Because it matters…(part two)

Once you have got your head around what BIM is (in all its levels and dimensions) you might want to start thinking about how the process is going to work. It is difficult to generalise across different levels of BIM and different numbers of dimension but here are a few key points to think about while tendering for a BIM level 2 project.

How do I attach BIM to my contract?

Carefully! There is an excellent, and freely available, BIM Protocol which has been developed by the Construction Industry Council (CIC) and covers all of the essentials of drawing the process required of working to BIM level 2 into a contract. There may be some terminology clashes to watch out for but, at the least, the CIC BIM Protocol provides a good checklist for the sorts of issues you need to cover.

Most importantly, because a BIM protocol is, in effect, being “bolted on” to a standard form, you will want to make sure that the processes and protections in the BIM protocol take precedence over the rest of the contractual terms. If this is not explicit (as it is at clause 2.1 of the CIC Protocol) then the whole process could unravel very quickly.

How is the BIM process going to be managed?

At BIM level 2 and beyond BIM is very process driven. To get the most out of the opportunities for collaboration that BIM will generate the process needs to function well. The CIC Protocol address this through the use of someone called the Information Manager. The role of the Information Manager is all about process. While the Information Manager might be one of the design team members (rather than a separate, dedicated person as may be desirable for large-scale projects) he takes no role in designing the facility or project.

The fact that the role of the Information Manager is intended to focus on the “process” rather than on the design, means that they are excluded from responsibility for clashes as the various individual design elements are brought together (federated) into a single model. It’s likely that this role will develop in sophistication and value to the project team in much the same way as the role of Project Manager (as distinct from architect, engineer and quantity surveyor) has over the last 20 years.

Data, data all around me…

It is very, very easy to create a plethora of documents and transmit them electronically. Where, perhaps, document production was once a bottle neck, now that bottleneck very much rests in data analysis and interpretation. This is as true of non-BIM projects as those that are using a BIM protocol. However, the use of BIM, particularly at levels 2 and above, brings this kind of data overload into sharp focus.

The CIC Protocol does not deal with the issue of “information dumping” at all. That is, it does not address the question of who should take responsibility for sifting through the huge volumes of data to find the right parts, in the right version, that are relevant to the part of the design that a particular team member is carrying out. A wary designer will keep a weather eye out for amendments to their contract or BIM Protocol, passing responsibility for identifying the information they need to the individuals designers. If you are going to have a dynamic, collaborative, effective and efficient BIM system in place “information dumping” needs to be addressed as a whole project issue. Perhaps this is really the next step in the development of the role of the Information Manager.

See also:

Because it matters…(part one)
Because it matters ... (part three)