The copyright of this guide belongs to the National Institute of Building Sciences and the Penn State Computer Integrated Construction Research Program. This guideline document is a derivative work from Messner, J., Anumba, C., Dubler, C., Goodman, S., Kasprzak, C., Kreider, R., Leicht, R., Saluja, C., and Zikic, N. (2021). BIM Project Execution Planning Guide, Version 3.0. Computer Integrated Construction Research Program, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA, Available at http://bim.psu.edu.

The National BIM Standard - Building Information Modeling Execution Plan (NBIMS BEP) Module V4 is updated through the National Institute of Building Sciences BEP Workgroup, which includes professionals from the global industry. Compared with the BIM Project Execution Planning Guide contained in V3 of NBIMS-US, this version expands the owner's BIM role and extends the application of BIM to infrastructure projects. BIM Execution Planning is an essential process for BIM project success and includes multi-step activities. These activities start from the request for proposal BEP (RFP/BEP) of the owner to clarify their BIM requirement, then proposing parties respond to the RFP/BEP to submit the proposal BEPs. After selecting the project team, all parties work together to develop and update project BEP. This multi-step activity ensures that all parties explore BIM opportunities to meet project goals, maximize BIM deliverables' value, and minimize waste throughout project execution.

The BEP Guidelines introduce BEP and BEP standards and guide the project team to develop BEPs. It includes two parts: BEP modular user guide (add link) and the BEP development guide (this guide). The BEP module user guide is to introduce BEP and BEP standards, clarify the audience who should care about BEP, the steps and rationales to develop a BEP, the organizations who should take responsibility to develop a BEP, as well as the relations between NBIMS BEP with other national standards, especially ISO 19650, and other available resources for users to develop a BEP.

This BIM Project Execution Planning Guide is an updated product developed by the National BIM Standard - U.S. BIM Execution Planning Workgroup with original content from the BIM Project Execution Planning Project. NIBS is charged with developing the National Building Information Modeling Standard – United States™ (NBIMS-US). This Guide was developed as a practical manual that project teams can use to design their BIM strategy and develop a BEP. The core modeling and information exchange concepts have been designed to complement the long-term goals of the NIBS BIM Council in developing a standard that can be implemented throughout the AECOO Industry to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of BIM implementation on projects.

This Guide provides a structured procedure for creating and implementing a BEP. The five steps within the procedure include:

1. Define the goals for the implementation of BIM;
2. Identify high-value Model Uses during project planning, design, construction, and operational phases;
3. Design the BIM execution process by creating process maps;
4. Define the information deliverables; and
5. Develop the infrastructure through contracts, communication procedures, technology, and quality control to support the implementation.

The objective of following the structured procedure is to stimulate planning and direct communication among the project team members during the early phases of a project. The team leading the planning process should include members from all organizations with a significant role in the project. Since there is no single best method for BIM implementation on every project, each team must effectively design a tailored execution strategy by understanding the project goals, the project characteristics, and the capabilities of the team members.

The BIM Execution Planning Standard, Guide, and Template in NBIMS-US started with an initial BIM Project Execution Planning Guide in 2009. The following significant revisions were made to the initial guide.

2009: Version 1 of the BIM Execution Planning Guide was released by the Computer Integrated Construction Research Group at Penn State University. The project was sponsored by the Charles Pankow Foundation, The Construction Industry Institute (CIC), the Penn State Office of Physical Plant, and the Partnership for Achieving Construction Excellence (PACE) at Penn State.

2011: Version 2 of the BIM Execution Planning Guide was released, incorporating changes from initial adoption and implementation within the industry.

2012: Version 2.1 of the BIM Execution Planning Guide and Template was released. Version 2.1 incorporated minor revisions. This version was adopted into the National BIM Standard, United States (NBIMS-US) by consensus vote in 2012.

2022: Version 3 of the BIM Execution Planning Guide and Template was released. This version included an update of the BEP process to 5 steps and revisions in the naming of the BIM Uses.

2023: Version 4 of the BIM Execution Planning Standard, Guide, and Templates was developed and reviewed by the NBIMS-US BEP Workgroup members. The standard and guide development was supported by the National Institute of Building Sciences.

A more detailed change log is included in an appendix to the guidance document.

There have been many contributors to Version 4 of the BIM Execution Planning guidelines, standard, and supporting resources. The BEP standard was developed by the NBIMS-US BEP Workgroup, leveraging previous work previous work including in the BIM Project Execution Planning Guide (2022). Voting members of the NIBS BIM Council - BEP Workgroup include Diane Davis (Chair), Owen Knott (Vice Chair), Zahra Ghorbani (Secretary), John Messner (PLC Liaison), Robert Glover, Yuqing Hu, Steve Hutsell, Clive Jordan, Francesca Maier, Lance Parve, Michael Rensing, and Mervyn Richards. Additional contributors include Dominique Fernandez (NIBS), Roger Grant (NIBS), Chelsea Kline (NIBS), Zheng Lu, Danielle Dy Buncio, Taylor Edwards, Moad Gadi, Zaki Mallasi, John Rapaport, Atefeh Shamloo, and Josh Taylor. The revisions to this guidance document were authored by John Messner and Yuqing Hu. We wish to recognize all authors and contributors to the previous version of the BIM Project Execution Planning Guide.

The Stages of BEP Development

The BEP is a living document used in planning and during a project which can be used as a contract deliverable effective project management tool to ensure that all parties are clearly aware of the opportunities and responsibilities associated with the incorporation of BIM into the project workflow. It is created during the owner's pre-planning phase and updated as new activities are planned throughout the project lifecycle, which can include three different stages, as shown in Figure 1.1. In the planning stage, the owner team should clarify their project-specific BIM requirements and standards based on Owner BEP General Requirement/Template and issues a Request for Proposal BEP to potential proposal teams. Then, these teams develop their proposal BEP based on the owner's RFP/BEP. The owner team can assess and select a proposal BEP. After selecting a specific team, based on the proposal BEP, team members from all organizations with a significant role should work together to develop a project BEP. This project BEP should keep updated when new organizations join the team.

Owner Request for Proposal BEP (RFP/BEP): As part of the owner's expanded role, this partial BEP is part of the Request for Proposal BEP used when considering teams for projects. ISO 19650-2 (2008) states that an owner should define their BIM requirements and standards before procuring (soliciting) a project team. The owner assembles information, data standards, and initial project requirements for the responding groups via an RFP BEP template. Proposers for a specific scope of work, e.g., a designer or constructor, respond to the owner’s RFP BEP with specific information identified in the Proposal BEP.

