With the entry into force, on January 1, 2019, of the first batch of measures pertaining to the procurement and concessions processes provided for in DM 560/2017, there was a need to clarify what operational tools are available to the Public Demand for Digitization.
The first stage of DM 560/2017 makes Bim mandatory for tenders over €100 million.
In the process of adopting the implementing decree referred to in Art. 23, paragraph 13 of Legislative Decree No. 50/2016, the Commission initiated a phase of gathering information and opinions through the preparation of a special questionnaire and hearing of stakeholders, which led to a proposal aimed at the adoption of the decree. The draft decree underwent public consultations in June/July 2017, leading to the final drafting of Ministerial Decree No. 560/2017, which introduced the principle of the progressive compulsory use of BIM in public procurement and also defined the relevant time roadmap.
This document consists of nine articles and is supplemented by an accompanying report, and in its general structure can be considered an initial act of guidance and obligation to the contracting stations and granting administrations involved in the progressive digitization of information content mainly in procurement. First of all, the decree introduced a set of definitions, aimed at creating a common language that is essential in light of the innovativeness of the subject matter.
Particularly significant in this regard is the emphasis on the data sharing environment, which is defined as a digital environment for the organized collection and sharing of data related to a work that the contracting station accesses and in which it shares and preserves over time the information content related to the real estate or infrastructure assets under its jurisdiction, while defining its processing and intellectual property protection responsibilities.
Of equal importance is the extension of the definition of complex work from that in Art. 3, para. 1, of Leg. no.50/2016, in particular referring to the use of BIM all those works for which a high level of “knowledge” is required mainly aimed at mitigating the risk of lengthening the contractual time and/or exceeding the expected costs, as well as protecting the health and safety of the workers involved, primary objectives for a public client, and including among the complex works those determined by particularly accentuated needs for coordination and collaboration between heterogeneous disciplines, whose integration in collaborative terms is considered fundamental.
Particularly important are the obligations placed on contracting stations and granting administrations in order to be able to require the use of modeling methods and tools in their bidding procedures.
The decree, in particular, refers to training obligations, under which the contracting station must define a training program for personnel, whose allocation to the inherent tasks does not, however, preclude the possibility of using external support services; instrumentation, with the preparation of an acquisition plan inherent to modeling and information management tools organization, aimed at the concrete implementation of digitized processes within current organizational structures and practices; interoperability, requiring the contracting station to use interoperable platforms by means of non-proprietary open formats and to connect the data in the process to object-oriented multidimensional models in the manner indicated in the information requirements of the specifications.
Regarding the timing of the introduction of Building Information Modeling in public procurement, the decree, as it is known, adopted in Art. 6 a principle of progressiveness, hinging on the degree of complexity of the work and reference amount.
Five steps are planned: from Jan. 1, 2019, the obligation involves complex works related to works with a tender amount of 100 million euros or more; from Jan. 1, 2020, the obligation is extended to complex works related to works with a tender amount of 50 million euros or more; from Jan. 1, 2021, to complex works related to works with a tender amount of 15 million euros or more; from Jan. 1, 2022, to works with a tender amount of 15 million euros or more; and from Jan. 1, 2022, to works with a tender amount of 15 million euros or more above the threshold set out in Art. 35 of the Public Contracts Code; from Jan. 1, 2023, to works with a tender amount of 1 million euros or more; and from Jan. 1, 2025, to finish, to new works with a tender amount of less than 1 million euros.
With the publication of ISO 19650 (parts 1 and 2) in late 2018, new regulatory scenarios are slowly emerging at the international, EU and individual state levels, consequently also in our country.
ISO 19650 concludes, with the first international “principle” standard (along the lines of ISO 9000-quality, 14000-environment, 55000-asset management, 31000-risk, etc.) a first, “historic” phase of the regulatory (and non-standard) world on BIM and digitization of the construction industry.
A much more IT-oriented first phase, in its infancy (ISO STEP 10303-11-21), and then increasingly focused on information management and processes.
There is, at the same time, the increasingly assiduous presence of specific national standards (PAS 1192 – process, UNI 11337 series – application, DIN 91392 – CDE, AFNOR PRXPP07-150 – products, etc.) and a hinge community role in becoming or “administrative” (CEN/TC442) – adoption of ISO standards – and now, instead, increasingly present also with its own standards (prEN 17412 – Level of Information Need, and prEN 17473 – Smart CE/BIM, for example)
ISO 19650, therefore, although the latest, is now the “primary,” or reference standard for all others also already in existence.
The primary standard that has ISO 16739-1 (IFC), open scheme, ISO 29481-1 (IDM), delivery manual, and 12006-2 (IFD), classification, as its favorite daughters.
This main framework applies (or should apply), as is, throughout the world. And in particular, then, in the CEN countries, accompanied by the timely additional EU standards and, in Italy and Great Britain, also through the respective national annexes (annexes).
ISO 19650, in fact, provides the principle of national reference annexes for the local market. Principle currently adopted, precisely, only by the UK and Italy.
For UK through an annex in Part 2 (file naming system), of the local guidelines-Part 0-and the withdrawal of BS 1192 and BSPAS 1192-2 (the principles of which are believed to be absorbed into the body of ISO 19650 1 and 2).
