Mears Group first FM company to become BIM compliant

Gloucester-based Mears Group has become the UK’s first facilities management company to become BIM Level 2 compliant, in line with the government’s mandate for centrally-procured construction projects, which came into effect in April.

Rather than seeking accreditation from a UKAS-approved certifier the company decided to implement a compliant BIM framework based upon satisfying the requirements of PAS 91 and demonstrating competence in BIM and collaborative information exchange.

Tony Smith, managing director of Mears facilities management division, told BIM+: “We satisfied the requirements of PAS 91 to demonstrate that we were BIM Level 2 compliant rather than look at certification against the public available specifications.”

BIM Academy provided training and support in achieving compliance with the PAS 91 standard.

Smith continued: “I cannot emphasise enough how much the role training played in ensuring we obtained the necessary skills, developed the right systems and remove barriers to ensuring safe project collaboration and information exchange.

“The virtual project workshop, developed and delivered by BIM Academy, provided an immersive real-time exercise for our team. It let us learn about BIM software and management processes in a collaborative project environment and understand the challenges, which BIM can help resolve. It gave us the confidence to operate expertly in the digital construction landscape.”

Smith believes that becoming BIM compliant will give the company an advantage, but hopes that other FM companies also embrace BIM. 

“We are probably currently ahead of our competitors but would genuinely welcome others within our sector to embrace not only BIM but the whole ethos promoted by Government Soft Landings,” concluded Smith.

Peter Barker, BIM Academy managing director, added: “We are delighted to have supported Mears in their journey to BIM adoption. They are highly progressive in their thinking on the opportunities presented by BIM for facilities management and the value it can bring to their customers and their business.”

Mears is continuing to advance its BIM adoption program and is now in the process developing an asset management systems based on the requirements of ISO 55000. Its system, named Better Outcomes, aims to achieve the government’s aim of championing better outcomes for built assets during the design and construction stages through Government Soft Landings powered by a BIM model to ensure value is achieved in the operational lifecycle of an asset.

Jim Morrison, Mears facilities management operations director, added: “We regard the Government Soft Landings framework as applicable to all projects, from new build to existing buildings across the whole built environment, and see BIM and asset management as part of the same process – one that can deliver true stakeholder value.

“Stakeholders lie at the heart of our Better Outcomes system, which as a control framework fits comfortably for new build projects, renovation, repairs and maintenance, as well as soft, hard and total facilities management projects.”

I cannot emphasise enough how much the role training played in ensuring we obtained the necessary skills, developed the right systems and remove barriers to ensuring safe project collaboration and information exchange.– Tony Smith, Mears facilities management division