Proposal BEP: Each prospective party responding to an RFP will complete a proposal stage BEP, which includes information specific to meeting the scope of work, incorporating BIM recommendations, and appropriate responses. The proposing party must identify any exceptions or exclusions from the initial owner RFP BEP, if they exist. The owner will use this information to inform their selection or initiate further discussions regarding the effective use of BIM on the project.

Project BEP: Upon selecting the project team, the owner staff and the project team will collaborate to develop a Project BEP. This planning and documenting activity is comprehensive and outlines the execution strategy for BIM using a five-step procedure (shown below). Project BEP updates are made at various stages within the project as new team members or groups are integrated per the project phases.

The BEP Development Procedure

An owner, proposer, or project team should follow a five-step procedure when developing a BEP. The procedure is designed to steer owners, proposers, and project team members through a structured process to create consistent plans for the appropriate stage. The five steps, shown in Figure 1.2, consist of identifying the appropriate BIM goals and uses on a project, designing the BIM execution process, defining the BIM deliverables, and identifying the supporting infrastructure to implement the plan successfully. These steps are introduced in this chapter, and a detailed description of each step is provided in Chapter 2. The guide references content from the BEP Template and Template BIM Process Maps.

Set BIM Goals

One of the most important steps in the planning process is to clearly define the potential value of BIM on the project and for project team members by defining the overall goals for BIM implementation. These goals could be based on project performance and include items such as reducing the schedule duration, achieving higher field productivity, increasing quality, reducing the cost of change orders, or obtaining important operational data for the facility. Goals may also relate to advancing the capabilities of the project team members; for example, the owner may wish to use the project as a pilot project to illustrate information exchanges between design, construction, and operations, or a design firm may seek to gain experience in the efficient use of digital design applications. Once the team has defined measurable goals, both from a project perspective and an organizational perspective, then the specific BIM uses on the project can be identified. An approach for the team to set goals is presented in Chapter Two of this guide.

Select BIM Uses

Once the project team has defined measurable goals, both from a project perspective and an organizational perspective, then the specific BIM uses on the project should be identified. The U.S. National BIM Standard includes common uses for BIM, which have been identified through the initial BEP research along with industry expert review and definition . A BIM Use is a unique task or procedure on a project that can benefit from integrating BIM into that process. The eleven identified uses are not comprehensive but provide a good representation of the current uses of BIM within the industry. Several examples of BIM Uses include Capture Conditions, Author Design, Review Design, Layout Construction Work, etc. The team should identify and prioritize the appropriate BIM Uses they identified as beneficial to the project. The procedure for identifying BIM Use Cases for your project is discussed in Chapter Two.

Design the BIM Execution Process

Once the team has identified the BIM Use Cases, an overview process map defining the order and outcome of each use case should be developed (see Figure 1.3). This allows all team members to clearly understand how their work interacts with the tasks performed by others.

After the overview map is developed, more detailed process maps should be designed by each team member responsible for BIM Use Case. For example, the overview map will show how Capture Conditions, Author Design, Produce Construction Documents, Review Design, and Coordinate Design and Construction are sequenced and interrelated. A detailed map will show the detailed process that will be performed by an organization or, in some cases, several organizations, such may be the case for energy modeling. The procedure for designing the BIM execution process is discussed in Chapter Two.

Define Information Exchanges

Once the appropriate process maps have been developed, the information exchanges that occur between the project participants should be clearly identified. It is important for the team members, in particular, the author and receiver for each information exchange transaction, to clearly understand the information content. This information content for the exchange can be defined in the Information Exchange table, a portion of which is displayed as an example in Figure 1.4. The procedure for defining the information exchanges is discussed in Chapter Two.

Define Supporting Infrastructure for BIM Implementation

After the BIM uses for the project have been identified, the project process maps are customized, and the BIM deliverables are defined, the team must develop the infrastructure needed on the project to support the planned BIM process. This will include the definition of the delivery structure and contract language; defining communication procedures; defining the technology infrastructure; and identifying quality control procedures to ensure high-quality information models. The procedure for defining the infrastructure along with methods to implement and track progress is discussed in further detail in Chapter Two.

What Information is Included in a BEP?

When complete, the BIM Plan should address the following categories of information:

• BEP & Project Summary: The BEP summary should include the reasons and the process for creating this plan and summarize the project team strategies to maximize BIM technology and information to meet the project goals and responsibilities. The project summary is an introduction to the project.
• BEP & Project Reference Information: This includes BEP and project reference information that introduces basic project information, such as Project Name, Address, Facility Type, BEP version log, Project Identification, and Project Certification Information.
• BIM Contacts: A BIM Plan should include contact information for organizations and people with roles and responsibilities for project BIM activities.
• Organizational Roles and Responsibility: One of the primary tasks is to define the coordinator(s) of the BIM planning and execution process throughout the various stages of the project. This is particularly important when identifying the organization(s) that will initiate the development of the BIM Plan, as well as the required staff to implement the plan successfully.
• Project Phases and Milestones: The plan should clarify the various phases of the project, e.g., planning, design, and construction, along with discrete milestones. A phase should have a start and finish date, while a milestone is on a specific date and resides within a phase.
• Project Goals: This section should identify and prioritize project goals that would add value to the project and corresponding BIM uses that can facilitate these goals.
• Team Collaboration: The team should develop their electronic and collaboration activity procedures. These activities include meetings, modeling coordination, and information-sharing schedules. Each activity should include its responsibility party, project phase, frequency, required participants, and location.
• BIM Uses: BIM uses should enter each potential BIM Use considered for the project along with the appropriate attribute, evaluate the value of the use for the project, competency levels and experience for each user, and document the current decision to proceed or not proceed with the BIM use. In addition, it should include the URL links for Level 1 and Level 2 BIM use process maps.
• Technology Infrastructure Needs: The hardware, software, and network infrastructure required to execute the plan should be defined.
• Quality Management: The BEP plan should include the overall strategy that will be used to manage the quality of the model and derivative information. Include quality control activities that will be used on the project as well as model accuracy requirements.
• Information Management (IM) Risk Register: This includes all risk items associated with information management tasks. These risk register entries should also be placed within the overall project risk register.
• Model Federation Standards: Multiple models (by discipline and use) are shared and integrated during the project. Therefore, the strategy and methods used for sharing models and data should be included.
• Information Exchange: This part documents the contents of each exchange, the how and when for sharing models and data during a project. "What" is to be exchanged can be documented using a Model Element Table or other information exchange specifications.
• Model Element Table: This table is a method to define the necessary geometry and non-graphic data within information exchanges.

