Interserve first contractor to secure Level 2 BIM certification

Interserve Construction looks set to become the first contractor to be accredited as Level 2 BIM compliant under BRE Global’s Business Systems Certification scheme.

The company has passed the assessment process, but not yet received its certificate, which will allow it to use the BRE Global badge of compliance and should speed up tendering processes in the future 

A spokeswoman for BRE confirmed that while Interserve was due to be certified, the process is governed by UKAS, the United Kingdom Accreditation Service, and BRE could not formally confirm the award in advance of its processes. 

Certification means that Interserve Construction’s three divisions – buildings, infrastructure and strategic projects – all have the policies and procedures in place to deliver Level 2 BIM in line with the government’s strategy, and meeting the requirements of PAS1192-2:2013 and BS1192.

The certification process involves completing an online application form, submitting documents for review, a desktop audit and telephone discussions. In addition, BRE Global conducts a site audit to review processes and procedures.

The news was welcomed by Sam Wickins, a survey manager in the infrastructure division, who said that the contractor has been embracing Level 2 BIM and extending it to all jobs, not just those for central government clients.

“It’s one thing to do BIM models for buildings, but we’ve also been using it on flood defence projects and work for Severn Water. It’s taken a while to roll it out on all jobs – we’ve been investing in it but it’s partly a culture thing – so the accreditation is great news. And the more we get to do BIM, the more it gets familiar to people,” she said.

Wickins has been championing laser scanning in the infrastructure division, with scans of an underground storage tank, a pumping station and a heritage building due to be converted, and is hoping to shortly commission her first 3D laser scan by a remotely-piloted drone. 

“Laser scanning to produce a point cloud and then convert it to AutoCAD is a fairly easy process, the difficult part is finding out what the client actually wants – do they want to use it for the BIM model, or just for taking measurements?

“We’re leasing the equipment as the technology moves so quickly – we could buy a £60,000 high-definition Leica scanner but in a year or so it would be completely out-dated. So we’ll lease the equipment but we’ll offer the entire service to the client – including conversion to a BIM model – in-house and they won’t have to pay for an extra supplier,” she explained.

The next step will be a 3D laser scan by drone, which should prove ideal for a project currently in the tendering process. “The project is to lay 7km of pipeline through field and a wooded area: to do a topo survey using instruments would take you weeks, but after a day with a drone you’ll have usable information,” added Wickins.

Wickins is now actively trying to “sell” the benefits of laser and drone scanning to colleagues across the infrastructure division, and is planning an event in June to promote the technology. “I want to use it as much as possible, I’m trying to get all our north and south people into it. The more it gets used, the more people want it. I’m really trying to promote it for the benefits, and to be honest I like doing it as well, it’ll be quite exciting to fly a drone!”

It’s one thing to do BIM models for buildings, but we’ve also been using it on flood defence projects and work for Severn Water. It’s taken a while to roll it out on all jobs – we’ve been investing in it but it’s partly a culture thing – so the accreditation is great news. – Sam Wickens, Interserve