An executive roundtable of industry leaders met this month to discuss project updates related to building information management (BIM). National BIM Program Executive Director Johnny Fortune led the meeting which outlined the upcoming release of the U.S. National CAD Standard (NCS) and the National BIM Standard-United States (NBIMS-US), as well as planning activities for the U.S. National BIM Program (NBP).

Standards development activity, which is progressing and has 2023 release dates was the first item of discussion. The NCS update will be released this July. The 18-month development included input from outside subject matter experts and the NCS Steering Committee. The update will include unified verbiage to increase clarity, reduce confusion, and modernize terminology. It also will categorize required, informational, and historical content. Fortune noted that subscribers to the NCS are eligible to vote on the updated standard.  

NBIMS-US, which was developed from various workgroups with many volunteers, is scheduled for release in September 2023. Several new features will include consensus-based open standards, new modular organization, and new content for owner BIM requirements. The consensus-based process includes a public review and comment period. BIM Council members are eligible to vote on the standard and can reach out to the BIM Council leadership for assistance, if needed.

The NBP has entered its first year of execution. Fortune provided a concise summary of the U.S. National BIM Program year one action plan, which includes:

• Development: host and sponsor more workshops, summits, and standards development
• Awareness: create and deliver podcast episodes, conference presentations, and digital publications
• Research: study existing data analysis on adoption, conduct industry surveys, and document case studies
• Engagement: create a community engagement portal, develop a stakeholder value matrix, and coordinate with key organizations

Learn more about the BIM Council or the U.S. National BIM Program.