The BIM Acceleration Committee is a legacy of the government’s 2011 Building & Construction Productivity Partnership, which had a goal of delivering a 20% productivity goals for the sector by 2020. The development of the BIM Acceleration Committee (BAC) was one of three active workstreams, and one of two that have endured (the other is the Construction Pipeline Report).
Funding for BAC has been provided via the BRANZ administered Building Research Levy, with that support coming to an end 31 March 2021. With the removal of funding, BAC as an entity will no longer exist, and so BAC has been exploring options for their workstreams to be kept alive, with a transition of the BIMinNZ brand to NZIOB stewardship preferred. NZIOB CEO, Malcolm Fleming, presented the NZIOB National Board with a proposal for this transition, which was approved at the October 2021 Board Meeting.
The four main workstreams are: BIMinNZ Conferences, Regional BIMinNZ User Group events; maintaining and distributing the BIM Handbook, and maintaining the BIMinNZ website.
A BIMinNZ Steering Group has since been established, with the existing BAC members who are on the NZIOB-hosted 2022 BIMinNZ Conference Committee, making up the core of the Group. They are: Dennis Burns FNZIOB, Director, Archaus; Glenn Jowett MNZIOB, Technical Director - Digital Engineering Advisory, Beca; Andrew Field MNZIOB, Principal - Asset & Digital Advisory Beca; and Mel Tristram MNZIA, Digital Delivery Lead - Associate Principal, Jasmax. The former BAC representatives are joined on the Steering Group by NZIOB Board member, Sonia Barker. Collectively, the group will work with the NZIOB National Office to continue the provision of existing BIMinNZ workstreams, while also forming strategy to explore new opportunities that promote BIM adoption across the construction supply-chain.
Dennis Burns, Chair of the newly established BIM Steering Group says, “After seven years, the workstreams undertaken by the now defunct BIM Acceleration Committee are changing, with the bulk of its activities now being carried out under the BIMinNZ banner. This new initiative, which I am pleased to be able to Chair, is being supported by, and will sit under the auspices of, the NZIOB.”
