The Building and Engineering Services Association (B&ES) believes that the four-year implementation strategy for building information modelling (BIM) introduced by Government will result in radical change to the dynamics of the construction supply chain leading to more efficient and more collaborative working methods, and positioning the UK to lead the world in BIM technology.
The Association said: 'In view of the growing importance of BIM to building engineering services, B&ES is developing a range of products and services designed to assist you in taking advantage of the business opportunities which the technology increasingly represents.'

Prominent among these is a guidance document - developed in partnership with the Specialist Engineering Contractors' (SEC) Group and the BIM Academy - entitled 'First Steps to BIM Competence: A Guide for Specialist Contractors'.

B&ES said: 'The main purpose of the document is to acquaint you with the steps you need to take to become comfortable with using Level 2 BIM - ie, developing and sharing project-related data with other parties in a 3D format.

'Matters addressed include the business case for BIM, the training and competences required and a range of issues surrounding software use. directions are provided to further sources of information, many of them available electronically.'

B&ES members have the opportunity to comment on the content of the draft guide, which is downloadable here.

Feedback can be sent to B&ES head of sustainability David Frise.