New ConsensusDOCS Contract First to Address BIM

ConsensusDOCS recently released a groundbreaking Building Information Modeling Addendum, which marks a significant step forward in utilizing BIM as a collaborative tool.

The ConsensusDOCS 301 BIM Addendum is the first and only industry standard document to globally address the legal uncertainties associated with utilizing BIM.

It provides all parties involved on a project with shared, up-to-date project data, subsequently allowing for a richer design process, increased budget control through predictions about the project’s construction process and fewer surprises with respect to potential design and scheduling conflicts among trades—long before ground is even broken.

“The BIM Addendum shows that there is actually less legal risk in moving from the 2-D world to the 3-D world,” said Richard Lowe of Duane Morris LLP, who chaired both the ConsensusDOCS BIM Taskforce and the AGC BIM Forum Legal subcommittee. “Introducing the ConsensusDOCS 301 BIM Addendum does much to allay these fears, by providing a balanced, fair and practical way for all in the industry to proceed with a project using BIM. Now, hesitating to act may actually pose a greater legal risk.”

ConsensusDOCS, an industry-wide collaboration of 22 leading construction associations, is dedicated to publishing best-practice contracts that allocate risk fairly among all parties. ConsensusDOCS published the construction industry’s first consensus standard contracts and forms on Sept. 28, 2007. The BIM Addendum is the first addition to the ConsensusDOCS’ comprehensive catalog of contracts and forms.

BIM promises a more streamlined, less expensive and less conflict-ridden process through early clash detection of designs that contain two items taking up the same space, virtual tours of a building not yet built, virtual code compliance-checking, and many simulations, including construction sequencing, energy use and security analyses. The BIM Addendum is expected to serve as a catalyst to accelerate the pace of acceptance of BIM in many sectors of the industry.

“The challenge in the design and construction process isn’t to expand our horizons, but to fix the seams,” said Terry Cook, president of the Construction Owners Association of America. “BIM is an important conduit for information to flow from concept through design, construction, operations and back to concept for the next project. I am delighted that ConsensusDOCS has issued a BIM addendum borne of this same collaborative process.”

The BIM Addendum was co-drafted with the AGC BIM Forum, a conglomeration of leaders throughout the A/E/C industry who have joined forces to facilitate and accelerate the adoption of BIM. The input of architects, engineers and academics through the BIM Forum were particularly important in creating an industry-wide consensus document.

Several groups and industry leaders not currently affiliated with ConsensusDOCS provided resources and feedback in the drafting process: American College of Construction Lawyers, American Institute of Steel Construction, The National Institute of Building Sciences and several individual members of the American Bar Association Forum on Construction.

For a complete list of the member organizations participating in ConsensusDOCS, go to www.ConsensusDOCS.org.