It takes many different professionals with a wide array of skills to design, assemble and occupy a building. No matter what their area of expertise, today’s building professionals are increasingly using building information modeling (BIM) in their work. That is why all sectors of the building industry need to be involved in the development of the National BIM Standard — United States™ (NBIMS-US™).

The National Institute of Building Sciences buildingSMART alliance™ is calling all building professionals to participate in the development process of NBIMS-US™ Version 3 and looking to every sector of the industry to submit ballots. Ballots can amend or revise current NBIMS-US™ content or they can address the latest technologies, processes and practices not yet included in the standard.

A BIM is a shared resource of knowledge about a facility that can be used to make decisions about the building throughout its life cycle, from the initial idea, to design and construction, through daily operations and eventual demolition. Because a BIM covers all aspects of the building process, everyone in the construction industry will be impacted as the use of BIMs becomes standard operation procedure. Therefore, it is important that representatives from every segment of the industry participate in development of the standard.

Since NBIMS Version 1- Part 1 was first released in 2007, the content of the standard has evolved, including information exchange standards for construction operations and product specifications. NBIMS-US™ V2 is a consensus-based standard and includes reference standards, information exchange standards (which are built upon the reference standards) and best practice guidelines to support users in their implementation of open BIM standards-based deliverables.

The Ballot Submission Period for NBIMS-US™ V3 begins June 3, 2013 and ends August 19, 2013. Individuals and organizations interested in getting involved can prepare by doing the following:

1. Skim over the list of the standards and guidelines NBIMS-US Version 2 references.
2. Review the language in NBIMS-US™ Version 2 (available at www.nationalbimstandard.org).
3. Join the buildingSMART alliance and become a member of the NBIMS-US Project Committee. (Only members can submit ballots and vote on changes to the standard.)
4. Communicate with any industry associations to coordinate efforts.
5. Update the Alliance about any association-related BIM activities.
6. Stay tuned for the next announcement, when the NBIMS-US Project Committee announces where members can download the ballot and supporting materials and start the process.

For more information about the National BIM Standard — United States™ and how to get involved in the Version 3 standards development process, visit www.nationalbimstandard.org/about.php.