Principles and recommendations for client information requirements for BIM enabled construction projects in Qatar

Employer's information requirements (EIR) is one of the key early documents in projects using building information modelling (BIM). EIR, introduced by the UK BIM Task Group, sets out information deliverables and the standards and processes to be adopted by the supply chain. It includes a set of requirements and guidelines in three areas namely technical, management and commercial. EIR, which are applicable to the construction industry in Qatar, are not clearly defined despite BIM is increasingly required on projects. This paper aims to develop a set of principles and recommendations for the three areas of the EIR which are applicable to Qatar's construction sector. Following an investigation of current BIM practices in Qatar, a set of general principles and recommendations were proposed and validated for the areas of the client information requirements (CIR) - an adaption of the term EIR as evidenced in the paper. Copyright 2016 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.Scopu

Development of OntEIR framework to support BIM clients in construction

This paper discusses an ongoing research that is conducted to develop a framework that will support employers in making informed and sound decision in defining their requirements. The aim of this research is to develop an ontology-based, BIM enabled framework for EIR (OntEIR), it will examine the ability of this framework in capturing, analysing, and translating these requirements based on an ontology model. This framework will enable the project team to capture requirements and convert them to constructional terms understood by all stakeholders. It is the contention of this research that this process will save time, effort and cost, and will provide an informed basis for delivering a successful project that satisfies both the employer and the supply chain

Hierarchy based information requirements for sustainable operations of buildings in Qatar

Information flows in construction projects are generally focused on the needs of the design and construction phases. This creates disruption of workflows across the project stages and in particular with the information handover to the operation stage. The adherence to the clients' requirements for the operation phase of buildings becomes very challenging. A structured information delivery enabled by BIM protocols, established at the project’s inception phase, can help: 1) prevent information loss during the project development; 2) ensure the coordinated delivery of the clients’ requirements as stated at the pre-design stage, and 3) anticipate the impact of client decisions at early project stages on the operational performance of buildings. This research presents a methodology and a decision support system to help obtaining, categorizing and trading off sustainability and facility management values using subjective driven priorities from top-level management. The decision support system will assist, within digitally enabled projects, in translating these priorities into objective parameters and information categories. These can be subsequently included within the project tender and bidders’ BIM Execution Plans. The tool will also help to monitor the performance of the project design with the national sustainability and the client targets as the project progresses. The proposed tool is presented within the context of Qatar but it could be applied in other countries

Novel Employer-Oriented Frameworks to Manage Delay Causes in Traditional (Non-BIM) and Building Information Modelling (BIM)-Enabled Construction Projects

Construction delays are considered among the foremost common issues that inflict adverse effects on project owners and employers. Thus, it is essential to identify the causes of delays to attenuate and reduce the delays and related expenses. No prior research has addressed employer delays separately in a detailed manner from the more comprehensive coverage of countries or continents. A few studies on delays consider traditional and building information modelling (BIM) current practices for different continents. Hence, this research aimed to develop a novel and comprehensive framework to address or prevent construction delays caused by employers

Making Sense of Multi-Actor Social Collaboration in Building Information Modelling Level 2 Projects: A Case in Malaysia

Despite the diversity of thinking among the scholars on building information modelling (BIM) collaboration, there is a paucity of studies that capture the dimension of social collaboration in BIM projects. This study attempts to develop a comprehensive understanding on the key attributes of multi-actor social collaboration in BIM projects through the experience of practitioners in BIM-Level 2 construction project. The success of multi-actor social collaboration has been investigated through structured interviews with 22 BIM practitioners in a BIM-Level 2 project based on an established theoretical framework of social collaboration. The findings indicted that relationship-oriented attributes; relational contracts BIM execution plan; guideline, standard and work process manual approaches; employer information requirement (EIR); understanding roles and leadership; commitment from top management; resources; training, team building workshop and awareness program; coordination; and understanding on the theoretical knowledge of BIM are of importance towards multi-actor social BIM collaboration. This study acknowledges that the success of multi-actor social collaboration was influenced by the consolidation of many attributes, and it extends the dominant relationship between related attributes for multi-actor social collaboration based on the "best practice approach", which includes dominant-centric attributes (i.e., behaviour formation, procurement model and support principles). This research contributes to the body of BIM knowledge in the construction domain by focusing on what it takes to achieve greater social collaboration in BIM Level 2 projects

Development of an Ontology-based Framework and Tool for Employer Information Requirements (OntEIR)

