Appointed in 2017 to deliver Ashbridge Street scheme for 29 affordable housing units, we were asked by the Client, Westminster City Council (WCC) to deliver the project to BIM Level 2. We therefore set up an initial scoping workshop to explore how this would fit into the Council’s wider BIM strategy and how the information would be managed by WCC going forward. Following this initial study, it became apparent that WCC required guidance on the outputs that could be generated by the project and how the data could be used by both their development and Asset Management teams.
As a result of this initial scoping study, WCC invited tenders for BIM Consultancy support from their DPS 5 framework, which ECD subsequently won.
This consultancy support is designed to upskill WCC in-house staff to enable them to both manage BIM data and ensure that future consultants and contractors tenders set out their BIM requirements in sufficient detail. It has involved the close cooperation of WCC departmental heads including Development; Construction; Procurement; Asset Management; Legal and Finance with tailored CPD provided to different levels of each team.
A key aspect of the BIM Consultancy role is to effectively communicate the benefits of BIM to all WCC stakeholders and the wider supply chain to align goals and maximise benefits. Discussing experience and best practice across the Council departments, WCC is achieving its implementation of BIM not only in its procedures in theory but also in procedures in practice.
