Contractual Risks of Building Information Modeling: Toward a Standardized Legal Framework for Design-Bid-Build Projects
Publication: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 145, Issue 4
Abstract
Building information modeling (BIM) is an encouraging development in the architecture, engineering, construction, and operations (AECO) industry due to its data-rich digital representation of building components. Although BIM is technically mature, its legal and contractual systems are yet to be standardized. Motivated by this need, the current study has developed a framework for legal and contractual risks within BIM. In this study, 14 significant risks were identified from 10 published taxonomies, and five standard and three custom BIM contracts were reviewed to assess their coverage and check their redressal strategies. On the basis of the triangulation of information gathered from published contracts, expert opinion, and custom manuscripts, mitigation strategies for the legal risks were proposed and formalized into a contractual framework designed for a design-bid-build delivery system. This study contributes to the body of knowledge and practice by helping the AECO community understand the current level of legal and contractual maturity of BIM, and by stimulating the technological and legal fraternities to sufficiently deliberate the contractual uncertainties in order to facilitate the uptake of BIM in the AECO industry.
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Data Availability Statement
All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in the published paper. Information about the Journal’s data-sharing policy can be found here: http://ascelibrary.org/doi/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0001263.
Acknowledgments
The authors extend their special gratitude to all the industrial practitioners who responded to the survey and contributed their valuable input in the proposed framework. Also, we thank the editor and reviewers who provided constructive feedback that helped improve the contents of this paper.
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Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 145 • Issue 4 • April 2019
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©2019 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Mar 7, 2018
Accepted: Sep 6, 2018
Published online: Jan 28, 2019
Published in print: Apr 1, 2019
Discussion open until: Jun 28, 2019
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