BIM is the management of information through the whole life cycle of a built asset, from initial design all the way through to construction, maintaining and finally de-commissioning, through the use of digital modelling. It's all about collaboration - between engineers, owners, architects and contractors in a three dimensional virtual construction environment (common data environment), and it shares information across these disciplines.
Building information modelling allows design and construction teams to communicate about design and coordinate information across different levels that has been unseen before. This information remains with the project, from before beginning construction, right throughout its lifetime. It also helps to analyze any potential impacts.
Since April 2016, the UK government has required construction suppliers tendering for centrally-procured government projects, including buildings and infrastructure, to be competent in BIM. The most recent mandate, outlined within Transforming Infrastructure Performance: Roadmap to 2030, calls for government to ensure contractual processes conform to the standards which constitute the UK BIM Framework; the overarching approach to implementing BIM in the UK. BSI is supporting the sector with a range of solutions to address the requirements within the information management mandate.
