The Electrical Contractors’ Association (ECA) has released a new ‘BIM Basics’ checklist which it hopes will help its members and smaller contractors ensure they are prepared for the government’s BIM Level 2 mandate.
The checklist highlights the “bare essential” requirements that firms within the building services sector will need to meet to work on BIM projects.
Developed with the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE), the checklist divides the the basic requirements into four key areas: capability and skills, processes, software and hardware and digital information.
The full version, containing requirements for firms that are more advanced in BIM, is only available to ECA members, although a pared-down version is available here.
According to an ECA spokesperson, many member companies are still not fully up to speed on BIM.
He told Construction Manager: “We’ve surveyed a lot of our members over the last few months and we have found that a lot of them aren’t ready for BIM, some smaller companies and SMEs are struggling so we hope this will give them a push along.”
Research conducted by the ECA last year found that over half of contractors (54%) with a turnover of less than £1m are “not ready at all” for BIM, while three in 10 firms (30%) with turnover between £1m and £20m were in the same position.
Speaking about the new BIM checklist, Bill Wright, head of energy solutions at the ECA said: “Central government spends billions each year on buying goods and services, and it’s vital that building services firms of all shapes and sizes quickly get up to speed with BIM Level 2.
“BIM won’t work properly [unless] the specialist supply chain is fully ready, and the ECA’s easily digestible ‘BIM Basics’ checklist will help smaller and lower tier contractors to understand what may be their most likely interactions with BIM projects.”
The ECA is also currently conducting a survey, alongside Voltimum and the Electrical Distributors Association, to quiz manufacturers in the M&E sector on their attitudes to supplying “BIM objects”.
It is hoped the results of this survey will help develop the best move forward when it comes to BIM.
Central government spends billions each year on buying goods and services, and it’s vital that building services firms of all shapes and sizes quickly get up to speed with BIM Level 2.– Bill Wright, ECA
