When Should #BIM Happen? A Real-World Timeline ⌛
Too many BIM processes are decided too late, or not at all… Sound familiar?
That’s one of the big lessons BIM KARELA learnt while auditing the BIM deliverables on the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS) project. During Karolina’s MSc research, she created a practical framework that maps out exactly when BIM related activities should happen across a project lifecycle.
So if you're ever asking:
“When should ‘Information Requirements’ (IR) be defined?”
“When should we export ‘Construction Operations Building Information Exchange’ COBie?”
“When should the ‘BIM Execution Plan’ (BEP) be audited and accepted?”
The below timeline gives you clear answers.
Below is a simplified summary from the MSc thesis BIM audit, broken down by ⏳ RIBA Plan of Work 2020 stages and role-based responsibilities:
🔑 Appointing Party (or Delegated Information manager - like BIM KARELA)
RIBA Stages 0–1:
Appoint BIM specialists to fulfil the Appointing Party’s IM role
Provide BIM training for FM and project staff
Define IRs (EIR, AIR, PIR, IDP, Sample COBie data Sheet)
Consult key stakeholders especially FM to support IRs development
Establish the CDE for the whole lifecycle of a project
RIBA Stages 2–4:
Include IRs & Information Protocol at Tender
Request and Audit BEPs vs IRs
Publish Project Directory
Review delivery team BIM Capacity / Capability & tender response
Approve BEPs
RIBA Stages 3–5:
Prepare & agree Asset Delivery Requirements (ADR) + (COBie Schema, Responsibility Matrix (RM), Level of Information Need (LoIN)
Audit Information models (Architectural, MEP, Structural) vs IRs
Audit Project Information model (PIM)
Validate COBie or other Asset data
RIBA Stages 5-6:
Final acceptance & approval of all BIM deliverables
👨💼Lead Appointed Party / Lead Designer (Typically main contractor or lead architect)
RIBA Stages 2–4:
Nominate Project Information Manager (IM)
Understand & Interpret Appointing Party’s IRs
Prepare & Conduct capacity assessments
Propose a Pre-appointment BEP aligned with IRs during Tender
Re-Issue a Post-appointment Project BEP including Delivery Teams’ Mobilisation plan (DTMP), Risk Register & Project Milestones
Organise BIM Kick-off
Appoint a surveyor to carry out a Topographical Survey of the land (including 3D BIM Survey)
Produce & share ‘seed file’ with real world Coordinates, Grids, levels & shared parameters
Establish a project CDE platform acceptable by the Appointing Party (including Audit Trail)
Migrate BIM deliverables at each end of RIBA Stage or as otherwise agreed from Lead Appointed Party’s CDE into Appointing Party’s CDE
RIBA Stages 3–5:
Consolidate all Task Information Delivery Plans (TIDPs) into the Master Information Delivery Plan (MIDP)
Audit Information models & Asset Data vs IRs
Federate & share all discipline models for integrated project review (for PIM & AIM approvals)
Lead coordination by running regular clash detection, producing reports for Task Teams & the Appointing Party
Assist with resolving coordination issues by proposing solutions, agreeing on the best outcomes with all project stakeholders
👩🎓 Task Teams (Engineers, Architects & other Designers)
RIBA Stages 2–4:
Complete BIM Capability & Capacity assessments
Contribute to Project BEP development (or produce own discipline BEP for consolidation)
Create & Share TIDPs
Prepare, maintain & share BIM deliverables in line with IRs as per TIDPs
Check availability of reference information and shared resources
RIBA Stages 3–5:
Create geometry within the Information Model to represent your discipline's design intent
Populate agreed classification & other required data inside the Information models
Export Information Models to agreed formats e.g. .NWC & .IFC
Export Asset Data into excel spreadsheet and 2D layouts from the Information Models
Perform internal QA/QC of Information Models & Data prior to submission
Perform internal Clash checks & solve Critical & High Priority Clashes relevant to each RIBA Stage
What ThE ABOVE Timeline Solves?
✅ Prevents last-minute scramble for BIM deliverables
✅ Increases Asset Data quality & FM value
✅ Aligns expectations across stakeholders
This framework helped define roles, reduce risk, and ensure the FM team got the data they actually needed.
Grab the full research paper, complete with a full BIM audit and practical BIM recommendations to help future projects stay on track and not fall apart 👇
Download the Full RESEARCH PAPER
Grab your free copy here 👉 Download Now (Link to PDF)
📚 Want to dive deeper into informationrequirements, cobie , bim audits, facilities management or ISO19650 compliance? Explore our #BIMTalk articles 👉 https://www.bimkarela.com/bim-talk
🔍 Need expert support on your project? Check out BIM KARELA’s BIM Audit services 👉 https://www.bimkarela.com/bim-audit-iso-19650-compliance
Want to go deeper with structure and clarity?🎓
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