This legislation incorporates BIM into the urban planning process in regions that have the capacity to accommodate the digitisation of processing and issuing building permits. The pilot programme will simplify the filing, analysis and issuance of building licenses.
An archive version of this information article has been created if the original is no longer accessible (Archive information from January 2024)
The Government Construction Strategy (GCS) 2016-20 aimed to develop the UK Government’s capability as a construction client in order to achieve efficiency savings and further establish best practices developed under the GCS 2011-15.
The overall aim was to provide a coordinated approach to a highly fragmented industry to improve the delivery, efficiency and performance of construction projects in the public, private and regulated sectors.
Key objectives included:
- Supporting the use of digital technology, including Building Information Modelling (BIM).
- Establishing collaborative procurement techniques that allow early contract and supply chain involvement. These include recruiting and upskilling the workforce while promoting fair payment.
- Fostering whole-life approaches to reduce costs and greenhouse gas emissions across the construction, operation and maintenance of public buildings and infrastructure.
GCS 2016-20 encompassed a collaborative action plan to deliver its objectives involving Working Groups – including representatives of central government departments, the wider public sector and industry – the Strategic Delivery Group and the Government’s Construction Board.
The Infrastructure and Projects Authority was tasked to deliver the Strategy in partnership with major construction spending departments and agencies.
An archive version of this information article has been created if the original is no longer accessible (Archive information from January 2024)
The Government Construction Strategy was published in May 2011 to support the growth of the construction sector, which is a major part of the UK economy. It was prepared by the Efficiency and Reform Group of the Cabinet Office and the Construction Sector Unit of BIS, working closely with Infrastructure UK (IUK).
The Strategy aimed to help reduce costs up to 20%, improve business models and practices, and establish a collaborative culture while ensuring the public sector is more informed and better coordinated to provide clear briefs and work with suppliers to develop cost-effective solutions for projects of all sizes.
Within the Strategy, a key element for reducing costs, cutting waste and avoiding errors is the adoption of the Building information Modelling (BIM), which makes the most of digital technologies to provide a consistent flow of information, measurable standards at all stages of construction and a basis for asset management when a project is completed.
To enable businesses of all sizes to implement BIM, the Government set up a timeframe and adoption path that allow companies at different transition stages to catch up. This is described in the Strategy as a phased process involving industry groups, in order to allow time for businesses to prepare for the development of new standards and for upskilling their workforce.
The 2011 Government Construction Strategy introduced fully collaborative BIM – with all project and asset information, documentation and electronic data – as a minimum requirement for all government clients by 2016. This is referred to as the UK BIM Mandate.
An archive version of this information article has been created if the original is no longer accessible (Archive information from January 2024)
