Structuring general information specifications for contracts in accordance with the UNI 11337:2017 standard

Abstract

Information Specifications are an important tool that allows the Customer or the Commissioning Body to define both the general and the specific rules and strategic information requirements, as well as the general guidelines for the formulation of the Pre-Contract BIM Execution Plan, by the Competitors, and then of the Contract BIM Execution Plan, by the Contractor. In Italy, in public contracts, the commissioning bodies “can request for new works as well as for recovery or redevelopment interventions or variants, especially for complex jobs, the use of specific electronic methods and tools” (Legislative Decree No. 50/2016, article 23, paragraph 13) “such as modelling for building sector and infrastructures” (Legislative Decree No. 50/2016, article 23, paragraph 1, letter h). These tools use interoperable platforms by means of open, non-proprietary formats (IFC, XML; etc.), in order not to limit competition between technology suppliers and involve specific projects among designers. The use of electronic methods and tools can only be requested from commissioning bodies equipped with suitably trained personnel. The subsequent implementing decree (Infrastructure and Transport, Ministerial Decree No. 560 of 12/01/2017) reaffirms this possibility in article 5 and introduces in article 6 a progressive obligation from 1 January 2019 for complex works depending on the tender amount (starting from > = 100 ml€). From 1 January 2025, the obligation will be extended to all tender amounts. The stringency of such methods and tools depends on the extent of the contract, but some Commissioning Bodies are moving towards applying them voluntarily. For this reason, research activity was conducted to test the possibility of defining the structure of the Standard General Information Specifications, drafted according to the UNI 11337-5-6: 2017, valid for contracts for the Inter-regional Superintendency for Public Works in the Lombardy and Emilia Romagna regions of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport. Starting from the analysis of works-only contracts based on the traditional, non-digital (non-BIM) design and through the validation of a case study.