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Public Sector Project Coordinator

Building the BIM Mandate into a public capital project

SP-5L4IJ3AG · Interim issue 2 · published on RPF

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Persona · Ireland, CWMF · Issue 28/10/2026 · 2-minute read

Public Sector Project Coordinator

I know public projects and tendering. What BIM asks of me as the client? That part is new.
The coordinator, in their own words

A project coordinator at an Education and Training Board, managing a €14m school extension, learns to build the BIM Mandate into planning, tenders, appointments and stage reviews.

Works for
Education and Training Board
Organisation
Public sector client
Project
€14m school extension
BIM Mandate
Applies

Does this sound like your job?

Project CDE
EIR added to the tenderShared with design teams
Stage information receivedRecommended for acceptance

New here? A persona is a short, realistic story about one person at work. Not a real person, but built from real jobs, projects and rules.

  1. A role
  2. A situation
  3. The steps they take
  4. What to learn and read

The story in three frames

What the job looked like, what changed, and where they need to get to.

  1. 1 · Before

    Projects and tenders, as usual

    You manage the project and run its tenders the usual way, with little in-house BIM know-how.

  2. At €14m, the design team and contractor appointments must carry BIM rules.

    What exactly do I ask for, and when?

    2 · What changed

    The project falls under the BIM Mandate

    As the client, you must set the information you need, put it in every tender, and check what comes back.

  3. Accepted

    3 · The goal

    Information accepted at every stage

    BIM is part of normal project management and tendering, and information is accepted at each stage to handover.

Eight steps, and who hands what to whom

You lead most steps, with the Information Manager. Design teams and the contractor send you their work.

You getYou send

Rejected work comes back to step 7

You

Project Coordinator

1

Check the BIM rules apply

Confirm the BIM rules cover both appointments, and record it in the plan.

2

Set the information needs

List the questions each decision needs answered, and what the school needs.

3

Approve information rules

Approve the standard, naming, protocol and CDE rules for every appointment.

4

Issue the design tender

Put the EIR and the information scoring criteria into the tender.

5

Receive tender responses

You receive each design team's BIM plan, capability and mobilisation plan.

6

Evaluate and appoint

Score the responses, report at the Project Review, appoint the teams.

7

Receive the information

At each stage and at handover, the design team lead submits its model.

8

Accept or reject

Accept or send it back, and report its status at each Project Review.

You get the draft rules from the Information Manager
You get the draft EIR from the Information ManagerYou send the tender and EIR to each design team lead
You get the BIM and mobilisation plans from design teams
You get the scores from the Information ManagerYou send the report to the Sanctioning Authority to approveYou get the BIM plan from the main contractor
You get the information model from the design team lead
You get a recommendation from the Information ManagerYou send any rejection to the design team leadYou get handover information from the contractor

Information Manager

Drafts and advises

Sends the draft standard, protocol and CDE rules
Sends the draft EIR and evaluation criteria
Scores the information responses
Recommends acceptance against the EIR

Design team lead

Tenders and delivers

Receives the invitation to tender with the EIR
Sends the pre-appointment BEP and plans
Submits the information model for acceptance
Receives any rejection, to amend and resubmit

Sanctioning Authority

Approves each gate

Reads your Project Review report, approves the gate
Is told the information status at each review

Main contractor

Tenders and hands over

Sends its pre-appointment BEP and mobilisation plan
Sends the handover information and asset data

Your choice after step 1: who will manage information for the client?

No single right answer. The Report compares the options in detail.

  • An in-house information manager

    Good: direct control, independent of the teams

    Watch: staff need the skills and the time

  • An independent consultant

    Good: specialist skills without straining staff

    Watch: extra procurement, cost and briefing

  • Hand it to the design team lead

    Good: less day-to-day work for your staff

    Watch: they would check their own work

  • In-house owner, bought-in support

    Good: you keep control, experts fill the gaps

    Watch: split the duties clearly between them

Everyone on this school project

Six personas share one made-up school project. Requirements flow down from the client; records flow back up.

What success looks like

At each stage, to handover

  • Information requirements are set before procurement and included in every tender.
  • How information management is resourced is decided and recorded, with the reasons.
  • Tenders are scored on information management, and competent teams are appointed.
  • Information roles and responsibilities are defined for each appointment.
  • Information is delivered, reviewed and accepted at each CWMF stage to handover.

What you'll learn

Five short learning briefs that match the steps. Suggestions to practise, not certificates.

  1. 1

    Confirm the mandate and set requirements

    Check whether the mandate applies, and write down what the project and the school need.

    240 minutes · Blended seminar · Steps 1 and 2

  2. 2

    Set the information standard and CDE rules

    Specify file naming, CDE workflows and the information protocol for public tenders.

    180 minutes · Hands-on · Step 3

  3. 3

    Write the tender EIR and judge BIM plans

    Put the EIR into the tender, set scoring criteria and assess tenderers' BIM plans.

    300 minutes · Case studies · Steps 4 to 6

  4. 4

    Check and accept stage information

    Check models and data against the EIR, then formally accept or reject them.

    210 minutes · Demonstrations · Steps 7 and 8

  5. 5

    Choose who manages information

    Compare the four ways to resource it, and keep acceptance with the client.

    180 minutes · Workshop · Step 1 decision

Keep these handy

Build Digital materials to keep open while you work.

Courses

Picked by Build Digital; they open on the provider's website.

Words you'll meet

The jargon on this project, in plain words.

