Building Information Modelling (BIM)
Building information modelling is the process of creating a digital model of a building (or site) and its assets in order to monitor and optimise its whole life value.
A building information model holds information about the physical characteristics and functional aspects of a building's assets.
While BIM is discussed widely in the construction sector, it is used from concept-to-occupation, helping to eliminate any loss of information in handover to the facilities manager.
The British Standards Institution (BSI) has published a standard - PAS 1192-2 - Information management for the capital/delivery phase of construction projects, in order to encourage best practice implementation of building information models.
Crown Commercial Service Framework
The Crown Commercial Service is an executive agency, comprised of a merger between the commercial teams from the Cabinet Office and central government departments, as well as the Government Procurement Service.
It procures and manages facilities contracts for the government departments, their arms-length bodies and organisations across the UK public sector.
Its operations are broken down into a series of framework agreements, enabling the Government to act as a single customer.
GSL, BIM Level 2 and the 2016 deadline
All central government construction projects must be BIM Level 2-compliant by 2016, and all government departments must appoint a Government Soft Landings (GSL) lead to manage aftercare during the early operations of a building, supported by the project's design and construction teams. BIM Level 2 is a managed three-dimensional design environment with several datasets including cost data and construction sequencing. The government defines compliance with Level 2 BIM as a construction project's use of:
- PAS 1192-2:2013 and PAS 1192-3:2014-11-11 BS 1192-4 (both specifications for information management)
- The BIM protocol
- Government Soft Landings
- Digital Plan of Work, and
- Classification (using a structured and standardised information system - due in 2015)
(more information on these components can be found at www.bimtaskgroup.org)
RIBA Plan of Work (PoW) 2013
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Plan of Work 2013 is a reference document for those involved in the briefing, design, construction and post-occupancy process of buildings.
It is comprised of eight stages, which detail steps project teams should take in order to reflect the current best practice in delivering construction projects.
The stages range from strategic definition, through to conceptual, developed and technical design stages, and project handover and in-use stages.
Each stage provides information on core objectives, suggested support tasks, information exchanges and sustainability checkpoints.
The government's digital Plan of Work (dP0W)
An industry template to provide data on how to manage Level 2 BIM. Set to be complete by spring 2015.
SFG20
SFG20 is the standard maintenance specification for building engineering services. It is regarded as an industry standard for planned maintenance and the tendering of such services. SFG20 provides over 400 industry maintenance task schedules covering principal types of heating, cooling, plant and electrical services.
It is available as a modular web application, enabling users to prioritise maintenance regimes.
CIBSE Guide M
Guidance intended for the benefit of all involved in the operation and maintenance of engineering services - newly revised as at November 2014.
NRM (New Rules of Measurement) 3
Guidance on the quantification of maintenance works for the purpose of preparing order of cost estimates and formal cost plans (pre-construction), detailed cost plans (post-construction) and during the building's in-use phases.