CDBB – Round Table 8 event on ISO 19650 compliant BIM

On 17^th June 2019 I was privileged to be invited to a round table event hosted by the Centre for Digital Built Britain (CDBB) to discuss how the new ISO 19650 standard was going to impact asset and facilities managers.  I was genuinely interested to see the parties from the Facilities Management (FM) sector who were looking at this and developing strategies to utilise the information and data provided by the Building Information Modelling (BIM) process to improve FM delivery and lifecycle management.  The question posed was relatively simple:

“Delivery of ISO19650 compliant BIM, and in turn a digital built Britain, offers significant benefits to asset owners and operators, are you identifying and realising these benefits and what is still required to help you to make BIM ‘business as usual’?’

At this point, if you are not a ‘BIM bunny’ I should explain briefly that BS 1192 is a series of documents that were developed to help standardise and deliver BIM to the requirements of the British Government.  These documents have subsequently been superseded by the International standard ISO 19650.  This is a simplification but, essentially, there is much discussion about the changes between the two sets of documents.  In my opinion, the lack of FM engagement is the saving grace here as ISO 19650 is as new to FM as the BIM concept anyway (I am being cynical here, forgive me).

As this article is not about the standards themselves, I’ll move on and back to the event.

Whilst there were key FM personalities from Sodexo, John Lewis, Higher Education and Government/MOD present, it was disappointing to see the lack of uptake from other invited FM organisations on the subject.  Is this due to lack of understanding of BIM generally or that FM feels that the ISO is not relevant to them?

I’d be happy to take responses from the sector, invited or not.

Accepted is the fact that Parts 1 & 2 deal with the first two BS 1192 documents which are mostly concerned with design and construction (although they lay the ‘ground rules’ for BIM delivery).

Will ISO 19650 pt 3+ be of more interest (For non BIM types, BS1192 part 3 is pretty much where FM comes into the discussion)?  I think it’s doubtful but not because FM is necessarily disengaged from BIM.  Poorly educated in some respects, certainly.  Excluded from the conversation, undoubtedly. Apathetic due to a history of accepting completed buildings from AEC without questioning the delivery process………..?

I’ve been moving around in ‘BIM’ circles for at least 6 years now, constantly banging the drum for FM involvement but, feel the industry has moved forward very little in this time.  I should say at this point that there are laudable works going on with organisations such as IWFM, The BIM Alliance and BIM4FM groups but, in real terms the FM sector is still not engaging with the BIM process.

So why is this?  I’ve already spoken at numerous events, written articles and spoken to many Tier 1 FM suppliers with little or no forward movement.  I have concluded that the BIM4FM revolution must be client driven.  Neither the FM suppliers (with a few notable exceptions) or FM software industry are moving fast enough to drive the change that is needed.

I see plenty of ‘BIM for FM’ advice being peddled by application vendors with very little real substance  or actual evidence of development to either meet the BIM challenge (for traditional CAFM/IWMS applications) or to understand the complexity of FM operations (this is levelled squarely at app vendors who have some 3D viewer capability and rudimentary work reporting function.  Stop telling people you are FM software, please).

How do we engage FM as a sector in a subject that is going to impact on them for the foreseeable future?

The round table event was number 8 in a series of 9 events held by the CDBB and should have been overflowing with FM’s champing at the bit to inform the world about how the new standard would impact/help FM make use of BIM data.  Sadly, as at so many of these type of events, FM came up short.

I’m used to working alone in hostile environments (not that this event was at all hostile) with little or no support so, not entirely outside my comfort zone although, I continue to be disappointed by what I see as my sectors lack of involvement.

So how did the event shape up?

The discussion centred as much around the involvement (or to be more correct, lack of involvement) of FM during the BIM process as it did trying to answer the question.  It was very clear that of the FM personalities present, there was a frustration that it was difficult to get FM involved early enough in projects.  There are always notable exceptions but, these tend to be larger organisations or ones with strong client focus on owning and utilising their own data.