Note: These items are discussed in further detail in Chapter Two of this guide.

Set BIM Goals

The first step in developing a BIM Project Execution Plan is for the project team to identify the core reasons ‘why’ BIM can improve the overall delivery process and operations of the project.

The project team should outline project goals along with their potential relationship to BIM implementation. These project goals should be specific to the project at hand, measurable, and strive to improve success in the planning, design, construction, and operations of the facility. One category of goals may relate to general project performance, including reducing the project schedule duration, reducing the project cost, or increasing the overall quality of the project. Examples of quality goals include the development of a more energy-efficient design through the rapid iteration of energy modeling, creating higher quality installed designs through detailed 3D coordination of systems, or developing more accurate record models to improve the quality of performance modeling and commissioning.

Other goals may target the efficiency of specific tasks to allow for overall time or cost savings by the project participants. These goals include the use of modeling applications to create design documentation more efficiently, to develop estimates through automated takeoffs, or to reduce the time to enter data into the maintenance system. These items are only suggestions of potential goals that the project team may have when beginning to decide how to implement BIM on a project. It is by no means a comprehensive list, and it is essential to identify the specific goals that will provide an incentive for implementing BIM on the project.

A hypothetical new Laboratory Building constructed on a university campus will be used throughout the following three chapters to illustrate the steps in this guide. Sample project goals from this example project are shown in Table 2.1. Additionally, a blank Project Goals Worksheet is provided in Appendix A.

Table 2.1: Sample Project Goals

It is important to understand that some goals may relate to specific uses, while others may not. For example, if there is a project goal to increase field labor productivity and quality through large amounts of prefabrication, then the team can consider the ‘Coordinate Design and Construction’ Model Use which will allow the team to identify and correct potential geometric conflicts before construction. On the other hand, if the team’s goal was to increase the sustainability of the building project, several uses may assist in accomplishing that goal.

Select BIM Uses

The goal of this chapter is to provide a method for identifying appropriate Model Uses given the project situation.

Description of Model Uses

Sixteen BIM Uses, organized by project phase, have been identified and refined within the BIM Use Definition section of the U.S. National BIM Standard (reference Figure 2.2). It is important to note that there are many more potential uses for modeling on the project, so a team should not limit themselves to this list of uses. It is also important to note that very few teams would implement all of these BIM uses, but they are uses that are being implemented on projects.

A brief summary-level description of each of these BIM Uses is included in the BIM Use Definition (BUD) Standard. These descriptions were developed to provide a brief overview for project team members who may not be familiar with the BIM Uses and to provide additional information that the project team may find valuable during the selection process. Each description includes an overview of the BIM Use, potential benefits, required team competencies, and selected resources that can be referenced for additional information about the BIM Use. An example of a BIM Use description is shown in Figure 2.3.

Begin With The End In Mind

For BIM to be implemented successfully, it is critical that team members understand the future use(s) of the information that they are developing. For example, when an architect adds a wall to the architectural model, that wall may carry information regarding the material quantities, mechanical properties, structural properties, and other data attributes. The architect needs to know if this information will be used in the future, and if so, how it will be used. The future use of this data can frequently impact the methods used to develop the model or identify quality control procedures related to the data accuracy for tasks relying on the information.

To emphasize the life cycle of the information, a core concept of the planning procedure is to identify the appropriate uses of modeling by beginning with the potential end-uses of the information in the model. To do so, the project team should first consider the later phases of a project to understand what information will be valuable to have during that phase. Then, they can move back through all of the project phases in reverse order (Operate, Construct, Design, and then Plan) as shown in Figure 2.4. This perspective to ‘begin with the end in mind’ will identify the downstream desired uses of information which should be supported by earlier processes in the lifecycle of the project. By identifying these downstream BIM Uses first, the team can focus on identifying reusable project information and important information exchanges.

BIM Use Selection Procedure

Once the goals are defined, the project team should identify the appropriate tasks that the team would like to perform using BIM. This analysis of BIM Uses should initially focus on the desired outcomes for the overall process. Therefore, the team should begin with the operation phase, and identify the value for each of the BIM Uses as it specifically relates to the project by providing a High, Medium, or Low priority to each use. The team can then progress to each preceding project phase (construct, design, and plan).

To help facilitate this BIM Use review process, a BIM Use Selection Worksheet has been developed. This template includes a list of the potential BIM Uses, along with fields to review the value, responsible party, capabilities, additional notes, and the decision from the team on whether to implement the BIM Use. Please reference Figure 2.5 for an example of the BIM Use Selection Worksheet on an example project.

BIM Use Selection Worksheet Completion Procedure

To complete the BIM Use Selection Worksheet, the team should proceed through the following steps with key project stakeholders.

1. Identify the potential BIM Uses

Definitions and explanations for each BIM Use are available by project phase in Appendix B. It is important that the team consider each of the potential uses and consider their relationship with the project goals.

2. Identify the responsible parties for each potential BIM Use

For each BIM Use that is being considered, at least one responsible party should be identified. The responsible parties include any team members who will be involved in the use if it is performed, along with potential outside participants that may be needed to assist with the implementation. List the lead responsible party first in the spreadsheet.

3. Rate the capabilities of each party for each BIM Use identified in the following categories

a. Resources – Does the organization have the resources necessary to implement the Model Use required? Some of the general resources required include:

• Personnel – Modeling Team
• Software
• Software Training
• Hardware
• IT support

b. Competency – Does the responsible party have the know-how to successfully implement the specific Model Use? To determine competency, the project team should understand the details of the Model Use and how it will be carried out on the specific project.

c. Experience – Has the responsible party performed the Model Use in the past? The team experience associated with each Model Use is vital to the success of the implementation.

4. Identify additional value and risk associated with each BIM Use

The team should consider the potential value gained, as well as, additional project risk that may be incurred by proceeding with each BIM Use. These value and risk elements should be incorporated into the ‘notes’ column of the BIM Use Selection Worksheet.

