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

Principal, small architectural practice

I know how to design a school. Public tenders with BIM rules? That part is new to me.
The principal, in their own words

The principal of a small architectural practice bids to lead the design team on a €14m public school extension, and builds only as much BIM capability as the work demands.

Practice
Architects, 4 to 20 staff
Client
Education and Training Board
Project
€14m school extension
BIM Mandate
Applies

Does this sound like your job?

Project CDE
Pre-appointment BEP readyAnswers each client requirement
Tender sent to the clientWaiting for the tender result

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

    Little public work, no shared rules

    Little public-sector work so far. Files are named and shared differently on each project, and few staff have BIM training.

  2. The tender has BIM requirements. Will you also take on the information role?

    Can a practice our size take that on?

    2 · What changed

    The school tender has BIM requirements

    Public projects over €5m now need BIM. The tender asks if the design team lead will also manage the information.

  3. Project won

    3 · The goal

    Win public work, within 12 months

    Win and deliver the school with proportionate effort, investing in training, tools and processes only as far as needed.

Seven steps, and who hands what to whom

You do the steps. The client issues the tender and accepts your work. The building services engineers feed in.

You getYou send

Rejected work comes back to step 6

You

Practice Principal

1

Check the rules apply

Confirm the BIM rules apply, read the client's requirements, decide to bid.

2

Audit your practice

Compare software, hardware and staff skills with ISO 19650. List the gaps.

3

Set your office rules

Agree file naming, checks and who does what. Make a reusable BEP template.

4

Cost your BIM plan

Price training, software and the extra information work. Partners approve.

5

Write the tender response

Answer each client requirement in a pre-appointment BEP, then submit it.

6

Check and share designs

Lead the design team. Check every file and clash before you share it.

7

Review and improve

Compare planned and actual hours. Update templates, fees and future bids.

You get the invitation to tender from the clientYou send your tender response and BEP to the client
You get your appointment from the clientYou get the engineers' input and delivery planYou send the design model to the client to accept
You get work sent back to amend, from the clientYou get the tender result and feedback from the client

Project Coordinator

Client side: the ETB

Issues the invitation to tender, receives your response
Appoints you as design team lead, receives the model
Accepts, or sends back to step 6, and gives feedback

Design Engineer

Building services firm

Sends its BEP input and delivery plan

Your choice after step 4: will you take on the design team's information role?

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

  • Yes, in-house, with a fair fee

    Good: you keep the whole information fee

    Watch: needs trained staff and dedicated hours

  • Yes, bringing in a specialist

    Good: adds specialist skills to your team

    Watch: their costs must stay within your fee

  • No, the client provides the role

    Good: no information role to staff

    Watch: you give up the extra fee and some control

Everyone on this school project

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

The client

The design team

The main contractor

The supply chain

Project CoordinatorAppoints you and accepts your work
Information ManagerSets the information rules
Practice PrincipalYou are here
Design EngineerBuilding services, in your team
CEO, main contractorBuilds the school extension
Mechanical InstallerFits the heating systems on site

Requirements flow this way

Records flow back this way

What success looks like

Within 12 months

  • You understand the BIM requirements in the tenders you target.
  • A costed plan covers the training, tools and processes the practice needs.
  • Your tender response includes a compliant pre-appointment BEP.
  • You have decided whether to take on the information role, and on what terms.
  • You win and deliver a public project with proportionate effort.

What you'll learn

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

  1. 1

    Judge the mandate and plan the bid

    Check if a tender triggers the BIM rules, weigh the client's needs and price the information work.

    240 minutes · Seminar or workshop · Steps 1 and 4

  2. 2

    Audit your practice and set office rules

    Audit software, hardware and skills, then set lean naming and checking rules for a small practice.

    300 minutes · Hands-on workshop · Steps 2 and 3

  3. 3

    Build the team and write the BEP

    Write a pre-appointment BEP that answers the tender, and set clear BIM scopes for sub-consultants.

