Role of BIM Contract Practices in Stakeholder BIM Implementation on AEC Projects

Abstract

The growth of building information modeling (BIM) adoption in the architectural, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry has changed project delivery and contract strategies. While there are numerous BIM contract documents available, how these contract documents are implemented is not well understood. This research investigates how BIM contract practices impact stakeholders’ BIM implementation in AEC projects. A mixed-methods approach was implemented using a survey and semistructured interviews. Researchers analyzed survey data using Fisher’s exact test and found significant associations between stakeholder BIM use and their respective BIM contractual requirements, as well as BIM execution plan implementation and its respective contractual requirement. Researchers then implemented a qualitative analysis approach with semistructured interviews of AEC professionals to identify specific contract requirements impacting BIM implementation and contract-related BIM challenges on current projects. The main categories of contract requirements impacting BIM implementation were contract deliverables, BIM-related meetings, workflow documents, and software requirements. The main categories of contract-related BIM challenges were related to model challenges, reliance on 2D contract documents, the lack of BIM standard practice implementation, and BIM regulatory challenges. These findings can support practitioners when identifying and implementing BIM contract strategies to positively impact BIM adoption in AEC projects.