BIM Dictionary
CWMF
Capital Works Management Framework: the stages, reviews and contracts for public building projects.
PIR and AIR
Project and Asset Information Requirements: what you need for decisions, and to run the school.
EIR
Exchange Information Requirements: what each team must deliver, how and when. It goes in the tender.
BIM execution plan
A team's plan for delivering the information you require. Called a BEP, or BIM plan, for short.
CDE
Common Data Environment: the project's shared online filing system.
Appointing party
The formal name for the client: here, the ETB you work for.

Want the full picture?

This overview is the first look. Open the detail when you are ready.

Scenario Report

The full story, the flow diagram and the key actions.

Read the Report

Infographic

All eight steps on one diagram; open any step for detail.

Open the Infographic

Full Scenario Record

A checklist for every step, the sources and evidence, and the full learning briefs.

Open the Full Record

Prepared with Roles, Profiles and Flows (RPF) by ChangeAgents AEC, part of the BIM Excellence Initiative (BIMei). This overview supports decisions; it does not by itself set a legal or contractual requirement.

Persona code SP-5L4IJ3AG · Issue 28/10/2026

Project CDE
EIR added to the tender
Persona · Ireland, CWMF · 2-minute read

Public Sector Project Coordinator

I know public projects and tendering. What BIM asks of me as the client? That part is new.
The coordinator, in their own words

A project coordinator at an Education and Training Board, managing a €14m school extension, learns to build the BIM Mandate into tenders and reviews.

Works for
Education and Training Board
Organisation
Public sector client
Project
€14m school extension
BIM Mandate
Applies

Does this sound like your job?

New here? What is a persona?

A short, realistic story about one person at work. Not a real person, but built from real jobs, projects and rules.

A roleA situationThe steps they takeWhat to learn and read

The story in three frames

Swipe to see what changed.

  1. 1 · Before

    Projects and tenders, as usual

    Projects and tenders run the usual way, with little in-house BIM know-how.

  2. Both appointments must carry BIM rules.

    What do I ask for?

    2 · What changed

    The project falls under the BIM Mandate

    Set the information you need, put it in every tender, check what comes back.

  3. Accepted

    3 · The goal

    Information accepted at every stage

    BIM is part of normal project work, and information is accepted at each stage.

Eight steps, and who hands what to whom

You lead most steps. The Information Manager helps; the design team and contractor deliver.

Lines marked You get and You send are what passes between you and the others.

  1. 1

    Check the BIM rules apply

    Confirm the BIM rules cover both appointments, and record it in the plan.

  2. Your choice: who manages the client's information?

    An in-house information manager

    Good: direct control. Watch: needs skills, time.

    An independent consultant

    Good: ready expertise. Watch: extra cost.

    Hand it to the design team lead

    Good: less work for you. Watch: checks its own work.

    In-house owner, bought-in support

    Good: control plus skills. Watch: clear split needed.

  3. 2

    Set the information needs

    List the questions each decision needs answered, and what the school needs.

  4. 3

    Approve information rules

    Approve the standard, naming, protocol and CDE rules for every appointment.

    You get the draft rules from the Information Manager

  5. 4

    Issue the design tender

    Put the EIR and the information scoring criteria into the tender.

    You get the draft EIR from the Information Manager

    You send the tender and EIR to each design team lead

  6. 5

    Receive tender responses

    You receive each design team's BIM plan, capability and mobilisation plan.

    You get the BIM and mobilisation plans from design teams

  7. 6

    Evaluate and appoint

    Score the responses, report at the Project Review, appoint the teams.

    You get the scores from the Information Manager

    You send the report to the Sanctioning Authority to approve

    You get the BIM plan from the main contractor

  8. 7

    Receive the information

    At each stage and at handover, the design team lead submits its model.

    You get the information model from the design team lead

  9. 8

    Accept or reject

    Accept or send it back, and report its status at each Project Review.

    You get a recommendation from the Information Manager

    You send any rejection to the design team lead

    You get handover information from the contractor

    Rejected work comes back to step 7

Everyone on this school project

Requirements flow down from the client; records flow back up.

What success looks like

At each stage, to handover

  • Information requirements are in every tender.
  • The resourcing choice is recorded, with reasons.
  • Tenders are scored and competent teams appointed.
  • Each appointment has defined information roles.
  • Information is accepted at each stage to handover.

What you'll learn

Five short learning briefs. Suggestions to practise, not certificates.

  1. 1

    Confirm the mandate and set requirements

    240 minutes · Blended seminar · Steps 1 and 2

  2. 2

    Set the information standard and CDE rules

    180 minutes · Hands-on · Step 3

  3. 3

    Write the tender EIR and judge BIM plans

    300 minutes · Case studies · Steps 4 to 6

  4. 4

    Check and accept stage information

    210 minutes · Demonstrations · Steps 7 and 8

  5. 5

    Choose who manages information

    180 minutes · Workshop · Step 1 decision

Keep these handy

Build Digital materials to keep open while you work.

Courses

Picked by Build Digital; they open on the provider's website.

Words you'll meet

BIM Dictionary
CWMF

Capital Works Management Framework: stages and contracts for public projects.

PIR and AIR

What you need for project decisions, and to run the school.

EIR

Exchange Information Requirements: what each team must deliver, and when.

BIM execution plan

A team's plan for delivering the information you require (BEP).

CDE

Common Data Environment: the project's shared online filing system.

Appointing party

The formal name for the client: here, the ETB you work for.

Want the full picture?

Full Scenario Record

A checklist for every step, the sources and evidence, and the full learning briefs.

Open the Full Record

Prepared with Roles, Profiles and Flows (RPF) by ChangeAgents AEC, part of the BIM Excellence Initiative (BIMei). This overview supports decisions; it does not by itself set a legal or contractual requirement.

Persona code SP-5L4IJ3AG · Issue 28/10/2026