Assessment of existing BIM implementation processes of a public organization to improve building assets management and maintenance

In the lifecycle of a building, the longest phase is generally that of operation and maintenance (O&M). The data needed to support O&M is mainly generated during the design, construction, and commissioning of the built asset phases. However, the extraction and transfer of relevant O&M data from the project documents remain a major issue in that it is time consuming and error prone. Nowadays, Building Information Modeling (BIM) allows different project team members to collaborate and share building data in real time. However, as-built models handed-over to the asset management team are quite voluminous and usually lack the necessary information for the O&M phase. This is due to an absence of O&M information requirements specification, and the lack of compliance monitoring and control during the project. This paper presents an action research focused on the issues encountered by a public building owner to manage their BIM processes. It demonstrates issues of BIM readiness and capabilities, both at the project and O&M levels, by mapping the gaps in the existing processes. Building owners rely on the design professionals’ expertise to guide them but do not have the adequate resources, knowledge, and tools to ensure the quality of the models delivered regarding O&M requirements. Major issues in the management of information for O&M were identified, and some recommendations are proposed.