Fewer than 1 in 6 firms (16%) in the building services sector are ‘fully ready’ to use Building Information Modeling (BIM) on projects, according to new survey findings from the Electrical Contractors’ Association (ECA).
With the government deadline for the mandatory use of ‘BIM Level 2’ in all Whitehall-procured contracts just months away, nearly 6 in 10 firms (57%) said they were not fully ready, while over 1 in 4 (27%) said they were ‘not ready at all’ (please see graph).
Yet, despite the above findings, nearly two-thirds of respondents (65%) say that BIM Level 2 will be ‘good for the sector’, while almost 6 in 10 (57%) say it will be the ‘future for building services’.
“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," said ECA director of business services Paul Reeve. "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."
The sector-wide ‘BIM readiness’ survey was held in conjunction with the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) and building services and engineering consultancy BSRIA.
“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," said CIBSE technical director Hywel Davies. “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.
The full results of the survey, which attracted hundreds of responses from contractors and others associated with the sector, will be released shortly.
