Australian BIM strategic framework

As developers, buyers, and managers of major construction and infrastructure projects and assets, state and territorial governments are well placed to use BIM. Especially as they bear direct responsibility for the implementation of large infrastructure projects, infrastructure services for the community and industry as well as for the ownership and management of the society's infrastructure assets. The framework will: • guide the consistent implementation, integration and promotion of BIM • reaffirm the role of governments on national issues such as the development and use of common standards and rules for sharing digital data • promote continual innovation and capacity development for BIM across building and infrastructure delivery; and supply chain management. The strategic action areas identified below will ensure that individual actions by country and territory by governments are properly prioritized while recognizing the commercial aspects of the project delivery and responsibilities of each government.

Realization of benefits and removal of obstacles

State and territory governments recognize the opportunities offered by BIM as defined by the World Economic Forum Collaborative aspects of BIM can unlock efficiency and productivity gains, as well as other benefits such as: • Increased usability and speed • Enhanced collaboration • Increased data integrity and quality • Improved fault finding • Better information sharing. • Time and cost savings that can be directly translated into increased productivity. • Increased transparency and accountability in decision-making. • Increased sustainability. • Improvements in the labor market. However, there is evidence of barriers to BIM adoption, such as: • Lack of customer understanding, commitment and demand • No consistent national approach to the entire industry • Cost of implementation • Disruptive process and shift resistance • Lack of standards for information sharing and interoperability • Lack of digital planning among customers • Unequal levels of skill or ability. Governments and industry have complementary roles to play. Important framework are state and territory plans to unlock the potential for significant gains in efficiency and productivity, as well as overcoming obstacles.

Strategic action areas

State and territory governments agree on the following priority actions to ensure consistency in the national approach to improve BIM uptake by government, industry, academia and education.

1. Provide clear direction for government BIM adoption and requirements

State and territory governments will develop rules and guidelines appropriate to their jurisdiction through joint government and industry approaches consistent with the framework. Relevant existing governance structures across the country and across its territory will be used to provide a strong interface between industry and government to support the implementation of the structure. This includes mechanisms such as the Australasian BIM Advisory Board and potentially the COAG for national decision-making. Governments will also collaborate on key inputs such as systems, capability development, and real world assessments to further implement BIM across building sourcing and infrastructure chains and government entities. The state and territories will develop a potential work plan potentially each year. This applies to all key areas of this framework. It will be informed and based on the actions of industry and government. Leadership will be demonstrated by raising awareness and acceptance of BIM and strategies to effectively manage the transitions between old and new processes and technologies. Communication A strategy will be developed within 12 months of the commencement of this framework. States and territories play a special role in providing clear direction and requirements. Each country and territory should consider developing their jurisdiction's BIM implementation plan. The BIM Implementation Plan will detail the approach to be taken to support the adoption of BIM by industry and relevant governmental actors in line with this Framework. State and territory plans will also deal with the different capabilities, capabilities, and trajectory of each jurisdiction. This includes highlighting the projected level of BIM use over time by a jurisdiction using agreed definitions of "BIM levels" to provide the necessary clarity, including: industry, and to enable sequencing efforts under this framework to support BIM adoption nationwide. It is recognized that governments will have specific requirements in areas such as information assets, management and security, and related protocols, and that these will have priority in developing state and territory and plans.

2. Develop and adopt standards and ensure an open and shared data environment

Data formats, standards, protocols, BIM systems and tools should be open and harmonized country where possible to ensure that industry and governments take full advantage of BIM. The development of BIM data standards will be a joint effort between governments and industry. Governments will require the use of standards that will be based on an open data format for information exchange. Support will continue to be provided to industry to ensure the development of common technical standards appropriate to the Australian context to ensure that the greatest benefits of adopting BIM are realized. Data classification systems and data exchange formats shall refer to relevant standards, including those that are developed locally or adopt international standards, as appropriate for the Australian context. A common data environment for data and information management, including related data management processes and principles, will be considered as a means of ensuring quality information to be managed, shared, used and stored. This will take into account the complementarity of national governments' efforts towards broader information and data standards. It is important to ensure that appropriate safety standards are prioritized for development and implementation, prioritizing action by governments at the national level.

