In a letter to CanBIM Members to provide direction and clarification on the current state of BIM in Canada, CanBIM takes the lead and lays the groundwork for unifying BIM in Canada.
CanBIM Memo to Members
CLARIFICATION ABOUT CANBIM – IBC – BSC COLLABORATION
It’s been a significant, momentous—and busy—year for CanBIM. With the growth and success of our Regional Sessions providing crucial networking opportunities; our BIM Certification program gaining meaningful traction and bridging the gap between educators, practitioners and industry; and now our first ever CanBIM Awards having been delivered at our AGM recently. We at CanBIM are grateful to our members for attending the events, engaging with each other, and asking the tough questions that permeate our industry and BIM representation in Canada.
While we strive to enrich our membership, and challenge ourselves daily to seek new ways to meet our goals, we are not the only group with interests in BIM, here in Canada. Over the last few months a growing number of our members and individuals outside CanBIM have asked for clarification on the confusion regarding the existence of three organizations in Canada devoted to BIM and what leadership is CanBIM taking on this matter. We would like to take the opportunity to provide much needed clarification on a few key questions surrounding our past and present relationships, namely the perception that CanBIM has no interest in working with the Institute for BIM in Canada (IBC), or it’s affiliate council buildingSMART Canada (bSC), but rest assured, nothing could be further from the truth or our desire at CanBIM. So, we are pleased to provide you with some answers along with an understanding to some of the chronology that has brought us to where we are today and more importantly how we can move forward.
CHRONOLOGY – THE GENESIS OF CANBIM AND IBC/bSC
Pre 2010: In mid 2007 a number of AEC professionals met in Toronto to discuss the growing need for a pan Canadian agency, focused on BIM in Canada with particular emphasis on the business side of BIM. It was agreed that such a body should have representation (but not control) from four constituent associations, namely, Construction Specifications Canada (CSC), Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC), Association of Consulting Engineering Companies (ACEC), Canadian Construction Association (CCA). This would provide many benefits including creating a balance between proper development of standards and some oversight from constituent associations while respecting that the use of BIM enabled technologies is a business decision. It would also allow for the development of an agency that could ideally move quickly and nimbly without the need of being fettered by association approvals and review process that often delays sound advice and deliverables making it to the industry in a timely manner.
It was agreed that there should be a minimum of twelve board positions of which four would be permanently devoted to the four constituent organizations. These positions would not be subject to election, but would be permanent seats whereby the constituent organizations would appoint a representative at their discretion, as needed. This would provide a direct reporting structure back to the constituent organizations. At that time CSC and CCA agreed to positions, RAIC and ACEC declined. Canada started with one single agency devoted to BIM in Canada and that was the Canada BIM Council we still believe one single agency is the only viable solution.
In late 2009, CCA resigned their position from the CanBIM Board. A short time later in 2010, the Institute for BIM in Canada (IBC) was formed as an initiative primarily of the CCA who today hold the largest voting block on the IBC steering committee and control of documents[1]. CSC, continued to serve on both CanBIM and IBC boards for a number of years in support of trying to get back to the notion of a single agency.
Post 2010: IBC, established a national chapter of buildingSMART international; namely buildingSMART Canada (bSC). CanBIM was even more concerned that now, with a third agency related to BIM in Canada we would have even more muddiness, increased chance for duplication and a watering down of valuable volunteer time and resources. The bSC became yet another agency created with the notion of working “towards the facilitation and adoption of BIM in Canada”, under the auspices of IBC which equally tries to “lead and facilitate the coordinated use of (BIM) in the design, construction and management of the Canadian built environment.” To date, IBC and bSC have not included any mention of CanBIM in their materials and messaging – as an example their “Road Map to BIM” did not involve the input of CanBIM.
CanBIM has always felt that it is in the best interests of the BIM community to keep one agency that would address constituent organizations’ reasonable concerns and move the Canadian BIM agenda forward. CanBIM has frequently sought out initiatives and communicated with IBC and bSC explore opportunities to return to a single entity. It has always been the unanimous desire of the CanBIM Board of Directors to be proactive, open and willing to seek a mutually agreeable framework to create one entity for BIM in Canada. We remain committed and hopeful to this prospect.
WHAT IS THE WAY FORWARD?
