Who should be responsible for Information Management / BIM?

Construction professionals should use BIM to achieve better integration of project information and construction process improvement and to enhance collaboration from the early phase of projects.[1]

Within a Construction project, each activity necessitates a dedicated level of information sharing and focus to ensure efficient communication between the different parties and stakeholders to achieve the overall project objectives.

When trying to understand who is responsible for Information Management / BIM, it is prudent to explore the different dimensions associated with these processes and technologies.

• 2D information has an integral function in the BIM process to capture design development and approval.

• 3D BIM (Spatial Coordination) - 3D BIM is a digital geometric model that constitutes an X, Y, and Z axis associated with further information. 2D views of geometric information can be generated from the 3D model at different levels of detail. Schedules can be generated, reporting on objects of different types within the 3D model.  Multiple 3D models can be federated to report on geometric clashes.

• 4D BIM (Time) is adding scheduling information to the BIM model construction sequences. Adding a time dimension allows the project team to visualize better how the construction will be sequenced.

• 5D BIM (Cost) - 5D BIM is generally considered to be adding cost information to a model.[2]

• 6D BIM (Facilities Management) - BIM can improve Facilities Management because it allows each component of a facility to be handled separately, which enables a range of maintenance information to be assigned to a particular component, as well as facilitating the visualisation capabilities of the model to grant easier identification of a problem.[3]

• 7D BIM (Sustainability) - BIM can be used to model buildings and sequentially perform multiple analyses, enabling energy performance predictions that compare design alternatives, thus allowing for an improved final decision.[4]

When using 6D or 7D, ensure you clearly state if you are referring to Sustainability or Facilities Management, as this is not consistently defined in all sources.

With an understanding of the different dimensions, we can better understand who should be responsible for Information management. The BIM dimensions can also be considered as use cases. To achieve this, we will now refer to the ISO 19560 series, which specifies requirements for information management in the form of a management process using BIM within the context of the delivery and operational phases of assets and the exchanges of information within them.

According to the ISO 19650 series, the recommendations and requirements for information management are based on the involvement of an appointing party, a lead appointed, and appointed parties, all working collaboratively together to fulfil the information management function.

1) Appointing Party

The UK BIM Framework explains that according to I.S. EN ISO 19650-2, appointing parties are the organizations or individuals that are responsible for appointing lead appointed parties. Appointing parties must ensure that the information management function is fulfilled by people within their organization, people acting on their behalf, or a combination of both. They should establish their exchange information requirements and information delivery plans for each appointment for the project or asset operation (explained further in the next sections). Appointing parties are also expected to monitor and review the performance of the lead appointed parties concerning information management.

Appointing parties’ responsibilities also include establishing a common data environment (CDE) to support the project and the collaborative production of information. They may appoint a third party to host, manage, or support the CDE.

Throughout the project, the appointing party will review each delivery team’s information model against their information requirements and accept or reject it as appropriate. They will archive the information containers as the project nears close out and the project information model is completed. They will also capture lessons learned with each lead-appointed party.

2) Lead Appointed Party

The lead appointed party is a term introduced by I.S. EN ISO 19650 to describe the main contractor or entity with a leading function within the project team. The lead-appointed party is directly appointed by the appointing party, which is the primary client or the entity that sets the information requirements.[5] The lead appointed party is responsible for coordinating and managing the information delivery process on behalf of the appointing party and the other appointed parties, which are the consultants and/or sub-contractors involved in the project.

According to I.S. EN ISO 19650, the key responsibilities of a lead appointed party are making sure that the information management function is fulfilled, establishing the BIM execution plan, summarizing the delivery team’s capability and capacity to manage and produce information, establishing the delivery team’s mobilization plan and to create a risk register.

3) Appointed Party 

I.S. EN ISO 19650-2 describes the appointed party as one of the three main actors involved in the information management process for the delivery phase of assets. The other two actors are the appointing party and the lead appointed party. The appointed party is anyone appointed by the Lead Appointed Party to the delivery team, such as designers, contractors, suppliers, or vendors. All parties are responsible for creating and providing information, work, or goods according to the contract, subject to the appointment with the Lead Appointed Party. The appointed party is responsible for producing and delivering information in accordance with the information standard and the information protocol established by the appointing party [6]. The appointed party also collaborates with other appointed parties and the lead appointed party to ensure the quality and consistency of the information. The appointed party helps the lead appointed party confirm the BIM execution plan and works closely to mobilize the resources.

[1] Reddy, K. P (2012). BIM for Building Owners and Developers: Making a Business Case for Using BIM on Projects. John Wiley & Sons. New Jersey.

[2] Hamil, S. (2021) BIM Dimensions – 3D,4D,5D,6D explained, available at: https://www.thenbs.com/knowledge/bim-dimensions-3d-4d-5d-6d-bim-explained

[3] Changyoon, K., Hynsu, Lim., Hongjo, K. and Hyoungkwan, K. (2013) BIM-based mobile system for facility management, Proceedings of the 30th International Symposium of Automation and Robotics in Construction and Mining, 11-15th August, Montreal, pp. 720 -725.

[4] Sanhudoa, L., Ramosb, N., Martinsa, J.P., Almeidab, R., Barreirab, M., Simõesb, L. and Cardosob, V. (2018) Building information modelling for energy retrofitting – A review Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Iss 89, 249–260.

[5]  UK BIM Framework ( 2021) Information management  according to BS EN ISO 19650 Guidance Part E Tendering and appointments, available at; https://www.ukbimframework.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Guidance-Part-E_Tendering-and-appointments_Edition-2.pdf

[6] Fugas, K. (2021) ISO 19650 terms explained in this simple way, available at:  https://bimcorner.com/iso-19650-terms-explained-in-this-simple-way/