Challenges of BIM-enabled FM

To date, little attention has been given to the ongoing issue of the interoperability between BIM technologies, and current and legacy FM technologies (e.g. Computer Aided Facility Management Systems (CAFM)) during the handover of information and data to operation stage. The existing systems need to be linked to BIM technologies to enhance, support and leverage the existing information and process. This is also highlighted in the BIM4FM survey (2013).

It is essential that BIM data is transferred or linked to existing FM legacy systems and used to improve current methods of operation, in order to support the business case for adopting BIM on existing assets.

During the life of the building, the facility should exist for information to be updated and responsive to changes. There is a need for standardised data libraries and open systems that can be utilised by any CAFM or asset management system. Without such non-proprietary formats, facility owners and managers must dictate which proprietary information systems to use or re-input information into a CAFM system. Re-inputting information into relevant FM systems is inefficient, timely and costly to the owners and facility managers. It is also suggested that there are challenges based around how and where to update the data, whether it is in the native BIM or in the CAFM system.

FM needs to identify vital areas that may be overlooked and feed this back into the design process. that the underlying ethos seems to be that we all have a degree of blindness with regards to knowledge, and by all collaborating together the full picture is revealed and with it, a better understanding of how to make the project deliver true value to the client and end users. As FM becomes more confident with BIM and understanding the process, they can then feed their knowledge back into the Asset Information Requirements (AIR) which informs the Employers Information Requirements (EIR) for future projects. This then ensure that the correct information is requested and produced at handover.