It was also apparent that there was a general acceptance that there needs to be an interface person/organisation/appointment that bridges the gap between client/contractor, AEC/FM, Capex/Opex etc.  This function needs to understand the language of both sides of the AEC/FM areas and deliver the client brief.  Moreover, this function may need to consult on all sides to advise, address, mediate and educate.  A tall order.

One of the interesting arguments was how to ‘sell’ this to the client.  BIM should save money rather than cost more.  That said, this advice has a value but, cannot be free if we are to avoid people asking for everything.  We need to get clients away from blanket statements like ‘I want Level 2’ without having any idea what that actually means or how it fits their vision.

BIM for FM is not going to benefit from information overload and the only way that we can ensure the effectiveness of the process for the Operate and Maintain phase is to understand what information and data is:

a.     Important

b.     Required

c.     Benefits the organisation

d.     Delivers value during the lifecycle of the Asset

To ensure this is achieved at the right time during a project lifecycle, FM involvement must come earlier.

I’m looking forward to the results of the round table series and hope that we can change the status quo.

If you have any comments, would like to discuss BIM in the FM environment or have case studies you’d like to share with the wider FM community, please drop us a line.

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Slough Borough Council and Morgan Sindall leading the way in BIM4FM delivery

Morgan Sindall and Slough Urban Renewal teamed up to provide Slough Borough Council with a BIM solution not just for the design and construction of 4 leisure centres but, also for the FM delivery post completion.  In order to provide this end to end solution, Morgan Sindall engaged FM180 to deliver a unique and cutting edge IWMS solution for the client.  The system chosen was MainManager, a Scandinavian solution that has the capability to integrate 3D models directly into the FM functionality.

The project consisted of 4 refurbished leisure centres funded by Slough Urban Renewal and delivered by Morgan Sindall.  The first three centres are already complete and operational with the final centre being delivered by the end of March 2019.

First to complete was Slough Ice Arena, followed by Salt Hill Activity Centre and then Langley Leisure Centre.

Although MainManager has been used in Scandinavia for many years and already manages numerous ‘BIM’ structures, this is the first deployment in the UK.  There were obviously differences between the UK BIM process and the Scandinavian methodology but, technically, we are in the same ballpark and FM180 have been using MainManager in the UK for over 6 years.  This deep understanding of MainManager and the UK BIM mandate has allowed us to work with the developers to ensure a robust and effective method of capturing BIM data for the Operate and Maintain phase in a UK setting.

One of the main challenges with converting BIM data for operations is that the FM team need to be able to structure not only the data itself but, how that data is organised for operational delivery.  For example, a flat import of COBie or an IFC will create objects although, the data itself doesn’t understand how to group and sort these objects for optimal FM service delivery.  MainManager has processes that allow us to configure the asset register in a way that supports the FM operation for the client.

Whilst every site is different, the principles are the same and we have found that using the ‘BIM’ way in all our projects has given us valuable benefits.  We have always used solid project delivery methodology but, bringing the BIM process into our way of working has given us further efficiencies.  Added to that the level of automation that is now possible via importing of IFC’s produces savings in time, resource and vastly improves the accuracy of asset information transfer.

As an experienced FM practitioner, I have no hesitation when I say, give me a BIM model every time over any traditional data capture method.  Due to the stringent validation carried out during the BIM process, FM can expect the most accurate information about their assets possible.

We often hear the cry that BIM just means data overload but, certainly in the case of MainManager, this is unfounded.  Whilst it is true that you can capture all the data from a BIM model, the detail needed for FM to deliver its services hasn’t changed that much from a traditional standpoint.  The key here is knowing what information is relevant, interfacing that with the FM engine and allowing the remainder to stay in the background for reference.  One aspect that does change radically however; is the use of information during FM operations.  In the past, the FM would need to identify components manually and then search diligently through a number of volumes within the O&M’s to find the answer to questions.

