The NIBS Building Information Management Council (BIMC) National CAD Standard Steering Committee (NCS SC) responsible for overseeing the development of the latest version of the nation’s leading CAD standard is calling upon owners and users of the United States National CAD Standard® V6 (NCS) to participate in the review of the proposed changes to the current edition of the standard.

The NCS Ballot Comment Period will open on April 28, 2023. This is your chance to add your thoughts on the proposed changes to reorganize the next version of the standard.

For the last 18 months, the NCS SC worked on the reorganization of the next edition of the standard. The aim of the effort has been to transform the constituent source documents into a unified standard that is easier to understand and read (e.g., clarifying normative requirements for NCS compliance and differentiating those requirements from optional practices).

With the support of an expert consultant, the NCS SC edited, and in some cases, rewrote sections that discussed technology to modernize or remove outdated practices and references while eliminating redundant and sometimes conflicting sections of the standard.

The NCS update cycle is the method by which additions and changes to the NCS are proposed, debated and ultimately voted upon. Each update cycle actively engages the NCS Project Committee (NCS PC) in a process designed to keep the standard current and responsive to industry needs. NCS PC members are encouraged to review and comment on the proposed ballots to reorganize and streamline existing content of the standard.  Because this is primarily a reorganization effort, during this update cycle, the NCS SC submitted all proposals to amend the NCS. A summary of the changes that will be balloted for review and comments is available here.

To participate in the review of the NCS SC’s proposed changes, all NCS users who have expressed an interest in becoming NCS Project Committee members and participate in the NCS V7 consensus process have been be given access to the NIBS portal “Engage.” Engage’s Workspace is the consensus tool we will use to ballot the NCS SC’s recommended changes to the standard.  View the User Guide to the NCS Workspace in Engage. Please take a moment to review the guide to get familiar with the environment prior to the opening of the comment period. In the coming week, you will receive an email with your login and password to access the Engage portal. Please contact dfernandez@nibs.org, if you have difficulties accessing or navigating the site.

NCS Consensus Process Schedule

The NCS PC Ballot Comment Period due to open on April 28, 2023, is scheduled to run through May 26, 2023. All comments submitted during the ballot comment period will be discussed and resolved during the virtual May 31, 2023 NCS PC Comment Resolution Meeting. Following the meeting, NCS PC members will be asked to vote on the final NCS SC V7 ballots. The NCS PC Ballot Voting Period will commence on June 14, 2023, and remain open until July 12, 2023. The results of the vote will be distributed to the NCS PC during the 3^rd week of July. Changes and updates to the NCS will be incorporated in the standard with a V7 release tentatively planned for the summer-fall of 2023. Below is the summary of the upcoming NCS consensus process schedule:

• NCS PC Ballot Comment Period – April 28-May 26
• NCS PC Comment Resolution Meeting – May 31 (2:00-4:00PM ET)
• NCS SC Ballot Preparation Period – June 5-June 13
• NCS PC Ballot Voting Period – June 14-July 12
• NCS SC Certify and Announce Voting Results – July 13-July 20

We look forward to your active participation!