Understanding and acknowledging our recent collective past will help us define the future for BIM in Canada; it is far too valuable to our industry to have this cluttered state continue and we aim to change our course forward with our core values intact. We run the risk of considering further diluting the progress if a fourth; fifth or sixth agency devoted to BIM appears in Canada – it becomes imperative that we must act immediately.
Between 2011 and the present (most recently September 2015) we have proposed numerous frameworks to IBC and bSC to bring Canada’s BIM community under the care of one agency. None of the proposals we put forward since 2011 have received any formal acknowledgement or willingness to pursue. We believe these frameworks had merit and while not being perfect they were general enough to set a path forward. This approach to progress has held true with CanBIM for over eight years and throughout our growing success. Better to be generally right and move forward, than prescriptively correct and go nowhere.
There is a strong desire of ensuring we have one of the best and most robust BIM communities in the world, and the use of BIM must ultimately transfer the maximum value to the owner. On these two key provisos CanBIM, IBC and bSC without reservation fully agree. If this agreeance is where we start to shape the future, here is, in summary, the most current framework and a working method to get to a single agency in Canada in less than 18 months. Yes, it is an ambitious goal: within 18 months we would bring the joint resources, talents, offerings, deliverables of CanBIM and IBC, rebranding them under the buildingSMART Canada banner. In 18 months CanBIM and IBC would not exist, here is how we could do it:
Up front IBC & bSC must acknowledge that membership in buildingSMART Canada must be equally open to all in the Canadian AECOO community. A small to medium enterprise (SME) should have the same voice as large private and public sector organizations. Simply put, buildingSMART Canada cannot be run or influenced by any interest group, association or agency. In simple terms it must be “an open, neutral and not-for- profit organisation” This is in the spirit of both CanBIM and that of buildingSMART International (bSC I) [2]
Upon a memorandum of agreement to move towards unification based on the above between CanBIM and IBC both agencies will support the development of a Transition Steering Committee (TSC), outlined below:
It would be comprised of CanBIM and IBC Executive Committees with the goal of delivering a transitional framework within 12 weeks of inception to their respective board/committee.
The TSC would develop the framework for oversight so such a single agency remains independent and neutral of influence, but has a sound business and strategic plan reviewed each year.
Board/Steering Committee would be comprised of permanent seats for CCA, RAIC, ACEC and CSC. With possibly eight other seats filled by others from the AECOO industry. This would adhere very closely to the bS I terms to be open, neutral and remain not-for-profit.
The TSC would provide a general plan for operation including identifying vital resources, finances and reporting on an interim basis. TSC would find immediate ways to work together. With the goal of overall promotion of BIM in Canada; Regional sessions would continue as would other CanBIM initiatives that have built up momentum, there would be ongoing development of the BIM Road Map for Canada.
Ratification by the CanBIM Board, then its member firms, in conjunction with the IBC Steering Committee and its constituent organizations, must take place within eight weeks of presentation to stakeholders.
After ratification, both CanBIM Board and IBC Steering Committee will hold joint biweekly meetings to implement the framework developed by the TSC and move toward unification within one calendar year from ratification.
CanBIM agrees that there are a lot of details and moving parts to unification, but we believe these can be worked out if we all keep an open mind and a willingness to just start down the path. In the interim, there is a lot that can be done to work together on the three areas of BIM deployment presented at the recent CanBIM AGM. See Diagram below.
As a valued member of CanBIM, we hope this clarifies and answers your questions. More importantly, we hope you will endorse the framework we present. Regardless of what lies ahead, CanBIM will continue to make BIM our business, because BIM is your business and that will remain our primary goal. We will also not give up on finding a way to bring Canada back to a single entity and we remain open to suggestions.
We are proud that we have members not only representing specific industry sectors that have a keen interest in seeing BIM implemented, but importantly the number of owners that have joined the conversation. CanBIM will continue to foster an inclusive environment for BIM adoption across all sects of the Architectural, Engineering, Construction, Owner and Operator (AECOO) industries in Canada.
Yours truly,
CanBIM Board of Directors
[1] IBC Terms of Reference 8.2, 8.3
[2] http://www.buildingsmart.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Chapter-Membership-Agreement-rev.-15-02-06.pdf 4.2, first bullet)