5. Determine whether or not to implement each BIM Use

The team should discuss each BIM Use in detail to determine whether or not the BIM Use is appropriate for the project given its characteristics (both project and team). This will require that the team determine the potential added value or benefit to the project and then compare this potential benefit to the cost of implementation. The team will also need to consider the risk elements associated with implementing or not implementing each particular BIM Use. For example, some BIM Uses can significantly reduce overall project risk, however, they may shift risk from one party to another. In other situations, the implementation of a BIM Use may potentially add risk for a party when they successfully perform their scope of work. Once all factors are considered, the team needs to make a ‘go / no go’ decision related to each BIM Use. Also understand that as the team decides to perform several BIM Uses, others may become easier to implement because the team members can leverage existing information. For example, if the architectural design is authored in a 3D parametric modeling application, then it is less expensive to implement Review Design.

Design the BIM Process

After identifying each BIM Use, it is necessary to understand the implementation process for each BIM Use and the implementation process of the project as a whole. This chapter describes a procedure to design the BIM Project Execution Process. The process map developed in this step allows the team to understand the overall BIM process, identify the information exchanges that will be shared between multiple parties, and clearly define the various processes to be performed for the identified BIM Uses. The use of process mapping techniques allows the team to effectively perform this step. Process maps also serve as the basis for determining other important implementation topics including contract structure, model deliverable requirements, information technology infrastructure, and selection criteria for future team members.

Mapping the Project Execution Process

Mapping the BIM Process for the project requires the project team to first develop an overview map that shows how the different Model Uses will be performed. Then, detailed BIM Use Process Maps are developed to define the specific BIM implementation at an increased level of detail. To implement this two-level approach, Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN) has been adopted so that consistently formatted process maps will be created by the various project team members.

Level 1: BIM Overview Map

The Overview Map shows the relationship of BIM Uses on the project. This process map also contains the high-level information exchanges that occur throughout the project lifecycle. The details on how to create BIM Overall Map can be found in Appendix B.

Level 2: Detailed BIM Use Process Maps

Detailed BIM Use Process Maps are created for each identified BIM Use on the project to clearly define the sequence of various processes to be performed. These maps also identify the responsible parties for each process, reference information content, and the information exchanges which will be created and shared with other processes.

Define the Information Exchanges

A BEP should identify important information exchanges and document the contents of each exchange. To define an exchange, the delivery team must understand what information is necessary to deliver each BIM Use. There are different approaches to defining an information exchange. One approach is to use a standard exchange definition. An example could be to define the exchange as an information delivery specification (IDS), which contains a clear definition of each element and attribute needed in the exchange. BuildingSMART International has some clearly defined exchange (see BuildingSMART International website).

A more common approach in the U.S. is to define the model elements in a Model Element Table (MET). The MET should be completed in the early stages of a project after designing and mapping the BIM process. A blank graphical version of the IE Worksheet is available in Appendix A and a Microsoft Excel version is available in the NBIMS BEP Resources as Template – Model Element Table – MS Excel Format. The following defines the general process of defining information exchange content. The detailed procedure for completing the MET is described in Appendix C.

Pulling the Information Through the Project

Every element of a project does not need to be included for a model to be valuable. Therefore, it is important to only define the model components that are necessary to implement each BIM Use. Figure 2.6 depicts an example of how information flows through a BIM implementation process.

This figure was derived from the Level One process map described in Appendix B. Note that downstream BIM Uses are directly affected by what is produced by the upstream Use. Looking at this example from the perspective of a pull-driven approach, if the model information required to implement a particular BIM Use is not authored by an upstream team member, then the information needed must be created by the responsible party of that Use. Therefore, it is up to the project team to decide who should be authoring this information and when this information needs to be placed into the BIM. For simplicity purposes, it is only necessary that the team define one information exchange requirement for each BIM Use; although, there may be several exchanges that take place. These exchanges should be clarified in the Level Two process maps depicted in Appendix B.

Model Element Table

After process map development, information exchanges between project participants should be clearly identified. It is important for the team members and, in particular, the author and receiver of each information exchange transaction to clearly understand the information content. One procedure for creating the information exchange requirements is based on Model Element Table developed by the BEP workgroup, detailed in Appendix A. It is important to note that there are several other standards or requirements that you can use to develop the information exchange definitions depending upon the project requirements, contracts, or preferences of the team. The team can use BIMForum or the Model Element Table we listed. One option is to perform a similar process as described in Appendix C, you can also use the BIMForum Level of Development spreadsheet to define each of the exchanges or the US Army Corps of Engineers Minimum Modeling Matrix (M3). While these tools vary in format and detail from the procedure in Appendix C, they can all be used to define the level of development for each model exchanged within the process.

Define Supporting Infrastructure for BIM Implementation

The final step in the four-part BIM Project Execution Planning Procedure is to identify and define the project infrastructure required to effectively implement BIM as planned. Fourteen specific categories support the BIM project execution process, as displayed in Figure 2.7. These categories were developed after revising the last version of BEP, reviewing current execution plans, discussing the issues with industry experts, and revising through extensive review by various industry organizations.

Details information on each category of the BIM Project Execution Plan is discussed in Appendix D. Information for each category can vary significantly by project, therefore the goal of the description is to initiate discussion and address content areas and decisions that need to be made by the project team. Additionally, a template BIM Project Execution Plan has been developed and is available on the module website and referenced in BEP Best Practices. Please note that the information contained in the template will have to be customized based on the project. Additional information may be necessary, while other information could be removed.

This guide outlines a structured, five-step BIM Project Execution Planning Procedure, along with appropriate implementation guidelines. The implementation of this procedure has been performed on seven projects and within three organizations. By analyzing the successes and challenges encountered within these implementation case studies, the following ten recommendations for successful implementation were identified.

1) BIM Champion: Each project team needs a BIM Champion. A project using the BIM Project Execution Planning Procedure is more likely to succeed when there is at least one person with a strong desire to develop the BIM Plan. These champions take time to learn the procedure and work to help compile the final BIM Plan. They also market the value and necessity of the process to the other project team members. It is important that the champion(s) on a project encourages the team to take the time to plan the work, even if there is strong schedule pressure to begin developing model content before the completion of the planning process. The BIM champion(s) could be from any primary organization, but it is particularly important to have a champion within the owner organization. It is critical that the champion(s) have the authority to ensure the engagement of other project participants.

2) Owner Involvement: Owner involvement is critical throughout the entire process. By providing the guidelines for model and information deliverables, the owner can emphasize the importance of BIM implementation for reaching their desired end goals for the facility. Owner involvement and enthusiasm regarding the process can encourage project team members to seek the best processes that will benefit the entire project. Owners should consider writing a BIM Project Execution Plan into their contract documents to ensure that the planning process is performed to a level of detail that meets their expectations.

