Every year, Spain sends a National Reform and a National Stability programme to the Council of Ministers of the European Union and the European Commission. This submission is made in compliance with European Union obligations, which request all Member States to submit their National Reform and Stability Programmes to the European Commission. The aim is to coordinate national economic policies and achieve the objectives set for the European Union as a whole.
The National Reform Programme (Programa Nacional De Reformas, PNR) 2019 explains the current and future state of the Spanish economy. It considers elements such as GDP and employment as well as more specific topics around Infrastructure development, in particular sustainability and digital transformation.
Part of an ongoing programme of research, summary descriptions, results presentations and key reports are published on subjects such as, for instance ‘identifying the investments required for the implementation of building information modelling (BIM)’ and ‘Evaluation of benefits from the use of BIM in construction projects and operation of buildings and collection of good practices in the use of BIM’.
Further research is planned to be published on subjects such as the cost of implementing BIM, construction classification systems for BIM projects and providing free common data environment solutions for public procurers.
The BICP’s (BIM Innovation Capability Programme) Irish BIM Study builds on the findings from the BICP’s Global BIM Study by providing an in-depth review of BIM in Ireland, with regards to key government publications, BIM champions, existing standards and procurement routes, BIM training programmes, current initiatives and maturity within public and private sector projects.
The study provides a snapshot of BIM in Ireland in 2017, demonstrating the interest it has gained in recent years and the remarkable progress that Ireland has made in building BIM capability. In recent years, the emergence of a BIM programme in the UK and other initiatives across the world have provided a focus for the Irish industry.
The Construction IT Alliance (CitA) BIM Innovation Capability Programme (BICP), funded by Enterprise Ireland, aims to capture the construction industry’s and academia’s capability to respond to the increased requirements for BIM in Irish construction projects. The BICP is a direct response to the ‘Construction 2020 report’, published in 2014. The report aims to promote the use of BIM and develop the appropriate technical skills amongst Irish construction firms so that they can compete in a market where BIM is a requirement. There are four distinct work packages to achieve the strategic objectives of the BICP, which include a systemic review of BIM adoption in international regions, with a particular focus on the enablers that can support national implementation programmes.
This Global BIM Study focusses on exploring the value proposition behind BIM adoption in international regions and what governments and professional bodies are doing to advance it. A number of countries from across different continents were explored as part of this study, as well as European countries. The study highlights the strategic importance of BIM to international governments and identifies the common themes or pillars present within international BIM programmes. These include public leadership, growth capability and industry capacity, building a common collaborative business environment and, above all, creating a more productive, less adversarial construction sector.
The European Federation of Engineering Consultancy Associations (EFCA) has launched a report called ‘Which way to go? Strategic scenarios for consulting engineers in times of high uncertainty’ aimed at business leaders making critical decisions in difficult times, such as following the Covid19 global pandemic. The EFCA’s Future Trends Committee, together with the Center for Strategy and Scenario Planning at HHL Graduate School of Management, Leipzig, explored the future and examined possible strategic developments.
A way of providing direction in times of uncertainty is to start with scenarios that show how the future might unfold in completely different ways. The report describes four scenarios for the consulting engineering industry, based on ‘critical uncertainties.
Although digital technologies have turned a lot of our processes and work behaviour upside down, they are no longer regarded as ‘uncertain’. We know we need to continue with digitalisation. What we are less aware of, or at least, less able to accept as a direct impact on our performance, is the mixture of external challenges: the daily threat of climate change, over-indebtedness and highly pressured global financial systems, an increasingly discordant European Union, even war, conflict and refugees affecting our borders. Such issues can directly, and jointly, impact consulting engineers. But how? The future is foggy, and visibility is poor. Where will the changes end? Which trends will prove to be decisive in assessing the future? What will our industry look like in five years´ time? Which key drivers will be formative for our market? How can our companies stay successful in a changing environment? These questions are not easy to answer in the increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous world. This report aims to highlight some potential scenarios which may exist in the future related to these challenges.
An archive version of this information article has been created if the original is no longer accessible (Archive information from January 2024)
A pan-European collaboration of public sector organisations across 21 countries, this handbook was funded by the European Commission Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG-GROW) and the UK Government’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), which was the lead coordinator of the programme.
The handbook addresses the increasing challenges faced by governments and public clients to stimulate economic growth. It advocates the wider introduction of BIM to deliver better value for public money, encourage competitiveness in international markets and meet sustainability goals. Hurdles to be overcome include climate change, resource efficiency, increased demands on social care, urbanisation and immigration, and an ageing infrastructure.
The wider adoption of BIM is set to deliver cost savings, productivity and operations efficiencies, improved infrastructure quality and better environmental performance. Governments and public procurers in Europe and around the world are recognising its benefits and potential to enhance decision making for buildings and public infrastructure across their whole lifecycle, from new projects to refurbishment of existing assets.
A European-wide strategic approach led by governments and public sector organisations will offer leadership and create with the private sector an open digital construction market that supports the European goals and is competitive in international markets.
An archive version of this information article has been created if the original is no longer accessible (Archive information from January 2024)
A report for the Government Construction Client Group, the Building Information Modelling (BIM) Working Party strategy paper
This report was compiled by the BIM Industry Working Group in 2011 to brief the Construction Clients Group on the benefits of digital ways of working in the built environment.
It was commissioned by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the Efficiency Reform Group from the Cabinet Office to devise a strategy to increase the uptake of Building Information Modelling (BIM) among public sector clients over a five-year period.
The adoption of BIM would not only improve the performance of government estate in terms of costs, value and carbon performance but also support and promote the UK construction sector’s standing and reputation in international markets.
Collaboration between industry and academia is crucial to ensure an increase of competency through on-going training, toolkits and knowledge exchange, supported by standards and accreditations.
An archive version of this information article has been created if the original is no longer accessible (Archive information from January 2024)
