A survey of firms in the building services sector has found that only around one in six (16%) consider themselves “fully ready” to use BIM on projects, while 27% said they were “not ready at all”.
On the other hand, nearly two-thirds of respondents (65%) said that BIM Level 2 would be “good for the sector”, while 57% said it would be the “future for building services”.
The survey was carried out by the Electrical Contractors’ Association (ECA) in conjunction with the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) and building services and engineering consultancy BSRIA.
The number of respondents is said to to be in the “hundreds”. Full results of the survey are expected to be released shortly.
With the government deadline for the mandatory use of BIM Level 2 in all Whitehall-procured contracts just months away, the survey showed that 57% said they were not fully ready.
ECA director of business services Paul Reeve commented: “The survey results show that BIM awareness is generally high across building services, but many contractors, and others associated with our sector, still have a long way to go to be ready for the government’s 2016 BIM deadline.
“The results indicate that while some companies have already engaged successfully with BIM, many more have yet to engage with the aspects that allow effective information sharing with others in their supply chain.
“In addition to flagging up our findings to government and the industry, we will be working with our ‘BIM readiness’ partners to tackle the important gaps identified by the survey, as soon as possible.”
CIBSE technical director Hywel Davies said: “This survey confirms that whilst there is a growing awareness of Level 2 BIM in the MEP sector, there is still a real need for more information.
“There is also a requirement for specific tools and guidance for the MEP sector, which CIBSE is working closely with industry partners to develop.”
The survey has attracted sector-wide support, including from SELECT, the Building and Engineering Services Association (B&ES) and BEAMA.
Other organisations supporting the survey were the British Electrotechnical and Allied Manufacturers’ Association (BEAMA), the Specialist Engineering Contractors’ Group (SEC Group), the Construction Products Association (CPA), Voltimum, the Fire and Security Association (FSA – affiliated to the ECA), and the South East Centre for the Built Environment (SECBE).
This survey confirms that whilst there is a growing awareness of Level 2 BIM in the MEP sector, there is still a real need for more information. There is also a requirement for specific tools and guidance for the MEP sector, which CIBSE is working closely with industry partners to develop.– Hywel Davies, CIBSE