3) Culture of Collaboration: It is essential that the project team fosters an open environment of sharing and collaboration. The BIM Project Execution Planning Procedure requires organizations to provide information regarding their standard practices, including information exchange requirements. While certain contract structures can lead to collaboration challenges, the goal of this procedure is to have the team develop a BIM process containing deliverables that will benefit all members involved. To achieve this goal, the project team should have open lines of communication. The team members must buy in to the process and be willing to share their intellectual content with other team members.

4) Value of Integrative Delivery: The BIM Project Execution Planning Procedure can be adapted to different contracting structures. The BIM process can be more comprehensively adopted in more integrated project delivery approaches. However, none of the case studies used to validate the procedure were used with a specific Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) contract. The core steps of the procedure are helpful no matter which delivery method is used, but there are added challenges when implementing the planning when all core team members are not involved in the early stages of the project. Depending on the contract strategy, additional steps may be needed to ensure project planning success, and early assumptions may be needed to plan for future team members.

5) Plan Early: There is great value in early planning. If planning does not take place early, extra time may be needed to resolve inconsistencies downstream. This often results in more time and resources used than the original planning would have needed.

6) Living Document: The BIM Plan should be treated as a living document. When beginning the BIM Project Execution Planning Procedure, it is valuable to understand that the BEP must be flexible, and the plan should be reviewed and updated periodically. It is unrealistic to assume that the project team will have all information necessary to avoid assumptions that may need to be made to develop the BIM Plan at the project's inception. It will take time to populate the information because additional and new information must be incorporated as project team members are added. A clear change management process should be followed for these revisions. Project team members should follow any contract requirements if they feel that any revisions may be considered a change in scope.

7) Periodic Review: Once an initial plan is developed, it must be reviewed regularly. A revision schedule should be set based on a frequency the project team considers appropriate. Throughout the project's life, it is important to keep the initial project goals in mind to ensure that the team works towards their completion. If there is any deviation, the team should reassessment or rededicate themselves to the goals.

8) Resource the Planning Process: The appropriate resources must be made available to ensure planning success. It is important to keep in mind that the level of effort needed for this process should not be underestimated. Project teams must consider the time allocated for planning when generating both the project schedule and project budget. Due to the learning curve associated with this process, teams should overestimate the time it will take to produce a BIM Project Execution Plan. The time associated with the learning curve can be reduced by educating involved team members before delving into the process. Without proper planning before the project specific meetings begin, many unexpected issues may arise that could have been solved at an earlier time.

9) The Value of an Organizational Plan: Developing an organizational BIM Project Execution Plan before project inception can decrease project planning time. By performing organizational level planning, the team can reduce the amount of time spent on each step of the planning process for all team members and maintain a manageable planning scope by defining their standard goals, uses, processes, and information exchanges. You may wish to reference the BIM Planning Guide for Facility Owners, available in NBIMS-US Version 3, for additional information related to BIM planning at an organizational level.

10) Customizing the BEP Template: The BIM Project Execution Planning Procedure can be adapted for multiple uses and situations beyond the original scope of the project. Even if project teams take only what they need from the procedure and do not complete the entire process, these projects can still create detailed BIM Plans. Teams have the ability to revise the template documents to fit their specific processes, without modifying any of the core steps of the planning procedure. These teams then have the ability to eventually add other portions of the procedure, which will further assist with their planning.

The BIM Project Execution Planning Procedure has helped project teams develop detailed plans for their projects. These plans outline the goals, process, information exchanges, and infrastructure for BIM implementation. By developing and following these plans, the teams can make a significant impact on the degree of successful BIM implementation. The procedure does take time and resources, particularly the first time an organization is involved in this level of planning, but the benefits of developing the detailed plan far outweigh the resources expended.

This appendix includes images from the BEP template along with the two template Model Element Table template files. These files are available as downloadable spreadsheets in the Resources section.

Figure A-3: BEP & Project Summary Template

Figure A-4: BEP & Project Reference Information Template

Figure A-5: BIM Contacts Template

Figure A-6: Organizational Roles & Responsibilities Template

Figure A-7: Project Phases and Milestones Template

Figure A-8: Project Goals Template

Figure A-9: Team Collaboration Template

Figure A-11: BIM Use Process Template

Figure A-12: Technological Infrastructure Needs (1) Template

Figure A-13: Technological Infrastructure Needs (2) Template

Figure A-14: Quality Management (1) Template

Figure A-15: Quality Management (2) Template

Figure A-16: IM Risk Register Template

Figure A-17: Model Federation Standards Template

Creating a BIM Overview Map

This section details how to create a BIM Overview Map.

1) Place potential BIM Uses into a BIM Overview Map

Once the team identifies the BIM Uses for the project (refer to the BIM Use Selection section in Chapter 2), the team can start the mapping process by adding each of the BIM Uses as a process within the map. It is important to understand that a BIM Use may be added to the overview map at several locations if it is performed several times within the project life cycle.

To help achieve this task, a template diagrams.net file containing process maps is provided in the Resources section of this module. A diagrams.net template objects file is also posted in the same location and can be used by the project team to develop the process maps easily. If the project team members do not have Microsoft Visio, the team can use other process mapping or graphics software to create the process maps. Additionally, versions of the templates are in Appendix D – Template Process Maps.

2) Arrange BIM Uses according to project sequence in the BIM Overview Map

After developing the process for each implemented BIM Use on the project, the team should sequentially order these processes. One of the purposes of the Overview Map is to identify the phase for each BIM Use (e.g., plan, design, construct, or operate) and provide the team with the implementation sequence. For simplistic purposes, the BIM Uses should align with the BIM deliverables schedule.

3) Identify the responsible parties for each process

Responsible Parties should be clearly identified for each process. For some processes, this may be an easy task, but for others, it may not. It is important in all cases to consider which team member is best suited to successfully complete the task. Additionally, some processes may have multiple responsible parties. The identified party will be responsible for clearly defining the information required to implement the process as well as the information produced by the process.

The graphical notation and information format for the processes within the BIM Overview Map are included in Figure B.1. Each process should include a process name, project phase, and the responsible party. Each process should also include a ‘Detailed Map’ title which points to the detailed map (Level Two map) for the process. This detailed map notation is used since several processes may share the same detailed map. For example, a construction management company may perform cost estimating from the building information provided by the designer. The Construction Manager may perform this estimate during the schematic design, design development, and construction document phase, but it may use the same detailed workflow to accomplish this task, which can represent a single detailed map. Therefore, the process for performing the three estimates should be added to the high-level map at three locations, but the team can reference a single detailed map for further information.

