A new survey has suggested that some central government departments are failing to enforce the BIM 2 mandate, which was due to take effect more than a year ago.
The survey of over 1,000 industry professionals by technical information provider NBS, which was published in Building, revealed that 51 per cent felt central government had not lived up to its pledge.
The mandate aimed for all public contracts procured by central government departments to be BIM 2 compliant by April 2016.
BIM level 2 requires all project and asset information, documentation and data to be electronic, to help reduce the risk of errors and waste both during the design stage and construction process.
Adrian Malleson, head of research, analysis and forecasting at NBS, said: “Some of the things which were said [by respondents] surprised me. About half say the government is not enforcing the mandate.”
However the study also suggested that central government was not solely to blame for the lack of BIM 2 compliance, as half of the respondents believed the construction sector had failed to take up the challenge.
Despite the negative comments, there was some good news, with the survey suggesting there is increased awareness and take-up of BIM in the industry, with respondents suggesting that the government mandate had encouraged early adoption.
62 per cent of respondents now use BIM, an increase of 8 per cent compared to last year, which represents the biggest rise since the survey was introduced in 2014.
Even companies that have yet to adopt BIM, recognise the benefits, with 70 per cent believing BIM will help reduce costs and 60 per cent saying it will help save time.
Mark Bew, chair of the government-backed Digital Built Britain programme and chairman of engineering consultancy PCSG, said the survey showed good progress: “The fact that the results [of BIM uptake] are so good means that everyone is making a fantastic effort and we should celebrate that.
“Clearly the supply chain and clients are on a common learning curve and everyone is learning together.”
Adam Davis is a Partner with Palmers who specialises in helping clients understand the ramifications of business information modelling. He commented: “Despite the government’s apparent failure to meet its own BIM 2 mandate deadlines, anyone operating within the construction and engineering sector needs to be up to speed, particularly given the fact that so many private organisations and professional bodies now expect BIM 2 as the norm now.”
For information on how, BIM 2 will impact on project delivery and help with compliance and contractual issues relating to BIM 2, please contact us.