The identification of proper requirements is a key factor for a successful construction project. Many attempts in the form of frameworks, models, and tools have been put forward to assist in identifying those requirements. In projects using Building Information Modelling (BIM), the Employer Information Requirements (EIR) is a fundamental ingredient in achieving a successful BIM project.As of April 2016, Building Information Modelling (BIM) was mandated for all UK government projects, as part of the Government Construction Strategy. This means that all central Government departments must only tender with suppliers that demonstrate their capability on working with the Level-2 BIM.One of the fundamental ingredients of achieving the BIM Level-2 is the provision of full and clear Employer Information Requirements (EIR). As defined by PAS 1192-2, EIR is a “pre- tender document that sets out the information to be delivered and the standards and processes to be adopted by the suppler as part of the project delivery process”. it also notes that “EIR should be incorporated into tender documentation to enable suppliers to produce an initial BIM Execution Plan (BEP)”.Effective definition of EIRs can contribute to better productivity; within the budget and time limit set and improve the quality of the built facility. Also, EIR contribute to the information clients get at the end of the project, which will enable the effective management and operation of the asset at less cost, in an industry, where typically 60% of the cost go towards maintenance and operation.The aim of this research is to develop a better approach, for producing a full and complete set of EIRs, which ensures that the clients information needs for the final model delivered by BIM be clearly defined from the very beginning of the BIM process. It also manages the collaboration between the different stakeholders of the project, which allows them to communicate and deliver to the client’s requirements. In other words, an EIR that manages the whole BIM process and the information delivered throughout its lifecycle, and the standards to be adopted by the suppliers as an essential ingredient for the success of a BIM project. For the research to be able to achieve the aims set and the formulated objectives, firstly a detailed and critical review on related work and issues was conducted. Then the initial design of the OntEIR Framework, which introduced the new categorisation system of the information requirements and the elicitation of requirements from high-level needs using ontology was presented. A research prototype of an online tool was developed as a proof-of- concept to implement and operationalise the research framework.The evaluation of the framework and prototype tool via interviews and questionnaires was conducted with both industry experts and inexperienced stakeholders. The findings indicateivthat the adoption of the framework and tool, in addition to the new categorisation system, could contribute towards effective and efficient development of EIRs that provide a better understanding of the information requirements as requested by BIM, and support the production of a complete BIM Execution Plan (BEP) and a Master Information Delivery Plan (MIDP)

BIM Roles and Responsibilities in Developing Countries: A Dedicated Matrix for Design-Bid-Build Projects

Building information modeling (BIM) through data-rich digital representation has revolutionized the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry. BIM implementation in the AEC industry has noticeably increased over the last decade. Various BIM roles have been discussed in the literature to ease the process of BIM implementation, but the BIM roles related to project delivery methods have not been standardized. Stimulated by this need, this study develops a BIM roles and responsibilities matrix (BIM-R&R) in the context of the design−bid−build (DBB) projects for developing countries. A comprehensive literature review has been conducted, followed by a questionnaire survey comprising 105 responses. The results were analyzed to formulate a BIM-R&R matrix, on which the expert opinion was obtained from the BIM experts. The proposed BIM-R&R matrix describes all the roles and their corresponding responsibilities required along the project life cycle phases of DBB projects. The incorporation of BIM roles in the DBB procurement process will aid in the efficient management of all information and data that may be lost due to the fragmented nature of DBB. BIM roles with enhanced communication and coordination will also help in reducing time and cost overruns while maintaining a high-quality product. This study helps the associated construction industry in its efforts to implement BIM on their projects by providing a method by which to assess which BIM roles are necessary. Moreover, it will provide project and construction managers with a clear understanding of the BIM roles in DBB projects

Critical success factors for facility management employer’s information requirements (EIR) for BIM

Purpose: This paper aims to describe the development and testing of an employer’s information requirements (EIR) template and guidance document designed to meet client and facility management (FM) needs in the building information modelling (BIM) process. Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative design approach was used and triangulation of methods which included a focus group with the British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM), semi-structured interviews with the case study Glasgow Life Burrell Renaissance Project who trialled the EIR and peer-reviews and interviews with BIM/CAFM experts from the BIM Academy and FM180. Findings: Specific guidance to help clients and facility managers prepare key BIM documents like the EIR are needed. They are aware of industry BIM standards and guidance but often not in detail. The Glasgow Life case study illustrated the EIR as a useful collaboration-tool to bring together stakeholders in early planning stages to understand client information needs. Social implications: Assets and buildings account for most of the energy and material use in society. A well-structured EIR will help ensure the right information is available to enable optimisation of running costs and utility-use over their whole life, thus contributing to long-term sustainability. Originality/value: This paper provides a new EIR template and guidance document ideal for practitioners in industry as a practical starting point to plan the client information requirements for BIM projects. It can be downloaded at www.bifm.org.uk/bifm/knowledge