Coulter BIM Information Management

Quick Highlights

ISO 19650-6 published — enhancing the golden thread for health and safety compliance.

Ireland’s BIM mandate now includes contractors and supply chain, with lower thresholds.

Autodesk Construction Cloud launched over 50 updates across its platform.

ISO 19650-6 Released – Reinforcing the Golden Thread

The new ISO 19650-6:2025 was published early in 2025, offering a fresh international framework for structuring and sharing health and safety information throughout a built asset’s lifecycle. As the final part of the ISO 19650 series, this fills a pivotal gap by aligning digital information management with the Building Safety Act’s golden thread concept — a continuous, reliable record of safety-related data from design through demolition. The standard frames structured collaboration on risk, incidents, and mitigations, applicable whether BIM is used or not, making it truly inclusive and robust.

One of the most significant advances is that ISO 19650-6 is not just a technical layering of data; it sets out how safety information should be communicated consistently and transparently across teams. Nick Nisbet, the standard’s author and vice-chair of buildingSMART UK & Ireland, emphasises that this is about “a standard approach to health and safety information… ensuring it isn’t lost or overlooked.”

With its structure rooted in the wider ISO 19650 process, it bridges digital workflows with traditional risk registers required under CDM regulations, using tools like Uniclass RK for classification. The result is a safer, smoother handover of risk data, ideally suited for high-risk buildings where the golden thread is a legal necessity.

Why this matters for BIM Information Management

Golden Thread strengthened: ISO 19650-6 brings health and safety data into the mainstream of your information deliverables — no more siloed PDFs or fragmented risk registers.

Inclusive approach: The standard works both with and without BIM, offering flexibility to organisations not yet fully digital.

Process integration: Aligns with ISO 19650-2 and -3 workflows while emphasising structured, accessible risk communication.

Cultural shift: Encourages collaboration across roles — design, contractor, client — on safety data, which is essential for higher-risk buildings.

Practical takeaway: Review and update your BEP and EIR today to reference ISO 19650-6 requirements. Make sure risk registers, safety classifications, and incident logs are delivered as structured information — not buried in static documents — to ensure compliance and foster safer project outcomes.

Ireland’s BIM Mandate Expands — More in Scope, Lower Thresholds

Ireland continues to ramp up its BIM mandate under the Capital Works Management Framework. From the start of 2025, BIM requirements now apply not just to design teams but also to contractors and the wider supply chain on public works contracts over €20 million. Earlier this summer, the threshold for design teams was lowered to include projects over €20 million. In just one year, this will drop again, with all projects above €10 million expected to fall under the scope of the mandate.

This shift reflects a clear strategy: BIM is becoming a baseline requirement across the Irish public sector, not an optional enhancement. A Build Digital survey shows around 80% of respondents are using digital tools for capture and design, with widespread adoption of CDEs and growing use of openBIM practices. However, formal training remains low, which could limit the mandate’s effectiveness.

Why this matters for BIM Information Management

Scope of compliance grows: Contractors and suppliers must now meet BIM obligations, meaning compliance moves further down the delivery chain.

Lower thresholds = greater reach: By targeting €20 million and soon €10 million+ projects, the mandate now covers mid-tier public works, not just flagship schemes.

Setup for full adoption: The steady phase-down plan shows clear intent: by 2028, BIM will be mandatory across all public sector projects regardless of value.

Practical takeaway: If you work on Irish public sector projects, update your EIRs, BEPs, and procurement templates to include BIM expectations for contractors and suppliers. Begin implementing audit-ready CDE workflows, and if training hasn’t caught up yet, now is a good moment to secure resources for digital upskilling across your team.

Autodesk Construction Cloud: Major Product Rollout

Autodesk has announced one of its largest update cycles to date, with more than 50 new features and enhancements rolled out across the Construction Cloud platform. These updates span Build, BIM Collaborate, Takeoff, and Docs, touching everything from collaboration features to improved specification tools.

For information managers, the most notable changes are in areas linked to collaboration and model coordination. Autodesk has put more emphasis on interoperability, refining workflows between design authoring tools and ACC’s central model review environment. The updates also touch on specification management and tighter integration of assets, signalling Autodesk’s ongoing push to make ACC the hub of project data across the lifecycle.

While some of these updates might seem like incremental software tweaks, collectively they point towards a bigger picture: Autodesk is positioning ACC not just as a coordination tool, but as the digital backbone of projects from early design through to operations.

Why this matters for BIM Information Management

Centralised platform: Updates reinforce ACC’s role as the main Common Data Environment for project teams, bringing more workflows under one roof.

Stronger collaboration: Refinements to model review and specification tools aim to reduce friction in multidisciplinary coordination.

Lifecycle perspective: Autodesk is clearly promoting ACC as a full-lifecycle solution, aligning with industry trends towards digital twins and asset information management.

Practical takeaway: Information managers should review these updates and assess whether training materials, BEP appendices, and office standards need revising. Even small enhancements in ACC can change how deliverables are prepared, so aligning your processes early will help teams avoid confusion later in the project.