Rather than these being held separately as is still common, MainManager allows us to fully integrate this information into the system.  MainManager has a fully functioning Document Management System that also allows connection from files within the DMS to objects within the 3D model and the asset register itself.  By connecting the documentation, hyperlinks, videos and drawings to the FM system and even the objects themselves, finding information is much more productive.  This is a key benefit of BIM for the operational FM and the wider team saving vast amounts of time and speeding up decision making.

By utilising MainManager earlier in the BIM process than is usual, we were able to help reduce the traditional issues post-handover.  Using the incident handling process we worked with the aftercare team to implement their existing defects process.  This approach allowed us to capture and segregate defects from general fault reports.  The defects process then kicked in enabling the team to evaluate and process defects and either deal with them and close them out or generate work orders which could then be assigned to the appropriate contractor for action.  Maximum use was made of mobile devices so that issues could be captured directly from the front line and automatically captured in the system.

A clear benefit of being able to leverage the visual output from BIM within the FM context is that we can now use the ‘virtual asset’ to do much more than simply view a ‘dumb’ 3D model.  We can interrogate the objects in the model as we have said before but, we can now also inspect areas within voids, strip back walls, ceilings and floors to reveal the location of hidden objects and use the model as a focal point for discussions and training even when the people involved may be geographically dispersed.  This use of BIM models in FM delivery will mature over time and we are already seeing build sequencing on the roadmap for MainManager as well as the ability to carry out EPD, LCM and other condition-based projections.  We will soon be using the ‘virtual asset’ to carry out activities such as evacuation simulations, fire safety assessments and plan LCM activities using visual cues.

Bringing all of this together with a powerful task management suite that enables planning and costing of maintenance, condition and other tasks over multiple years allows the client to project and adjust operational costs year on year.  Again, the quality of data within the model ensures a clear, accurate and granular asset register which allows the generation and implementation of the required PPM regime.  Add to this the standard statutory and regulatory tasks and the client is considerably de-risked.  The automation of the system and mobile enabled workforce give instant, real-time feedback to managers at all levels with the ability to aggregate reporting across a large mixed portfolio.

This is just the start of the journey for the first three centres.  Over the coming months and years, the data they generate through operations will feed into the wider estates information providing effective lifecycle data that can be used to make strategic decisions, inform product procurement and suitability and also, reduce the overall cost of service delivery through efficiencies delivered by quality, accessible data.

If you would like to know more about BIM for FM operations, MainManager or FM180, please contact info@fm180.com

FM DON'T DO BIM!

My name is Steve and I’m a BIMaholic, my problem started about 3 years ago when I attended a BIM event.  The problem is, I’m an FM and FM don’t do BIM…… Well judging by FM attendance at most BIM events at least.

During the last week of September I was honoured to have a small speaking part at the BIM Conference 2016 held at Coombe Abbey.  The Conference was almost entirely attended by Architects, Designers, Construction professionals and Supply Chain specialists.  I was invited to share some information about how the Operate and Maintain function fits into the BIM process.

The keynote presentation was delivered by Professor Mervyn Richards OBE and covered a whole host of information about BIM, Level 2 and the history of construction in general.  The presentation was fantastic, as you would expect from ‘BIM royalty’ and taught me quite a few things I hadn’t know or realised previously.  Suffice to say, the conference earned its pay in the first hour for me.  If only there were more ‘FM types’ at these events.

“It was quite impossible for the surveyor to take out quantities from drawings such as sometimes come from the architect’s office, imperfectly finished and possibly incorrect”

The Present Condition of the Building Industry - A paper and discussion reported in RICS

Transactions Vol. XXXIII (1900– 01)

It was very interesting to see some of the quotes and comments from history that are still relevant today.  We seem to be much better at identifying our shortfalls and giving advice to future generations than we are at following that advice.  Perhaps that is just human nature?

