Building Information Modelling (BIM) when used in conjunction with a
collaborative procurement method promises to overcome many of the redundancies and
inefficiencies commonly associated with the construction industry. Despite the promise
of increased stakeholder integration and seamless transition of project information, the
reality of BIM deployment has thus far been disappointing. Whilst the issues of
technological and system compatibility, costs and skill levels are partially responsible,
it is frequently noted that existing contractual structures and emerging legal issues also
act as barriers to implementation. It remains highly likely that the various standard
forms of contract associated with the main construction procurement methods will
continue to be used for the foreseeable future, therefore, it is desirable to identify and
understand the ways in which conventional contract conditions have the potential to
prove inappropriate or counterproductive in a BIM-enabled project environment. This
chapter provides a review of the legal barriers and develops a conceptual model for
analysing a contract’s ability to integrate BIM into the procurement process. The
conceptual model is tested on a standard construction contract (GC21) to test its
validity.
Keywords: BIM, Contracts, Legal risks, Procurement, Qualitative content
analysis.
