Nongeometric Building Information Needs Assessment for Facilities Management

Building information modeling (BIM) tools hold promise for owners in terms of collecting the information needed for facility operations. The introduction of BIM technology has increased the need for project teams to deliver information earlier in the project timeline. BIM has been a catalyst for process change in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry in terms of earlier decision making and in identifying the need for more precise and accurate information throughout the design and construction process. Because of the use of collaborative project delivery methods, and the owner’s participation on the project team, the same catalyst is now forcing owners to decide and specify in more detail their informational needs and deliverables. To date, owners are dependent on broad recommendations regarding what information they should collect as well as what methods may be used to collect it. To assist owners with specific recommendations, this study examined a microlevel view of the information required for owners to help them specify their closeout deliverables. The methodology included a Delphi panel of facility management personnel employed by universities in 18 states who were surveyed to establish a consensus resulting in a basic list of building information needs. The Delphi panel questions addressed the issue from the perspective of providing value as determined by the perceived need for product information in operations and maintenance (O&M), as well as the frequency of use of the product information categories. The final research results provide an established base list of product information needs for specifying project deliverables, i.e., a list of products and product formats, which can be used by owners integrating BIM in their facilities management (FM) efforts.