23 March 2017 | Herpreet Kaur Grewal
The British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM) has published a new guide for facilities management professionals working with clients on BIM construction projects.
Employer's Information Requirements is a practical 47-page document to support clients using BIM (building information modelling).
It shows clients how to specify their exact requirements for the design and construction phase of a built asset through to its full lifetime operation.
The purpose of the EIR is to support both FM professionals and clients by providing a template that can be edited and amended by the client or facilities manager to meet individual requirements for the project. Its guidance follows the publication of BIFM's Operational Readiness Guide For Facilities Managers published in April 2016.
Since April 2016, construction projects commissioned by central government have been required to use BIM for their procurement and delivery. Building experts believe that BIM can streamline the construction process, delivering gains in cost and carbon reduction. Many private sector clients are also now employing BIM across a wide range of built assets.
Peter Brogan, research and information manager at BIFM, said: "The Employer's Information Requirements complements other guidance published by BIFM relating to FM's role in BIM projects, all with the aim of supporting facilities management professionals to understand their role in the BIM process."
Employer's Information Requirements is available to download from www.bifm.org.uk/OpReadiness