On 12 December 2019, the Ministry of Economics (ME) and SJSC “State Real Estate” (SRE) presented a Roadmap for the implementation of Construction Information Modelling (CIM) and guidelines developed by SRE for the application of CIM in public procurements.
The construction sector plays a significant role in economic growth in Latvia, and it is therefore important to constantly increase the efficiency and competitiveness of companies of the construction industry both domestically and internationally. ME believes that the development of the construction sector should actively take advantage of the opportunities provided by digitisation.
“Raising productivity is a vital precondition for growth throughout the national economy, including in the construction sector, particularly in competition on export markets. CIM has a new opportunity given to the construction industry by today’s digital era. Its use will significantly increase the quality and productivity of construction, reduce the time of construction and reduce the cost of the entire construction cycle, as it will allow those involved in construction to make more efficient use of available resources, both human resources and financial resources. The Ministry of Economics is therefore working together with industry representatives on measures for coordinated introduction of CIM in daily operations of the construction sector,” emphasises the Minister of Economics Ralfs Nemiro.
“If we want to create a modern, transparent and cost-efficient construction process, CIM is a necessity, not a whim,” the Minister of Economics says.
Taking the next step in the digitisation of the construction industry, ME, in cooperation with other state institutions and capital companies, representatives of the construction sector, educational institutions and representatives of those who order construction jointly developed a Roadmap for the introduction of CIM in Latvia. The Roadmap lays down main action lines necessary for successful implementation of CIM in the construction sector – development of standards, guidelines and regulatory requirements to increase competence of new and existing construction specialists in work with digital tools, identification and demonstration of examples and good practices. The CIM Roadmap provides that CIM will need to be introduced into certain public construction procurements by 2025.
More than 20 non-governmental organisations, education and state institutions have expressed their support to the measures included in the CIM Roadmap, thereby pledging to cooperate together and implement CIM throughout Latvia.
During the event, SRE presented guidelines developed by the company for the application of CIM in public procurement in the assessment of the eligibility of tenderers and the main conditions for achieving a successful outcome.
“The more orderly the construction environment in Latvia will be, including the cooperation between the contracting authority and the contractor, the more productive and competitive our builders will be at international level,” – says Member of the Board of SRE Jānis Ivanovskis-Pigits.
“BIM improves mutual cooperation between all parties involved in construction, allows convenient and rapid access to all current construction information, including virtual plans and 3D models. This increases efficiency and reduces costs not only in the construction process itself but in the entire life cycle of the structure. The CIM helps to cope with challenges such as designing errors, unforeseen risks, increase in costs, errors during construction works and excessively high management costs. The contracting authority must be competent enough to ensure quality control and to be able to define clear and comprehensible requirements. “As the largest contracting authority in the country, we are aware of our role in the development of the sector, so we are prepared to share our experience, as well as with the documentation on CIM requirements with other contracting authorities in the country,” continues Jānis Ivanovskis-Pigits.