CIOB outlines three-year BIM programme for members and industry

The CIOB has outlined a three-year programme to support members and the industry to deliver mandatory BIM on public sector projects by 2016.

The institute is also to take on a role supporting and co-ordinating the work of the “BIM4” working groups linked to the Cabinet Office BIM Task Group, which include BIM4Retail, BIM4Infrastructure and BIM4SMEs.

The three-year plan, endorsed by the Members’ Forum in June, includes online BIM training, publishing a print and digital “BIM handbook”, drawing up a Code of Practice on BIM and establishing a competency framework that could underpin a future CIOB BIM qualification.

The online BIM training, offered in partnership with specialist company Cadnet, will consist of several modules which can be undertaken singly or as a group. The modules will count towards members’ CPD requirements, but at the moment they will not lead to a qualification.

The three-year plan is being formulated by the CIOB’s 16-strong BIM group, which is chaired by David Philp FCIOB of the government’s BIM Task Group, and includes Paul Shillcock, chair of BIM4Infrastructure, Arto Kiviniemi, professor of digital design at the University of Salford, and consultants Ray Crotty and John Eynon.

At the same time, the CIOB is supporting the BIM Task Group to focus the work of the various BIM4 communities, which includes BIM4FM, BIM4Water and BIM4 Private Sector Clients.

David Philip explained: “The groups all have a common purpose, but there needs to be shared knowledge and shared learning between the different groups – at the moment they’re divided into ‘swim lanes’ going at different speeds. The CIOB has offered to help co-ordinate the groups and offer a degree of support and leadership.”

The CIOB’s role is to be discussed at an away day in September that brings together key figures in the BIM roll-out.

John Eynon MCIOB, who also sits on the steering group for BIM4SMEs and will attend the away-day, added: “The CIOB is focusing on the supply chain end [of the BIM spectrum]. The aim is to try and co-ordinate activity so that everyone is moving in the same direction and taking on the same agenda. We want to make sure it all joins up – the clock’s ticking.”

He added: ‘There has been a lot of growth and activity over the last couple of years, but there are still people out there who don’t even know there’s a government target, they don’t know about the [Task group] website or the guidance or processes. We’re still a long way off getting the right level of penetration.”