4) Determine the Information Exchanges required to implement each BIM Use

The BIM Overview Map includes the critical information exchanges which are either internal to a particular process or shared between processes and responsible parties. In general, it is vital to include all information exchanges that will pass from one party to another. In current applications, these exchanges are typically implemented through the transfer of a data file, although it could also include the entry of information into a common database. All the information exchanges identified in the BIM Overview Map should be detailed, as defined in the following detailed BIM Use Map.

The exchanges which originate from a process box are exchanges that are internal to a process. The exchanges that originate or flow into the sequence line are external exchanges that are shared between high-level processes. For example, Figure B.1 shows information exchanges arising from the ‘Author Design’ process box for the Laboratory Project. These exchanges, although internal to the 3D Coordination Process, should be identified in the BIM Overview Map since multiple parties author the exchanged information. This ensures that the exchanges will be detailed using the information exchange definition procedure described in the following detailed BIM Use Map.

To illustrate the results of an overview mapping task, the BIM Overview Map for the Laboratory Project defines the overall BIM Uses that the team has employed for the project which is Capture Conditions, Author Design, Visualize Construction Sequence, Author Temporary Work, Generate Fabrication Details, Coordinate Design and Construction, Compile Record Deliverables (reference Figure B.2). It also identifies the BIM Use Phase, for example, Author Design is performed during the design development phase, whereas Coordinate Design and Construction and Compile Record Deliverables are performed during the Construction Phase. The map also identifies the critical Information Exchanges that are shared between different parties.

Creating a Detailed BIM Use Map

After creating an Overview Map, a Detailed BIM Use Process Map must be created for each identified BIM Use to clearly define the sequence of the various processes performed within that BIM Use. It is important to realize that each project and company is unique, so there may be many potential methods that a team could use to achieve a particular process. Therefore, these template process maps need to be customized by project teams to accomplish the project and organizational goals. For example, the template process map may need to be tailored to integrate a specific computer application workflow or project teamwork sequence.

A Detailed BIM Use Process Map includes three categories of information which are represented on the left side of the process map and the elements are included in the horizontal lines (referred to as ‘lanes’ in the BPMN mapping notation):

1. Reference Information: Structured information resources (enterprise and external) required to execute a BIM Use,
2. Process: A logical sequence of activities that constitute a particular BIM Use, and
3. Information Exchange: The BIM deliverables from one process which may be required as a resource for future processes.

To create a Detailed Process Map, a team should:

1) Hierarchically decompose the BIM Use into a set of processes

The core processes of BIM Use need to be identified. These are represented by a ‘rectangular box’ symbol within BPMN. These are placed in sequential order within the Process swim lane.

2) Define the dependency between processes

Next, dependencies between the processes are defined. This is accomplished by defining the connections between processes. The project team needs to identify the predecessor and successor of each process. In some cases, it may be possible to have multiple successors and /or predecessors. These processes are then connected using the ‘sequence flow’ lines in BPMN.

3) Develop the Detailed Process Map with the following information

a. Reference Information: Identify the informational resources needed to accomplish the BIM Use in the ‘Reference Information’ lane. Examples of reference information include cost databases, weather data, and product data.

b. Information Exchanges: All the exchanges (internal and external) should be defined in the ‘Information Exchange’ lane. These exchanges are further detailed in Appendix C.

c. Responsible Party: Identifies the responsible party for each process. Figure B.3 displays how to represent this information in the process map.

4) Add Goal Verification Gateways at crucial decision points in the process

A gateway can be used to ensure that the deliverables or results of a process are met. It could also modify the process path based on a decision. Gateways provide the opportunity for the project team to represent any decisions, iterations or quality control checks required before the completion of a BIM task. Figure B.4 demonstrates how this can be accomplished within a Detailed BIM Process Map (Level-Two Map).

5) Document, review, and refine this process for further use

This Detailed Process Map can be further used for other projects by the project team. It should be saved and reviewed at various times throughout the BIM Implementation process. Throughout the project, detailed process maps should be updated periodically to reflect the actual workflows implemented on the project. Additionally, after project completion, it may be helpful to review the process maps to compare the actual process used versus the planned process. Detailed process maps can likely be used on future projects. Please reference Figure B.5 for an example of a Detailed BIM Use Process Map.

Symbols Used for Process Map Representation

For BIM Execution, the preferred notation for process mapping development is the Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN) developed by the Management Group. One of the key elements of the BPMN is the visual appearance of the process map in terms of the symbols and markers used. These should conform to the shapes defined in the BPMN specification.

The following symbols can be used to develop a Process Map for the BIM Plan: Table B.6: Process Mapping Notation for BIM Process Maps.

The following is the procedure to define information exchange requirements for each BIM Use:

1) Identify each potential information exchange from the Level 1 Process Map

Information Exchanges that are shared between two parties should be defined. One BIM Use may have multiple exchanges; however, to simplify the process, only one exchange is necessary to document each Use. Also, the time of exchange should be derived from the Level One Map. This ensures that the involved parties know when the BIM deliverables are expected to be completed along with the project’s schedule. The project phases should also be identified in the project-specific contract language in the Infrastructure section of BEP. When possible, the BIM Use exchanges should be listed in chronological order to give a visual representation of the progression of the model requirement.

2) Choose a Model Element Breakdown structure for the project

After the project team has established the Information Exchanges (IE), the team should select an element breakdown structure for the project. Currently, the Model Element Table uses the CSI Uniformat II structure; however, other options are available on the BIM Execution project website, for example, the BIMForum Level of Development spreadsheet or the US Army Corps of Engineers Minimum Modeling Matrix (M3)

3) Identify the Information Requirements for each Exchange

To define each information exchange, the following information should be documented:

1. Information Exchange (IE) Name: the name of information exchange (do we have any principle). It is recommended to develop the exchange name from the BIM Use title unless there is a specific exchange name already defined, e.g., for IFC Model View Definitions. An example would be to remove the initial verb from the BIM Use Title and append the word 'Model'. For example, 'Author Design' would become a 'Design Model', and if there are multiple model deliverables from a BIM Use, additional detail should be added to the title.

2. IE Description: the description of information exchange to describe the purpose of the IE.

3. Milestone: Define the project Milestone for the information exchange.

4. Sender – Identify all project team members that will send the information to perform a future BIM Use.

5. Receiver – Identify all project team members receiving the information to perform a future BIM Use.

6. Frequency: the frequency of the IE. Some information exchanges may only occur once, but others may be transmitted multiple times, e.g., 3D coordination models. If the exchange occurs multiple times, define the typical cycle or frequency, i.e., weekly or monthly.

