u/eminentbimservices

I've been working in BIM coordination for a while and ISO 19650 comes up constantly — in tender documents, client briefs,

and job descriptions. But whenever I see it explained online it either reads like the standard itself (dense and clause-heavy) or

it's so simplified it loses the practical meaning.

Here's what I think matters most for working BIM teams:

● The EIR and BEP are not admin formalities — they're the information management contract for your project. If

they're not agreed before work starts, you'll spend the rest of the project arguing about naming conventions.

● The CDE has actual workflow states, not just folders. WIP, Shared, Published, Archived. Using them properly is

what prevents teams from clashing against out-of-date models.

● ISO 19650 doesn't specify which software to use. It specifies what outcomes are required. You can comply using

Autodesk Construction Cloud, BIM 360, Asite, or others — as long as the workflow states are respected.

● The standard applies to the whole team, not just the BIM manager. Architects, structural engineers, MEP consultants

all have delivery responsibilities defined in the MIDP.

● Level of Information Need (replacing what was called LOD in PAS 1192) needs to be defined per milestone — not

globally across the whole project.

I've seen projects where the BEP was a 40-page document nobody read after week two, and projects where a 12-page BEP

was genuinely followed and made coordination much smoother. The difference was whether the project lead treated it as a

reference document or a filing exercise.

Curious what others have experienced — do your projects actually follow the CDE workflow states, or is it more of a

checkbox requirement in the brief?

Working in BIM coordination for a while now and the LOD misunderstanding issue keeps appearing on projects — even

among experienced teams. Wanted to share a scenario and see if others have had similar experiences.

On a recent MEP coordination project, the design consultants delivered models they described as 'LOD 300 /

construction coordination ready.' When we ran the clash detection, the results were almost useless — because the

mechanical team hadn't modelled any duct supports or hangers, which are LOD 350 requirements. The structural team

hadn't modelled their connection plates either.

The consultant's position was that LOD 300 doesn't include supports. Technically correct. But nobody had

communicated that to the main contractor, who assumed the model was ready for coordination.

The actual breakdown I've been working from:

• LOD 100: Massing and approximate volume. No reliable geometry.

• LOD 200: Rough geometry and placement. Useful for layout but not coordination.

• LOD 300: Accurate size and location. Good for design documentation.

• LOD 350: Adds connections, interfaces, supports. This is when MEP clash detection becomes meaningful.

• LOD 400: Fabrication-level. Exact parts, connections, installation data.

• LOD 500: Field-verified as-built.

The issue isn't that people don't know what the definitions are — most BIM managers do. The issue is that LOD

requirements are often not written into contracts or BEPs clearly enough, and downstream teams make assumptions.

Has anyone developed a good way to communicate LOD requirements to non-BIM stakeholders — like project

managers or clients who just want to know 'is the model ready'? Would be interested in how different teams handle

this.

A lot of people still use BIM and 3D modeling as if they mean the same thing.

But I think there is an important difference.

3D modeling is primarily about representing the building digitally.

BIM goes further by connecting geometry with information, coordination, documentation and project workflows.

For example, a BIM model can contain architectural, structural and MEP information, quantities, specifications, equipment data and coordination information.

So where do you draw the line between 3D modeling and BIM?

Is a detailed Revit model automatically BIM, or does BIM require a properly defined information-management process?