Comment

FM Delivery
It's getting pretty close to the BIM Level2 deadline, when construction companies bidding for public projects have to show that they can deliver a project complete with the level of information required by the owner/operator to manage it. The message has been plugged pretty hard for the last six years, and there can't be any company unaware of BIM and the proposed vehicle for delivering O&M information - COBie - and its accompanying standards.

Whilst COBie is an admirable solution that defines every aspect of a building that has a maintenance requirement - providing links to relevant documents, supplementary information, maintenance videos and so on, in a format that can be understood by all - it was specified in 2010 or thereabouts, and is, therefore, hamstrung by dated technology.

Because technology rapidly moves on, it now faces competition from other solutions. The federated building model is the source of COBie's data, which can now be accessed directly by Facility Management companies, who, because they have been encouraged to become involved in the process at a much earlier stage, can specify exactly what information they require - and in what format.

Bypassing COBie does not imply a diminution of standards. They still apply. Companies like Sitedesk that offer an alternative solution can still deliver COBie if required - or, like the education agency I heard about last week, who, given the opportunity to receive data in COBie format, opted instead for the in-house FM solution they had developed for themselves at some considerable cost.

David Chadwick

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