7. Due Date: The date the exchange is due if there is a specific date.

9. Location (URL): The URL of the IE, which will be linked with ....

10. Software: List the specific software application(s), as well as, the version that will be used to manipulate the model during each BIM Use by the receiver. This is pertinent to identify any interoperability that may exist between exchanges.

11. Source Format: List the file format of the source information.

12. IE Format: Define the expected file format (or form?? online vs onsite) of IE.

13. BIM Use: Record the connect BIM Use for IE.

14. Req. Contract: Document whether the specific exchange is required by the sender in their contract (value should be yes or no).

15. Permitted Uses: The exchange should define the future permitted uses that can rely upon the information, e.g., analyze energy or analyze structure, from an architectural model.

16. Req. Approvals: Identify all project team members who should review and approve the IE.

17. Req. IE Delivery: Identify the requirement for IE delivery.

18. Information Exchange Definition: The location of the information exchange definition requirements, which could be a defined Information Definition Specification (IDS), a Model Element Table (MET) definition, or another information exchange.

4) Assign Responsible Parties to Author the Information Required

Each line item in an Information Exchange should have a party who is responsible for authoring the information. The responsibility for creating the information should lie with the party that can produce it with the highest level of efficiency. Additionally, the time of input should be when it is needed by the model receiver, based on the level 1 process map. The worksheet can be sorted according to the responsible party to determine one's scope for each BIM deliverable. Table C.2 below is a list of potentially responsible parties.

5) Define Specific Elements and Required Information in IE

Once the information requirements are defined, it is necessary for the project team to discuss the specific element, Level of Development (LOD), Level of Information (LOI), Level of Accuracy (LOA), File Format, and Model Element Author. LOD identifies the detail and completeness of the geometry/non-geometry of an object for a specific use. (Pull-down menu 100, 200, 300, 350, 400, and 500). LOI defines the information attributes that should be included for each object. LOA defines the reliability of non-graphic data necessary to support the information exchange. and asset lifecycle model use. (Pull-down menu - 10, 20, 30, 40, 50). File format defines the graphic format and information requirement (e.g., 2D, 2D+information, 3D, 3D+information). The Author is the person or organization providing the model/information for an object used in information exchange.

Senders and receivers of IE should work together to define the model element table. Receivers clarify information requirements and senders describe the information that they can provide. If the send information and receive information do not match, two potential remedial actions could be taken:

1. Send information – revise the information to a higher level of accuracy and/or include additional information (e.g., add R-Value to Exterior Walls); OR
2. Receive information – revise the responsible party so that information is authored by the organization performing the BIM Use.

The BIM Uses are defined within the BIM Use Definition Standard.

The development of the BIM Plan is a collaborative process. Some portions of the procedure, e.g., discussing the overall project goals, are collaborative tasks, while other portions, e.g., defining the required file structure or detailed information exchange, do not necessarily require collaboration. The key to successfully developing the plan is to ensure that meetings are scheduled for the collaborative tasks when needed, and that the noncollaborative tasks are completed in a timely manner, in preparation for these meetings. The BIM Plan can be developed through a series of collaborative meetings, followed by work tasks which take place between the meetings. A series of four meetings have been defined to develop the BIM Plan. The goal of presenting the four-meeting series is to illustrate one structure that the team can use to effectively develop the plan. For some projects, the team may be able to reduce the number of meetings through effective collaboration between meetings.

Meeting Structure for Developing a BIM Project Execution Plan

The four meetings proposed to develop the BIM Project Execution Plan are closely aligned with the primary steps outlined in Chapter One. The meetings and interim tasks include:

Meeting 1: Identify BIM Goals and Uses

The first meeting should focus on the discussion of the overall goals for implementing BIM, along with identifying the BIM Uses. A draft agenda for this meeting would include:

1. Introduce and Discuss BIM Experiences (both individual and organizational)
2. Develop BIM goals (reference BIM Goal template document)
3. Identify which BIM Uses to pursue (reference the BIM Uses worksheet)
4. Develop the frequency and sequencing for the BIM Uses and identify a responsible party to develop a high level (Level One) BIM Overview process map
5. Identify the responsible parties to develop detailed BIM Use process maps, e.g., the level two maps
6. Organize the schedule for future meetings
7. Agree on the tasks ahead and who is responsible for each

This meeting should be attended by senior management personnel and BIM management staff for all involved participants including the owner, designers, contractors, and key subcontractors.

Tasks Prior to Meeting 2

After the initial kick-off meeting, the organizations should clearly understand who will be responsible for the defined tasks, and in what sequences the BIM Uses will be executed. The responsible party for the Level One map should clearly document and distribute it to the project team for review prior to the following meeting. Each responsible party for the specified BIM Uses should also draft their workflow prior to the Design BIM Project Execution Process meeting (Meeting 2).

Meeting 2: Design BIM Project Execution Process

The Project Specific BIM Use Process Maps shall contain a detailed process plan that clearly defines the different activities to be performed, who will perform them, and what information will be created and shared with future processes. The agenda for this meeting will include:

1. Review the initial BIM Goals and Uses
2. Review the high-level BIM Overview Process Map
3. Review the more detailed workflows from the various parties and identify areas of overlap or gaps between the various modeling tasks
4. Review the process to address opportunities and concerns
5. Identify the primary information exchanges within the process
6. Identify responsible parties for coordinating each information exchange, including the author and user of each exchange
7. Allow sub-teams for each information exchange to coordinate potential interim meetings as needed to discuss the information exchange requirements
8. Agree on the tasks ahead and who is responsible for each

This meeting should be attended by the owner, BIM managers, and project manager for the project. It may also be valuable to have contracting managers in attendance or have them briefed soon after this meeting.

Tasks Prior to Meeting 3

After the Design BIM Project Execution Process meeting, the team must focus on developing the information exchanges. Each responsible party for an exchange should take the lead in developing the information exchanges. The authors of the information exchange will need to coordinate with the information receivers to ensure that they have developed consistent information exchanges with minimal inconsistencies to discuss at Meeting Three. The team members should also prepare for the discussions regarding infrastructure requirements which will occur in Meeting Three. Team members should compile examples of typical methods that they have used or wish to use on the project to share with the team.

