[PE] Policy Environment Study Protocol

1. Study Participant Profile

The Policy Environment Study Coordinator should identify at least 10 Study Participants for the defined region. The Study Participants for the Policy Environment Study should be actively involved in high-level BIM discussions within the study region and/or knowledgeable of such discussions and developments.

Study Participants should work within:

Ministries responsible for the Built Environment, Transport, or Infrastructure
Federal Governments (preferred), State Governments, or Municipalities of Capital Cities
Departments responsible for procuring construction products and services
Umbrella Associations within the construction industry – membership composed of other associations
Industry Associations within the construction industry – membership composed of individual practitioners
Accreditation Bodies (accrediting university courses) and Standard Bodies focusing on construction
Technology Advocates – local chapters of buildingSMART or similar organisations

Study Participants should have the following roles:

Head of a Department (or their delegates)
Chief Technology Officer (or their delegates)
Ministerial Advisor or In-house Consultant
BIM Leader, Coordinator, or similar
Chief Engineer (or their delegates)
Association President (or their delegates)
Chapter President (or their delegates)

A priori, we rely on “Expert” participants that are vetted by the Study Coordinator:

Experts based on the organisation they represent and/or work at;
Experts based on their individual role within the represented organisation;
Experts representing a macro-player (not themselves)

Identify at least 10 participants that satisfy all the criteria (affiliation and role), representing a macro-player. All study participants agree to complete the Policy Environment online survey. At least 50% of survey participants should also attend a validation Workshop.

2. Study Method

Step 1: Send the online survey to vetted study participants

Send survey link to Study Participants
At least 50% of the Study Participants agree to attend a validation Workshop
Participants complete the online survey

Step 2: Data screening and validation workshop preparation

Online surveys need to be completed and submitted
The Study Coordinator analyses the Survey Results (see the Study Validation section below)
The Study Coordinator identifies inconsistencies (but does not share them with Study Participants)
The Study Coordinator make the arrangements for the Workshop (if confirmed)

Step 3: Conduct Validation Workshop

The Study Coordinator discusses all the divergent claims/answers
The Study Coordinator reviews the arguments and inspects the Evidence provided against the (LoE) metric (see the Study Validation section below)
The Study Coordinator will distil an answer that is closest to ‘reality’ - a consensus development approach
The Study Coordinator will complete the final Assessment representing the Region or Market:

They will enter answers on behalf of all Policy Environment Study participants
They will rate each answer against the LoE (see the Study Validation section below)
They will upload the relevant artefacts if available (see the Study Validation section below)
They will summarise the Key Adoption Indicators in a dedicated section

Step 4: Publication of Results

3. Study Validation

Due to the nature of the study, most survey responses must depict a single ‘reality’ (e.g., Availability of BIM Mandates in the Region). The review of Study Participants’ survey responses would reveal the following two possibilities:

Answers converge (most are the same - there is practical consensus)

We accept the answer/claim

Answers diverge (there is no consensus)

The Study Coordinator will filter the questions with divergent answers to be discussed in the Validation Workshop.
During the Validation Workshop, the Study Coordinator will try to investigate which of the answers reflect ‘reality’ and enter an answer and add notes justifying the choice.

The Level of Evidence (LoE) is the number and type of artefacts requested for inspection by the Study Coordinator during study. The LoE includes 5 levels:

[0] no claim (Availability Question Not answered, Answered as a No, or Answered as I don’t Know)

[1] claimed (Availability Answered as a Yes)

[2] exhibited/demonstrated (Artefact Uploaded)

[3] inspected/analysed; and

[4] audited/certified. LoE also applies to types of questions posed, or types of answers expected, during BIMe Assessments

Some sections of the Policy Environment Study will need to provide some Level of Evidence (e.g., website, policy documents, etc.). For instance:

Published Policy Documents
BIM Mandates
Government Incentives
Legally enforceable documents
Specifications (Information Requirements)
Classification Systems
Guidance Documents
Adoption assessments across organisations
Adoption assessments across projects
Performance assessment Individual
Product Information Templates
Model Component Libraries
Model Component Guides
Model Uses

4. Production of a report

The Study Coordinator shall publish a national BIM adoption report aligned with the BIMei reporting template. The report will include both quantitative statistical analyses and qualitative assessments of BIM adoption and maturity across the region. An executive summary with recommendations to improve regional BIM adoption will be provided. To maximize accessibility, the report will be published digitally in English and translated into relevant regional languages. Both domestic and international publicity of the report is critical to benchmark progress and inform future BIM adoption efforts in the region and globally.