In a digital age, Owners know that BIM can mitigate many of the issues that have arisen on past projects. The challenge is understanding how to translate the requirements of the facility and operating teams for building assets into a process that the project team can follow. What follows is an attempt to provide some clarity regarding each of the roles required to support a BIM process from Capital Planning through to Facilities Management & Operations (FMO).

1. Owner’s BIM Consultant / BIM Compliance Consultant

An Owner’s BIM Consultant aims to ensure the benefits available from a BIM process from the perspective of those that require a facility not only to be built or renovated but also managed for its entire life. This is achieved through developing BIM Requirements, including a Data and Geometry Specification that supports the overall data goals and uses from Design through to FMO, while also providing support through procurement and selection.

Through the Design phase, the role involves:

✓ Providing independent knowledge and expertise relative to the BIM PEP, processes, and protocols being used.
✓ Auditing model data to ensure that the quality and robustness of the underlying data is fit for purpose.
✓ Using the data to generate reports, including an Asset Registry, that supports the Owner’s QC processes.
✓ During construction, the role of independent knowledge and quality control continues.

2. Design BIM Consultant / Manager

The Lead BIM Consultant / Manager is an expert in the BIM process for the design side, implementing BIM Standards and strategizing as to how best to organize the project for improved productivity.

The BIM Consultant/Manager is responsible for:

✓ Communicating and collaborating with all consultants to develop and maintain policies, processes, and protocols, recording them in the BIM Project Execution Plan (PEP).
✓ Managing data and geometry in accordance with the BIM Requirements, as well as the resolution of all issues found during quality control (QC) audits.

Although the tasks associated with this role are more numerous than as briefly summarized above, the focus is to manage the process for design production, including virtual coordination between all disciplines, with a strong emphasis on QC.

3. Revit Manager/ Software Manager

An evolution of the role of the CAD Manager, the Revit or Software Manager is responsible for providing:

✓ Software knowledge.
✓ Production of families for staff use on projects.
✓ Responsibility for ensuring software is working and resolving issues.
✓ Providing in-house training and support for the team.

This position is crucial to maintaining the productivity of design teams and it is noteworthy that some construction teams also require this role to be filled, typically including management of additional construction-related software.