Meeting 3: Develop Information Exchanges and Define Supporting Infrastructure for BIM

Implementation

The agenda for this meeting will include:

1. Review the initial BIM Goals and BIM Uses to ensure that the project planning remains consistent with the initial goals
2. Review the information exchange requirements developed by the team members between Meeting Two and Meeting Three
3. Identify the infrastructure needed to support the process and information exchanges as defined in Chapter Five
4. Agree on tasks ahead and who is responsible for each

This meeting should be attended by the BIM managers. It may also be valuable to have contracting managers in attendance or briefed soon after this meeting.

Tasks Prior to Meeting 4

The categories and information should be compiled into the final BIM Execution Plan format and distributed to the project team in preparation for the final plan review meeting. Meeting 4: Review Final BIM Project Execution Plan The agenda for this meeting will include:

1. Review the draft BIM Project Execution Plan
2. Develop the project controls system to ensure that the plan is being followed, and that the plan is up to date
3. Outline the procedure for formal adoption of the BIM Project Execution Plan and monitoring process
4. Agree on tasks ahead and who is responsible for each

This meeting should be attended by the owner, BIM managers, and all parties that are responsible for the identified BIM Uses.

Tasks after Meeting 4

Once the meetings are complete, the BIM Project Execution Plan should be distributed to all parties and approved as appropriate for the project and contracting structure. Team members should ensure that the plan monitoring and updating procedure is implemented into the project controls system.

Planning Meeting Schedule

One of the first tasks of the team is to determine the planning meeting schedule. This schedule should identify the defined meetings, along with the scheduled dates for the meeting. The team may decide that they wish to spread the planning procedure across several weeks with one of the defined meetings each week or every other week. But they also may wish to define an accelerated planning schedule over several days with the team specifically focused on the development of the plan.

Monitoring Progress against the BIM Execution Plan

Once the initial BIM Execution Plan is created, it will need to be continuously communicated, monitored and updated throughout the project. In particular, the Project Execution Plan should be embedded into appropriate contracts, and then updated as needed when new team members join the project team. At a minimum, it is valuable for the BIM managers from the various team members to meet on a monthly basis to discuss the progress of the information modeling initiatives on the project and to address any implementation challenges that team members may be encountering. These meetings may be incorporated with other team meetings, but it is important to specifically address issues that may arise in the implementation of the plan. It is important for the team to continuously modify the planned process as needed due to the addition of team members, revisions to available technology, changes to the overall project conditions, and to reflect the actual process that evolved. The team should agree to a formal plan for accepting updates to the plan, and then accurately document any changes to the original plan for communication to other team members, as well as for accurate future use and reference.

This Change Log documents that revisions that were made, originally to the BIM Project Execution Planning Guide, through Version 3. Following Version 3, the guideline was retitled to the BIM Execution Planning Guidelines and the changes are focused on transitioning from a stand-alone guideline into this online module guideline.

BIM Project Execution Planning Guide Version 1 (2009) to Version 2.0 (2011) Revisions

• Significant revisions throughout the document, including additions of content and grammatical revisions.
• Addition of examples with the Laboratory Project.

Version 2.0 (2011) to Version 2.1 (2012) Revisions

• Revised the Level 1 BIM Process Template
• Expanded the number of template process maps in the Appendix
• Added Glossary of terms
• Minor grammatical revisions

Version 2.1 (2012) to Version 2.2 (2019) Revisions

• Revisions to the one-page BIM Use descriptions contained in Appendix B
• Revised the format to web-based format using PressBooks, along with multiple downloadable options to enable easier access to individual sections
• Added links to the BIMForum Level of Development specification and the US Army Minimum Modeling Matrix to the information exchange definition chapter as potential alternatives to the information exchange template
• Enabled commenting on the published version on the website to capture suggestions for future revisions
• Published in various downloadable formats, e.g., ePub and PDF, from the online version of the Guide
• Embedded template documents via links to downloadable files to the online version of the guide to make it easier to find the template file resources. A complete list of the downloadable content was added in Appendix J.
• Added Appendix I: Version History
• Grammatical revisions throughout the document
• Revised the cover page

Version 2.2 (2019) to Version 3.0 (2022) Revisions

• Revised core planning procedure to have 5 steps, instead of the initial 4 steps in earlier versions. The initial step 1 (BIM Goals and Uses) has been separated into two steps. The first step is to establish the Project Modeling Goals and the second step is to select the Model Uses. The chapter numbers have been revised throughout the Guide and the former Chapter 2 content has been revised and distributed between Chapter 2 and Chapter 3.
• Revised and shortened chapter titles.
• Revised the term ‘BIM Use’ to ‘Model Use’ throughout the Guide. The term was revised to simplify the terminology and to limit the reference to the term ‘BIM’, which is not always readily accepted by project teams working on infrastructure or industrial facility projects. The term ‘BIM’ throughout the document has been frequently revised to either model to reference a model file or database, or modeling to refer to the process of developing or using a model. Section titles have sometimes been renamed, e.g., the Model Use Description appendices.
• Revised the list of Model Uses significantly. Many model uses were reworded to start with their core purpose as defined within The Uses of BIM document. One new model use was added (Draw Construction Documents) and several were removed from the core model uses, but a page is still included in the Appendix (Analyze Emergency Management and Analyze Engineering Performance – reworded from previous versions).
• Revised the descriptions for the model uses contained in Appendix B.

Version 3.0 (2022) to Version 4.0 (2023) Revisions

Version 4.0 has been developed to integrate the BEP Guide directly within the U.S. National BIM Standard. This included a number of significant revisions to the structure, content, and formatting of the BEP Guide, including the following:

• Revised the acknowledgments to include the NBIMS-US BIM Execution Planning Workgroup as the author of the BEP Standard and contributor to the guidelines.
• Revised the content structure by relocating previous details from each BEP step into a unique Appendix within the Guidelines. This was done to shorten the core guidelines while maintaining detail as appropriate in the Appendices.
• Updated the figures and tables from the BEP Template to reflect the new spreadsheet BEP Template contained within the Resources section.
• Revised the BIM Uses to reflect the BIM Uses developed contained within the BIM Use Definition section of NBIMS-US Version 4.
• Revised the reference to the process model templates to focus on the draw.io template document.
• Removed the unique definitions section since the definitions are managed across all sections of NBIMS-US. Some definitions were revised in Version 4.
• Removed the example project BEP document from the Appendices.
• Revised the detailed Level 2 process map templates to reflect the BIM Use terminology in Version 4.
• Added a section to describe the three stages of the BEP as defined within the BEP Standard.
• Removed the appendix with the single page BIM Use descriptions since these descriptions are now contained within the BIM Use Definition section of NBIMS-US.