committee, this BIM Application Guide helps to explain and outline all BIM components that should be considered as part of a project. This helps to form an agenda of elements for BIM adoption at the project level as national guidance.
This protocol defines the products, processes and responsibilities with respect to the management of information and BIM models during the lifecycle of a project. All the activities of the BIM process associated with the project will be completed based on the application of NTC-ISO 19650-1.2; 2021 [Organization and digitization of information in buildings and civil engineering works, including BIM]. The objective of this document is to define the requirements, processes and tools necessary for BIM information management, according to ISO-19650.
The National BIM Strategy 2020 – 2026 is the strategy for the modernisation of the construction and infrastructure sector through collaborative processes using standardised information in a digital environment. The objectives of the strategy are to improve consistency, efficiency and cost savings. These will be achieved through the progressive implementation for national projects and/or projects co-financed by the National Government, which is providing the public leadership.
The Colombian Government’s BIM Website offers a home for the Colombia’s BIM Strategy document, a library of standards, guides, templates and presentations. The website also contains a series of training materials focused around BIM fundamentals and BIM for project managers.
Planbim Chile has created a BIM Execution Plan (BEP) template as a free resource for construction professionals to use on projects.
This template can be used directly on a project. The BIM Execution Plan has two versions: ‘Offer’ and ‘Definitive’.
BIM Forum Chile is an open and convening body, bringing together companies and professionals who can contribute their knowledge and experiences to the improvement of techniques related to BIM. It seeks to channel technical concerns, knowledge and information related to BIM. It is also an instance of development, dissemination and good practices for technological development in the construction sector. The purposes of BIM Forum Chile are technical and it meets under the coordination of the Technological Development Corporation (Corporación de Desarrollo Tecnológico, CDT) of the Chilean Chamber of Construction (Cámara Chilena de la Construcción).
BIM Forum Chile has many documents, events and other materials to support BIM adoption in the country. Its objectives are:
- Propose and encourage recognised good practices for the development of projects with the use of BIM throughout its lifecycle.
- Promote research, collect/select knowledge and technical information related to BIM in Chile.
- Generate instances of meeting, dissemination and technology transfer related to BIM.
- Promote alliances and articulations between national and international entities, favouring BIM initiatives that have a sectoral impact.
- Contribute to the formation of capacities, competences and skills related to BIM.
When you have to work to specifications for a government contract in the context of road construction or road redevelopment, you can call on Standard Specification 250 by the Roads and Traffic Agency (Agentschap Wegen en Verkeer, AWV). This standard contains all information about road construction, sewers, signalling and landscaping. Standard Specification 250 includes the requirements for BIM for these aspects of highways.
Specification 250 talks through the Information exchange through BIM on projects as part of a contractual requirement. BIM-oriented working includes:
- preparing and finalizing the BIM design model before the start of the works
- updating and completing the BIM model during implementation
- delivery of the as-built BIM model upon provisional delivery
- updating the BIM model during the warranty period.
The specification also mentions the requirements for data exchange using the Object Type Library (OTL).
The BIM Team of the Roads and Traffic Agency (Agentschap Wegen en Verkeer, AWV) is responsible for the elaboration of the necessary BIM engagement documents, such as the BIM protocol and the BIM execution plan. The BIM execution plan for infrastructure projects has been prepared thanks to the insights and information from the AWV’s BIM pilot projects. The Belgian BIM protocol, drawn up by the BIM & ICT Technical Committee of the Belgian Building Research Institute (BBRI), was also a source of inspiration in realising the BIM execution plan.
The BIM execution plan, focused on infrastructure projects, aims to provide practical guidelines for BIM adoption in projects. The general guidelines for a BIM-oriented collaboration are included in the AWV BIM-protocol; the project-specific BIM execution plan takes a closer look at the practicalities of BIM collaboration. The requirements, specifications and practical agreements in the BIM execution plan only apply on the specific project or contract. Typical of a BIM execution plan is also that the practical agreements can be further updated during the project, should this be necessary.
This BIM protocol for infrastructure projects has been drawn up using the Belgian BIM protocol, prepared by the BIM & ICT Technical Committee of the Belgian Building Research Institute (BBRI) as a starting point. This version of the BIM protocol is a publication of the Roads and Traffic Agency (Agentschap Wegen en Verkeer, AWV) and aims to provide general guidelines for a BIM-orientated cooperation for all parties. In addition to the expectations regarding BIM in infrastructure projects, this BIM protocol also explores the responsibilities of each party and the course of the information exchange throughout the BIM process. The requirements and specifications in this protocol apply to any BIM collaboration with AWV as contracting authority, for both the study phase and the implementation phase of infrastructure projects.
With this BIM protocol, all parties commit to using BIM for project collaboration and organisation. This means that the exchange of models under the collaboration will take place according to the agreements from the BIM protocol and the BIM execution plan. This implies a willingness to use the methods and agreements that comply with the BIM protocol and BIM execution plan, according to the listed tasks and responsibilities. The BIM protocol is a generic document that records the general BIM operation during study and implementation. It is valid for projects in which BIM-oriented work is carried out. Because the BIM protocol follows the BIM principles for both study and performance, not all chapters may be applicable to every project.
