Pre-appointment BIM execution plan (BEP): contents and assessment

In tenders subject to the BIM requirement of Article 43 of Legislative Decree 36/2023, the pre-appointment BIM execution plan (oGI in Italian) is the document with which the contractor shows the contracting authority that it can manage the project's information. Many contractors treat it as an attachment to complete at the last minute, but it usually counts towards the assessment of the technical bid and, after the award, becomes the basis of the BIM execution plan (pGI in Italian).

Exchange information requirements and tender rules: where the request is set out

In the exchange information requirements, which are part of the tender documents, and in the tender rules, which set out the award criteria and the scores linked to information management. The requirements state what the contracting authority wants to obtain: model uses, level of development of the objects, formats, times and delivery rules. The pre-appointment plan answers these requirements one by one.

The first step is to read the requirements and the tender rules together and draw up the list of what the plan must demonstrate, with the scoring criteria alongside.

What a pre-appointment BIM execution plan contains

• The organisational structure: information management roles and responsibilities, with the people involved and their relationship with site management.
• The methodology: how the contractor produces, checks and updates the model at the various stages of the project.
• The common data environment (CDE): naming, status and revision rules, consistent with those of the requirements.
• Technological resources: software, exchange formats (native files and IFC) and model checking procedures.
• The delivery plan: timing and content of the deliveries, including the final delivery of the as-built model.
• Information risk management: what can slow down or block the flow of data, and how to prevent it.

How the pre-appointment plan is assessed in a tender

The committee assesses what is written in the criteria of the tender rules, which change from tender to tender. In general three things are examined: consistency with the exchange information requirements, concreteness of the proposal (verifiable roles, times and tools) and feasibility for the project. A generic text, valid for any contract, struggles to earn points.

Mistakes in the pre-appointment plan: where points are lost

Three situations recur:

• the plan copies a standard template, without referring to the model uses and the requirements;
• the people named do not match those who will then work on site;
• levels of detail, checks or deliveries are promised that the contractor's organisation cannot sustain.

In the first case the proposal does not match the requirements; in the other two it becomes a contractual commitment that is hard to honour.

From the pre-appointment plan to the BIM execution plan and the as-built model

After the award the pre-appointment plan becomes the BIM execution plan, which sets how and when the model will be delivered, as-built included. That is why it pays to write the plan with the end of the works already in mind: who updates the model, how often, with which documents, and how supplier data is collected while the components are being installed. These are the same choices that avoid reaching acceptance testing with an as-built model to rebuild.

Frequently asked questions on pre-appointment plans and BIM execution plans

Who writes the pre-appointment BIM execution plan?

The contractor taking part in the tender: the plan is submitted with the bid, so it is not written only by the successful bidder. After the award it becomes the basis of the BIM execution plan.

Is the pre-appointment BIM execution plan part of the technical bid?

It usually is: it counts towards the assessment of the technical bid. The documents of each tender, the exchange information requirements and the tender rules, establish whether it must be submitted, with what content and with what score.

Does the pre-appointment plan respond to every exchange information requirement?

Yes: the plan answers the exchange information requirements one by one, from model uses to formats, timing and delivery rules.

What is the difference between the pre-appointment plan and the BIM execution plan?

The pre-appointment plan comes first: it is the proposal submitted in the tender. The BIM execution plan is written by the successful bidder after the award, starting from the pre-appointment plan, and sets how and when the model will be delivered.

Who writes the exchange information requirements?

The contracting authority: in the exchange information requirements it states what it wants to obtain, and the document is part of the tender documents.

How we work

B1P Group supports contractors in the preparation of the pre-appointment plan: analysis of the exchange information requirements and award criteria, drafting of a bid compliant with UNI EN ISO 19650 and UNI 11337, consistency check before submission and, if the contract is awarded, drafting of the BIM execution plan. The goal is a proposal built on the project and on the contractor's real organisation.