When we think about BIM for FM, I believe we are in a position at the moment where we can either sit back, and carry on making the same mistakes as we have in the past, or we can change the narrative around delivering our built environment to the eventual operators and users of those assets.  What do I mean by this?

Currently, we view BIM (largely) as a tool for design and construction to save money and reduce waste.  BIM offers much more than that.

Design and Construction have been working closely to develop our BIM guidance to make the most of the technology and process to realise the savings that have been projected but, they have never really included the Operate and Maintain element in the early stages of the process.  It is true that much of the documentation and guidance mentions operations or FM or ‘the client’ but, in reality their actual involvement prior to handover very rarely happens.

Why is this?  Well, I have a theory.  It may not be popular with some groups or individuals but, here it is:

Firstly, the divide between Capex and Opex is difficult to bridge.  Whilst ever the people delivering the asset are concerned only with the Capex element, it is unlikely that they will consider the effect of changes that impact only on the Opex budget.  It’s somebody else’s problem.

When we order a new car, if we ask for air conditioning and electric windows, we do not expect someone else to decide that actually, manual windows and a decent fan will do.  Put this in the context of a building project and you know it happens all too often.

We do however; accept that if we want aircon and all electrics, that we have to pay extra for that.

Building an asset is similar although the figures are a little bigger and the timeline (depending on car manufacturer) longer so, you would expect we would have the same mental approach?  Sadly this doesn’t seem to be the case in my experience.

BIM offers us a chance to change this two stage view as long as we truly look at the ‘bigger picture’.  Anyone heard of this ‘Lifecycle Management’ idea?  It’ll never catch on!

Secondly, when we talk to Architects and Designers, we commonly hear “the client has asked for Level 2 BIM” often followed by “we asked them why and they said, ‘because we have to have Level 2’” or “but, we have no idea what that is.  We were hoping you were going to tell us”.  Unfortunately, it is still the case that most clients do not fully understand what Level 2 BIM (or indeed BIM generally) means to them.  They also don’t know what information they need and how they need that presenting.  

The painful truth is that they (FM/client/owner/operator) do have all the answers but, haven’t been asked the right questions.

Education is lacking on both sides, we must be able to educate ‘the client’ on what/why they should be asking the design team (and vice versa), what that means for them and, most importantly, what benefits it will bring.  If there are no benefits, why would you do it?

Finally, the current leading edge of BIM (Design & Construction) do not always understand the way that buildings are used and operated.  Sure they know how to design them, specify and install assets that fulfill specifications and meet the standards but, by the time we have to actually use the building/asset in anger, they are usually long gone.  

There is this description, ‘Post Occupancy Evaluation’ but, to my mind at least, all the POE I have ever come across is largely a list of what should have worked but doesn’t and how we will try to correct it.  Surely with the advent of BIM (the process and it’s supporting technology) we should be able to do better?

Ok, so there’s clearly a lot more to consider than the three points above but, I don’t want the reader dropping off whilst I’m in mid-rant.

The design and construction industry spends a fortune on showcasing and selling their BIM credentials and services.  FM as a sector is sadly not part of this circus as yet.  We need clients to wake up, service providers to get on board and software developers to come up with solutions rather than waiting for someone to do it for them.

We now have good evidence of the value of BIM to design and construction.  The true value of BIM for the Operate & Maintain phase has not been fully realised (although there are some very promising early adopters coming to light – MOJ, Manchester City Library etc). 

We even see main contractors with an FM arm who still don’t do joined up BIM.  Why?  Because Construction and FM are separate functions and they only cross paths at handover.  Time for a change?

In order to progress the use of BIM generated data within the FM environment, FM as a sector/discipline has to take responsibility for telling Design and Construction industries what it needs, in what detail and at what frequency in order to streamline the delivery of the operate and Maintain phase as we have now done for design and construction.

