Addressing the Need to Reform Construction Public Procurement in Ireland through the Implementation of Building Information Modelling

The Irish AEC Sector is facing one of its most uncertain and challenging periods and will see major cuts in all areas of the economy in 2012. Despite this the Irish Government has announced a number of large capital expenditure investments which have resultantly become a lifeline to a struggling construction industry. In order to compete within the public works sector AEC businesses must operate within the Governments Capital Works Management Framework. The objectives of the framework include achieving cost certainty, value for money and more effective delivery and appropriate risk sharing. The framework remains an area of contention and it has yet to be seen if it has provided a more efficient way of doing business. In order for the Irish Government client to procure more cost effective projects and achieve an estate that is smarter and better equipped to face a low carbon future, it is recommended by the authors, that the Irish Government move towards the mandatory use of Building Information Modelling on public works projects. The data collation methodology for this paper included an in-depth questionnaire survey that was compared with two international industry reports, from recent CITA BIM Workshops, that explored setting an aligned top down strategy and the cultural, process change management, required for BIM Implementation. Despite the general understanding that BIM could play a key role in reforming the Irish public procurement sector, it is highly unlikely the Irish Government will implement BIM in the short term due to other more immediate priorities that require attention in the Irish AEC sector