Last edited 07 Feb 2024

UK BIM Framework

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is a very broad term that describes the process of creating and managing a digital model of a building or other facility such as a bridge, highway, tunnel and so on.

In the UK, the Government Construction Strategy published in May 2011, stated that the '...Government will require fully collaborative 3D BIM (with all project and asset information, documentation and data being electronic) as a minimum by 2016'. This represented a minimum requirement for level 2 BIM on centrally-procured public projects from April 2016.

BIM Level 2 was superseded by the UK BIM Framework in 2018.

The UK BIM Framework sets out the overarching approach to implementing BIM in the UK. It was developed jointly by the UK BIM Alliance, BSI and the Centre for Digital Built Britain to implement international BIM standards within a UK context.

The UK BIM Framework includes:

The published standards called upon to implement BIM in the UK.
The UK BIM Guidance Framework.
Useful links to other resources.

Formally launched in October 2019, it specifically addresses integration of the BS EN ISO 19650 series into UK working practices. However, it has also incorporated existing British standards, publicly available specifications (PASs), transition guidance, and ancillary information such as Government Soft Landings.

As new standards are published, and the corresponding PASs are superseded, the UK BIM Framework is updated, often with the addition of regularly updated UK-specific guidance notes on implementing the latest standards. For example, PAS 1192-2 was withdrawn following the publication of ISO 19650 Part 2 in January 2019; UK-specific guidance on Part 2: Processes for Project Delivery has since been updated quarterly to expand and improve its content.

All guidance relating to BIM implementation is freely available via the dedicated UK BIM Framework website: https://ukbimframework.org/standards-guidance/

Smart Building Overlay to the RIBA Plan of Work, published by the RIBA in 2024, states: ‘The UK BIM Framework is the overarching approach to implementing BIM in the UK, using the framework for managing information provided by the ISO19650 series. The UK BIM framework sets out the requirement of meeting the Information Management Mandate in the UK, and is an open resource for anyone looking to implement best practice regarding BIM and Information Management.’