I may sound like a grumpy old man but, the truth of the matter is that someone needs to bang the collective heads together of all stakeholders in the BIM process and show them how to play as a team rather than them telling each other how good they are at their own bit.

We are better together, greater than the sum of our parts etc etc.

Perhaps, the current problem of transitioning BIM from Construction into Operate & Maintain is due to the fundamental separation enforced by our previous approach to handover at Practical Completion.  

Here at FM180 we are trying to bridge the gap and act as the island in the stream that allows that bridge to be built (in BIM obviously).  We have a solid foundation in FM and the BIM process.  Why not talk to us about how you can turn your BIM project into a winner on all sides?

I should probably qualify that by saying that we are independent, have the interests of our built environment at heart and are fluent in FM, colloquial level in Construction and can order a beer in Architect.  Whatever your discipline, we are here to help.

#Facman #BIM #BIM4FM #FM180

Changes at FM180

As FM180 continues to develop its Facilities Management consultancy, particularly in the area of BIM4FM and CAFM selection, procurement, implementation and advice it has appointed two new Directors.

Steve Owen is appointed as Managing Director and will continue to focus the efforts of the business in the emerging field of BIM4FM.  Working closely with the development teams of FM software providers, Steve aims to bring FM firmly into the world of BIM.

 “The benefits that BIM can bring to our built environment should not be underestimated however; in order to maximise these benefits, all stakeholders must be involved”.

"CAFM relies on good quality data to provide accurate and timely Management Information.  Historically, this has been a weak area in many FM operations.  BIM has the capability to change this beyond all recognition but, we must get FM on the 'BIM Train' to make this a reality".

Steve regularly speaks at BIM and FM industry events about the need for collaboration across the design, construction and operate/maintain disciplines.

Charles van Berckel is appointed as Business Development Director bringing with him a wealth of sales, marketing and operations expertise.  With over 20 years’ experience in sales and operations management, Charles will be focussing on raising the brand awareness across the FM180 portfolio as well as heading up an active and focussed sales team.

Charles has been speaking to organisations about the advent of BIM in the FM environment for the past two years and has been a key driver of the BIM agenda within FM180.

"We wouldn't dream of spending a few thousand pounds on a vehicle with no discernible history yet, we commonly see clients who own multi million pound assets who have no idea about the history and condition of their building and the assets within it".

"BIM gives FM the opportunity to redress this imbalance and allows us to obtain the richest, most accurate information about our built environment than ever before".

In addition to the new appointments, FM180 are proud to announce that they are now included on the G-Cloud framework and, as such, are able to provide SAAS solutions to the public sector.  This means that public sector organisations can buy services from FM180 without needing to run a full tender or competition procurement process. 

 Contact us for more details.

Whether public or private sector, if you are looking for help on an upcoming BIM project in respect of any aspect of FM delivery, including CAFM selection, procurement and implementation, call us for a no obligation discussion.

Registered with the Crown Commercial Services and now available from the Digital Marketplace, the future of CAFM in the BIM environment.

#BIM #CAFM #GCloud #Digitalmarketplace #Facman #saas

FM Needs Support Too!

FM is always under pressure to provide a seamless, largely unseen and cost effective service to the core business. So who supports the supporters?

Most commonly, FM's support services and infrastructure are provided by the parent organisation if the service is in-house or is self procured and sometimes internally provided for service delivery companies.  Regardless of your position, how do you know you're getting the best deal?  Who is looking after your interests?  After all, you are busy delivering the service.  It's easy to fall into the trap of doing what you do because 'that's the way we do it'.  When was the last time you challenged your ways of working and organisational beliefs?  

Maybe you are just at the stage where you feel you can 'play with the big boys' but struggle with the cost of large corporate infrastructure purchases.

Whether you are a start-up, single service FM delivery company or an established player in TFM we can help you to get more from your business.  

Are you looking for a Workforce Management/CAFM system to suit your budget and delivery strategy or have an existing system and want to get more out of it? 

