BIM: The GSA Story

The story of building information modeling (BIM) at GSA has been both an extraordinary story of aligning business needs with technology, as well as a case study in how to combine social, business and technology efforts in an effective organizational transformation. Four purposes of this article are to:
1. Provide a brief chronology of how BIM was introduced and adopted at the U.S. General Services Administration’s (GSA) Public Buildings Service (PBS).
2. Illustrate “The GSA BIM Story” with examples of successes, emphasizing that although efforts have been underway for six years, the BIM initiative is just beginning to bear the fruit of its labors.
3. There is a considerable way to go to achieve the promise of BIM in an owner organization as large and complex as GSA.
4. Provide a summary roadmap for other owner organizations considering the adoption of BIM.