Adam Matthews, Chair of the Global BIM Network, announced the development of the Network’s new Digital Transformation Playbook for Public Sector Construction at the second annual General Assembly on December 1, 2022. The Digital Transformation Playbook: an approach to building public sector capacity, is a significant transition for the Network. The Playbook marks the Network’s changing focus from talking about and sharing knowledge to a development phase. It will be available on an open access basis.

Attendees from 36 countries took part in the online event. The General Assembly was delivered in Spanish and English and held twice to accommodate attendees in different time zones.

The Playbook will draw upon the growing resources in the Network’s Information Collection which will soon comprise over 400 knowledge resources from over 60 countries.

Said Adam: “That’s a lot of information. So, the challenge is how do we navigate it, how do we access it in a meaningful way, and how do we organize and structure it? The purpose of the Playbook is to make sense of all the information that we have collated. It will help people find what’s most relevant to them and support them on their digital transformation journey.”

Commenting on who the Playbook is for, Adam said: “Although we are primarily a public sector network, having a Playbook where we share some of the needs of the public sector would be beneficial for industry too.”

Jaroslav Nechyba, EU BIM Task Group Representative, Czech Republic, told attendees that the public and private sector are addressing the same issues. “We want to create a common built environment, so we need to share this kind of information.”

Starting in early 2023, work on the Playbook will focus on the mobilizing and developing states of the seven-part digital transformation journey for the public sector. Work will later expand to address the other five states.

Lina Lievano is a BIM Consultant at the National Planning Department in Colombia, and a  member of the Global BIM Network’s Steering Committee. She said the Playbook will enable country members to learn from the experiences of others in implementing BIM in each state of digital transformation and facilitate the integration of policymakers in a knowledge network.

Reflecting on how the Playbook can help improve public sector capacity for digital transformation, Adam said the resource recognizes that there is not one single solution to all challenges.

“The idea of calling it a Playbook is because there are multiple plays. It will provide multiple perspectives, showing that in different contexts there are diverse ways of approaching digital transition.”

Access the full recordings of the Network’s General Assembly 2022 here