Are you considering or already holding BIM data that you want to use to support your FM operations?  

Do you want to bring your IT infrastructure up to date?  

Do you need to compete in the mobile enabled market?

FM180 have a wealth of experience in supporting the FM industry.  That’s right, FM needs support too!  We can provide the hardware, IT and hosting services and help you source and implement the right applications for you.  We can help you grow if you need a scaleable and flexible solution.  We can also help you to challenge 'conventional wisdom'.

FM supports the core business, we provide the tools and systems you need to provide that support.  Why not give us a call or visit our website today?


We’re happy to have a confidential, no strings chat about your concerns and goals.  You have nothing to lose but the time it takes to call.

BNYL 2015 - What will MainManager do for you?

Once your IFC is imported into MainManager, we'll create the assets and locations giving you a 3D view of your facility.  This is where the power of BIM comes to the fore.  The 3D images are great, we all like to 'fly' around the building and look at things but, the quality of data provided by the BIM model is unequaled in traditional FM terms.  From the model we can now:

• Schedule planned work.
• Assign contractors and trades in advance so we can project labour requirements.
• Create checklists allowing us to meet best practice by utilising standards such as SFG20, NRM etc.
• Attach documents, plans or drawings to works and attach the records to objects in the model.
• Create reactive tasks against objects in the model well in advance of the operate and maintain phase.  Imagine carrying out visual clash detection, creating issues and work orders during construction and making snagging a part of the solution rather than a problem at the end of a project.
• View the asset records from the objects in the model including documents, drawings, O&M manuals and work history records.  In fact, you can now access any information you need directly from the 3D representation.
• Link to  BMS, Finance and other applications.

In short, your CAFM system becomes the brain of the building, fully integrated with all systems rather than being a piece of software you buy to do some maintenance tasks.  Think about it, can you afford not to do this on your next BIM project?

BNYL Site import and test mark up tool

This is the site we are working on, Hudson Yard, New York City.  Some really exciting ideas coming from the design teams! We can't wait to see how it shapes up.

To kill a bit of time, I thought I'd check the mark up tool.

Actually, I wish I was there!  Maybe next week....

This is just an example of the mark up tool.  Nothing to do with the BNYL project but, we believe MainManager can be utilised throughout the BIM process to aid design and construction teams by providing an easily accessible visual collaboration tool which can be used to register incidents such as clashes, snagging, H&S concerns etc.

BNYL Test import of a plantroom

Well, things are moving fast, the design teams are all busy bringing the OneWYG project out of the ground.

Whilst we're waiting, we imported an example plant room and all seems well.  We're just waiting for the first structural and MEP models to find their way to us.

Excitement is building! #Facman #BIM #BIM4FM

FM180 to provide FM solutions for BNYL 2015

FM180 to provide FM solutions for BNYL 2015

WYG are taking part in Build New York Live 2015 and have selected FM180 to provide the Facilities Management solution for the project.  We are obviously very excited and looking forward to the challenge!

To follow our progress and the competition, live, keep an eye on our blog, Linked in and Twitter accounts.

+FM180 @FM180steve @wyggroup #MainManager #FM180 #BNYL #OneWYG

To read more, go to WYG takes on BNYL

We had a great day yesterday at the latest @ThinkBIM event discussing #GreenBIM. 

The speakers were excellent and we had the opportunity to host a round table discussion on how to get FM involved in the BIM process.  For a full breakdown of the event follow the link below:

Yesterday's GreenBIM as it happened

Our discussion revolved around the first three questions we believe FM should ask of itself when embarking on the BIM journey.  The responses and questions from delegates showed that FM has some way to go before becoming an established player in the BIM process.  Time to get involved and tell people what you need from BIM.

If you are about to embark on your own journey, let us help you to tap into resources and guidance to get the result you want.

thinkBIM is run by the Centre for Knowledge

Exchange at Leeds Beckett University

#Facman #BIM #CAFM #FM180