    360 minutes · Practical workshop · Steps 4 and 5

  4. 4

    Check designs and learn from each project

    Check models and drawings before each release, and turn lessons into better templates and fees.

    300 minutes · Hands-on simulation · Steps 6 and 7

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 rules for Irish public building projects.
ISO 19650
The international standards for managing information on building projects, used in Ireland.
EIR
Exchange Information Requirements: what information the client wants, and when.
BEP
BIM Execution Plan: how your team will produce, check and share information. Written at tender.
Lead appointed party
The formal name for your practice here, as leader of the design team.
CDE
Common Data Environment: the project's shared online filing system.

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 seven 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-DD13NX0F · Issue 28/10/2026

Project CDE
Tender sent
Persona · Ireland, CWMF · 2-minute read

Principal, small architectural practice

I know how to design a school. Public tenders with BIM rules? That part is new to me.
The principal, in their own words

The principal of a small architectural practice bids to lead the design team on a public school extension, building only the BIM capability the work demands.

Practice
Architects, 4 to 20 staff
Client
Education and Training Board
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

    Little public work, no shared rules

    Little public work so far, file habits that vary by project, few staff trained in BIM.

  2. This tender needs BIM. Will you manage information?

    Can we take that on?

    2 · What changed

    The school tender has BIM requirements

    Projects over €5m now need BIM. Will the design team lead also manage the information?

  3. Project won

    3 · The goal

    Win public work, within 12 months

    Win and deliver the school, investing only as far as the work demands.

Seven steps, and who hands what to whom

You do the steps. The client issues the tender and accepts your work. The engineers feed in.

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

  1. 1

    Check the rules apply

    Confirm the BIM rules apply, read the client's requirements, decide to bid.

  2. 2

    Audit your practice

    Compare software, hardware and staff skills with ISO 19650. List the gaps.

  3. 3

    Set your office rules

    Agree file naming, checks and who does what. Make a reusable BEP template.

  4. 4

    Cost your BIM plan

    Price training, software and the extra information work. Partners approve.

  5. Your choice: will you take on the information role?

    Yes, in-house, with a fair fee

    Good: keep the fee. Watch: needs trained staff.

    Yes, bringing in a specialist

    Good: specialist skills. Watch: costs must fit.

    No, the client provides the role

    Good: nothing to staff. Watch: no extra fee.

  6. 5

    Write the tender response

    Answer each client requirement in a pre-appointment BEP, then submit it.

    You get the invitation to tender from the client

    You send your tender response and BEP to the client

  7. 6

    Check and share designs

    Lead the design team. Check every file and clash before you share it.

    You get your appointment from the client

    You get the engineers' input and delivery plan

    You send the design model to the client to accept

  8. 7

    Review and improve

    Compare planned and actual hours. Update templates, fees and future bids.

    You get work sent back to amend, from the client

    You get the tender result and feedback from the client

    Rejected work comes back to step 6

Everyone on this school project

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

What success looks like

Within 12 months

  • You understand the BIM requirements in the tenders you target.
  • A costed plan covers training, tools and processes.
  • Your tender includes a compliant pre-appointment BEP.
  • The information role is decided, terms included.
  • A public project is won and delivered, without overload.

What you'll learn

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

  1. 1

    Judge the mandate and plan the bid

    240 minutes · Seminar or workshop · Steps 1 and 4

  2. 2

    Audit your practice and set office rules

    300 minutes · Hands-on workshop · Steps 2 and 3

  3. 3

    Build the team and write the BEP

    360 minutes · Practical workshop · Steps 4 and 5

  4. 4

    Check designs and learn from each project

    300 minutes · Hands-on simulation · Steps 6 and 7

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: the rules for Irish public building projects.

ISO 19650

The international standards for managing building project information.

EIR

Exchange Information Requirements: what information the client wants, and when.

BEP

BIM Execution Plan: how your team will produce, check and share information.

Lead appointed party

The formal name for your practice here, as leader of the design team.

CDE

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

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
Read the Report Open the Infographic