3. Improving the terms of contracts and contracts

National and territorial governments recognize that procurement and contracting transparency is essential to capacity building and enabling industry engagement and development. State and territory governments will improve procurement methods to enable BIM adoption and, where possible, adopt a nationally consistent approach to BIM in construction procurement and construction and infrastructure management. These approaches will take into account the current commercial and intellectual property structures relevant to Australian construction and asset management and use them to inform the development of the Procurement Best Practice Guide that includes BIM. A national approach will be developed in this area, building on existing governance structures and wider industry. This will be iterative, recognizing that the adoption and use of BIM continues to evolve. Inherent to this are state and territorial governments that establish basic detailed digital data requirements, including the codification of the technological structural requirements of structures designing

4. Encourage skills development and capacity building

National and territorial governments recognize the importance of developing skills and capabilities to enable BIM to be used throughout the asset's lifecycle. The state and territory government will support the development of capabilities and systems within agencies in accordance with the agency's goals and their jurisdictional BIM plan as determined. State and territory governments will consider engaging with communities of practice where this occurs to accelerate capacity building and encourage collaboration. Such Communities of Practice may be based on topics that pertain to national governments as well as by jurisdiction. Governments will continue to work together and encourage industry to expand their capabilities and develop a competitive advantage in BIM. Significant gains in competitiveness can be achieved by building strategic alliances, improving access to competitive infrastructure (hard and soft), encouraging innovation and the diffusion of technology and skills, and by creating and applying knowledge to create wealth. The approach to BIM in public procurement will help stimulate industry development, including pilot projects, training and promotion to recognize early success and provide wider building opportunities.

An active number of Australian industry associations, research organizations and networks have pursued BIM for over 15 years, providing an important platform to achieve the goals of this framework.

National NATSPEC BIM Guide and BIM Management Plan Template

Following a 2011 request from the Department of Innovation (Commonwealth) to NATSPEC for Australia's National BIM Guide development and industry consultation, NATSPEC issued BIM Guidelines to help customers, consultants and stakeholders clarify their BIM requirements in a nationally consistent manner. The national BIM guide describes in detail BIM products, including documentation and data standards supporting the BIM process. This document was verified by the government and industry in 2016 and has been confirmed with no changes. Supporting documents and tools include BIM Brief Design and BIM Management Plan Templates. In 2018, NATSPEC launched the BIM Property Generator, which is a free online tool to unify object designations, properties and property names.

buildingSMART National BIM Initiative

buildingSMART played a key role in promoting BIM in Australia by developing a two-part report containing the 2012 BIM Implementation Plan. The plan helped mobilize the industry and it did provide a valuable resource to facilitate BIM implementation. In 2017, buildingSMART launched BIMcreds, which offers BIM / DE practitioners a mechanism to demonstrate their competence. BIMcreds will complement the knowledge and skills of the BIM Framework developed by the APCC / ACIF BIM Education Group. BIM Practice Guides issued by the Australian Institute of Architects and Consult Australia In 2012 and 2013, the Australian Institute of Architects and Consult Australia released: a total of 27 "practical guides" on BIM covering a wide range of topics and stakeholders. Each guidance document provides a basic level of information for the industry. The effort was aimed at offering practical, entry-level information to help those in the supply chain who were new to BIM concepts and their impact on the construction sector.

Towards a national strategy for national environmental sustainability research

Council (SBEnrc)

In 2014, SBEnrc published a guidance document and continues to promote the development of Australia's National BIM Adoption Strategy. In 2016, SBEnrc developed the BIM Value Tool in collaboration with NATSPEC to support embedded practitioners seeking to implement BIM throughout the life cycle of an asset's built environment and want to understand how BIM will deliver value to their businesses and projects. The BIM Value Benchmarking tool was released at the end of 2017 to allow practitioners to compare project data with others.

BIM-MEPAUS standards, guidelines, specifications and models

For many years, BIM-MEPAUS has placed particular emphasis on the application of BIM to the mechanical engineering aspects of buildings and infrastructure, covering the entire design and operational process. Former BIM standards, guidelines, specifications and models - MEPAUS is essential to support Australia's global leadership in this area.

Joint BIM Efforts by ACIF and APCC - ABAB

The latest additions to the BIM package of documents and guides result from a joint effort between the Australian Purchasing and Construction Council (APCC) and the Australia Construction Industry Forum (ACIF). In addition to their publications, such as "Framework for Adoption of Project Team Integration and Building Information Modeling," the joint group released: A Guide to Building and Construction Purchasing, with a focus on Project Team Integration and BIM. APCC and ACIF see their role as a mediator between industry interests and government requirements. The APCC / ACIF focuses less on the technical aspects of BIM, but rather on legal topics, procurement and collaboration / processes. In 2017, APCC and ACIF, along with NATSPEC, buildingSMART and Standards Australia and state government support, established the Australian BIM Advisory Board (ABAB). ABAB is adopting the entire construction industry approach to national BIM adoption.