For Italy, however, instead of an annex in part 2 of ISO 19650, given the full-bodied detailed regulatory status already present, it was preferred to establish that the whole of UNI 11337, in its various parts, constitutes a national annex to the ISO itself. With the principle of primacy of the higher standard (19650) over possible interference or inconsistencies in the dependent standard (11337).
ISO 19650, in its main characters (Part 1), maintains the approach and concepts that have now become established over the years throughout the “BIM” world: Information Specifications (CI – EIR, which became Exchange Information Requirement instead of Employer), Information Management Plan (pGI – Bim Execution Plan, in Part 2), etc.
In particular, it further defines:
- as “Appointing” the proposing party (no longer Employer) and “Appointed” the appointed party;
- that the data-sharing environments (ACDat – CDE Common Data Environment) are at least 2, of principal/proponent-appointing (to be prepared as early as the bidding stage) and widespread, of appointees-appointed (debunking the fanciful concept of a single CDE with free and indiscriminate access by the principal, which was never envisaged even in PAS 1192);
- the overcoming of LODs through Level Of Information Need, devoid of predetermined scale (100, 200 …; 1, 2, 3 … ; A, B, C … ; A, B, C …) and with introduction of the concept of Document (DOC) alongside LOG geometries and alphanumeric LOI information;
- the information structure of the entire construction process, from development (capex), to management (opex), into one overall scheme and introducing Project Information Requirements (PIR) to the original PAS 1192 2 and 3 flows;
UNI 11337:2017 after ISO 19650
In Italy, UNI EN ISO 19650:2019 parts 1 and 2 (translated into Italian) is applied through 11337 (20015-2017-2018) in its currently published parts: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. Also published in December 2019 was the reference practice for defining the Management Information System of organizations (
UNI/PdR 74:2019
).
UNI 11337-1:2017
Building and civil engineering works – Digital management of construction information processes – Part 1: Models, drawings and information objects for products and processes
UNI/TS 11337-3:2015
Building and civil engineering works – Coding criteria for construction works and products, activities and resources – Part 3: Models for collecting, organizing and storing technical information for construction products
UNI 11337-4:2017
Building and civil engineering works – Digital management of construction information processes – Part 4: Evolution and information development of models, deliverables and objects
UNI 11337-5:2017
Building and civil engineering works – Digital management of construction information processes – Part 5: Information flows in digitized processes
UNI/TR 11337-6:2017
Building and civil engineering works – Digital management of construction information processes – Part 6: Guideline for drafting information specification
UNI 11337-7:2018
Building and civil engineering works – Digital management of construction information processes – Part 7: Knowledge, skill and competence requirements of those involved in information management and modelling
In view of 19650, the original working group, UNI/CT 033/GL05, became a subcommittee UNI/TC033/SC05, and 8 new Working Groups were established to which the various parts of UNI 11337 were entrusted (while part 1–general–remains with the subcommittee):
The idea is to gradually reorganize the entire national regulatory park in consideration of ISO 19650 but, more than this, because of the evolutions that have since occurred, from 2015-2017, in practice and, of course, in technology (semantics, block-chain, etc.).
In fact, the framework of the Italian standards, which is very enforceable, is perfectly compatible with the structure of 19650, which essentially presents guiding lines, although its adoption comforts the decision for a gradual overall revision. Always with the intent to standardize at the national level as a basis for discussion for the EU (CEN) and international (ISO) levels.
The most important innovations will concern:
- The introduction of Levels of Information Need (LoINs). instead of the LODs, formerly Part 4, which will be revised in consideration, also, of the European standard being developed, Italian-led (UNI, Marzia Bolpagni), prEN 17412, considering that, in order to facilitate its applicability in public procurement (in aid of the RUPs), a reference scale will still be provided according to the higher indications deriving from the Contracts Code and the future Regulations;
- The definition of the information attributes of digital objects and especially products, ex parte 3, which will be revised in view, also, of the European standard being developed, prEN 17473, French-led, but with data structure identical to the Italian one in force since
- a more detailed definition of the ACDat/CDE, ex parte 5, according to the pattern confirmed by19650, and in parallel with the development of digital, organization and national “platforms”, ex parte 1 (a concept that until recently was entirely Italian and that today instead also sees Europe active toward an EU digital construction platform: DigiPLACE -H2020, Politecnico di Milano, Ferdecostruzioni-ANCE, MIT, UNI, etc.);
- the completion of the information flow now defined only in the CI Specifications, former Part 6, with the application definition of OIR, PIR, PIM, etc;
- writing the parts already planned but still missing: 2 – classification, 8 – workflows, 9 – operation phase, 10 – automated verification, 11 – data security, block-chain.
The following parts are awaited:
- Part 12 concerning the qualification of organizations, once the market impact of the newly created UNI/PdR 74:2019 is evaluated (3 years);
- path (political-administrative) underway to bring the current Part 7 (Angelo Ciribini), qualification of figures, to the European tables for the writing of a CEN standard that would make the subject of roles and skills and responsibilities definitively organic;
- ongoing (political-administrative) path to the opening of a European BIM and digital standard for restoration and listed buildings.
Edited by: Architect Luciana Bianchini, BIM Manager La SIA.
Sources: Pavan Alberto – Assistant Professor, Politecnico di Milano; Mirarchi Claudio – Engineer, Ph.D Politecnico di Milano; Cavallo Dalila – Architect, BIM Coordinator; De Gregorio Marco – Technical Officer at UNI; Ingenio – technical and design information .
