£15m confirmed for BIM on deadline day

The government has confirmed £15m of investment this parliament for the delivery of BIM level three, as the deadline passes today on its BIM level two deadline.

From today, all central government departments have to issue BIM level two on their construction projects. The clients will issue employer information requirements (EIRs) on tenders detailing their BIM level two requirements.

Despite central government’s adoption of BIM level two, Building revealed on Friday that only 54% of construction firms are using BIM, while 70% believe the sector is not ready to meet today’s mandate.

The BIM Task Group said the £15m investment - as first revealed by Building - will help it maintain the UK’s “global leadership” and help save taxpayers billions of pounds.

The Task Group has also launched a new web portal for BIM level two standards and information at bim-level2.org/.

BIM Task Group chairman Mark Bew said: “To look at how far we have come in four short years is to understand how far we can and need to go in the next four and beyond.

“From a standing start, the UK is now leading the global race towards digitalisation of the construction industry and we will not let it slip. The hard work starts here.

“BIM is now very much business as usual. Our Level 2 programme is driving efficiency and creating a competitive supply sector with our businesses in demand internationally. 

“BIM will become a required UK standard across the entire built environment and our message to all stakeholders is: join us and grasp this incredible opportunity to reduce cost and waste while driving productivity and competitiveness.”

David Philp, global BIM consultancy director at Aecom, who is also part of the BIM Task Group team, commented: “The government’s reaffirmed commitment to BIM Level 3 will help maintain the UK’s strong position in the global drive towards a digitally enabled construction sector.

“But to fully embrace the opportunities that BIM Level 3 provides, our industry must attract and nurture the right talent. Attracting vital data science and analytics skills from outside the built environment sector will therefore be key to the successful transition to BIM Level 3.”