Before you bid.
Know the BIM work.

“BIM required” is not enough information to price the work. Which trade? Which deliverable? What starting information? Who checks it, and what does the price need to include?

We looked at public Canadian procurement documents to make those questions concrete. These are selected examples, not a universal Canadian BIM specification or a list of currently open bids. The trade takeaways are BIMTA commentary.

01 / Do not assume every discipline has the same requirement.

In the NCC Building Adaptation Project, Addendum 3 clarified that architectural BIM was required. Structural and mechanical BIM were desirable but not mandatory; electrical, civil and landscape BIM were not required. The supplied model omitted several disciplines, and mechanical and electrical record drawings were unavailable. [1]

For the trade: establish what information actually exists and who must verify or create what is missing. This was a consultant procurement. Read your own subcontract and incorporated requirements before assuming the same allocation applies to you.

02 / The rate may already need to cover the technology.

The NCC’s revised price form listed computers, BIM software, training and overhead among the costs to include in fixed fees and all-inclusive hourly rates. It also stated that conditions or qualifications placed on the proposal would make it non-responsive. [2]

For the trade: calculate your costs internally, then follow the required pricing format. Do not assume you can add exclusions or charge technology separately. Check whether qualifications are allowed. Raise uncertainty through the permitted question process before closing.

03 / Model production is only part of delivery.

Metrolinx’s June 2025 requirements call for a BIM Execution Plan, validation evidence, scheduled quality checks and monthly model-integrity reporting. They also address software versions, file exchanges, coordinates and hardware. The exact obligation depends on the project documents. [3]

For the trade: price setup, meetings, checking, reporting, corrections and handover alongside modelling. A model file and an accepted information package are not the same deliverable.

04 / Read the attachments and addenda.

Burnaby Hospital’s Phase 1 procurement archive lists a BIM appendix and separate attachments for naming conventions, asset categories, room requirements, asset hierarchies and electrical labelling. Its RFP closed in March 2021. We verified the listing, not the full contents of the BIM appendix. [4]

For the trade: make a document register. Find every referenced requirement, record the revision and resolve conflicts through the designated process. A short clause can refer to a substantial package.

The trade position: define the work before transferring the cost.

BIMTA EDITORIAL POSITION

Trades bring knowledge of materials, fabrication, access, sequencing and installation. BIM requirements should make that expertise more useful. They should also make the effort of providing it visible.

• Required information deserves a defined use. Name who needs it, what they will do with it and how they will accept it. If the purpose is unclear, seek clarification before committing the allowance.
• A deliverable needs a priceable scope. Define the included systems, data, exchanges, review rounds and responsibilities. A broad detail label does not settle every fabrication or handover expectation.
• Responsibility must match the appointment. Clarify who designs, who details, who coordinates and who authorises fabrication. Do not assume a coordinated model transfers engineering responsibility or releases the shop to build.
• Late changes need a full impact review. An altered route, dimension or data requirement can affect other trades, checked drawings, spools, purchasing and installation. Record the affected outputs, repeated checks and time implications through the agreed change process.
• The producer should understand the benefit and commercial basis. If another party needs additional information, make the trade’s production and checking effort visible when scope is agreed. Who benefits, who pays and what is included should be clear.
• Automation and prefab should improve trade delivery. Measure the whole workflow, including setup, model checking, shop preparation and field use. A successful demonstration is not enough if it moves unpriced work onto the trade.

The corresponding trade responsibility: deliver the agreed scope, maintain usable information, check your own work and distinguish corrections from changed requirements. These positions advocate clear agreements; they do not establish an automatic right to additional payment or override bid instructions.

Ask these questions before committing a price.

1. Which systems and elements must our trade model, and for what use?
2. What backgrounds will we receive, in which revision, and who verifies existing conditions?
3. Which geometry, data, formats and software versions are required?
4. How often must we attend meetings, exchange models, resolve issues and resubmit?
5. Who checks and accepts the work? Who separately authorises fabrication?
6. What record information and asset data must we deliver at handover?
7. Which licences, hardware, support and storage costs must our price include?
8. What is the permitted process for bid clarification and later scope changes?

Turn the answers into a scope-and-cost record. Check mandatory submission requirements as carefully as technical requirements. Do not alter a prescribed form or attach qualifications without confirming that the solicitation permits it.

The trade should benefit from the model.

When modelling supports automation and prefabrication, the results should benefit the trades producing and installing the work. Look for less repeated detailing, usable fabrication outputs, fewer errors and smoother installation. Measure those outcomes against modelling, setup, checking and correction effort.

Confirm the actual products, tolerances and receiving machinery or software. Coordination acceptance does not automatically authorise fabrication. These are intended benefits and checks, not measured savings claimed for the projects above.

A question for the trade community

Which BIM requirement do you most often have to clarify before you can price the work?

Join the BIM Trade Forum →

Keep examples general. Do not post confidential bid documents, project details or identifying information about clients, employers or employees.

Source desk

Sources reviewed 18 October 2026. These public documents demonstrate requirements or procurement procedures, not independent proof of savings. This issue does not review every amendment or replace your commercial team’s review of the complete bid package.

1. NCC Building Adaptation Project, Addendum 3 ↗

   NCC-DC-038736-RFP, 7 November 2025. Sections 5(b) and 5(d): available backgrounds and discipline-specific BIM requirements. Historical procurement document.

2. NCC revised Price Proposal Form ↗

   Appendix C, revision 1, instructions 5 and 7: qualifications and included costs. Read with the complete solicitation and subsequent addenda.

3. Metrolinx Exchange Information Requirements ↗

   MX-ALM-GDC-003, revision 00, June 2025, sections 6.1, 6.5 and 8. Published owner baseline, not a notice of an open bid.

4. Burnaby Hospital Redevelopment, Phase 1 ↗

   Infrastructure BC procurement archive. RFP closed March 2021. Attachment listing verified; the main BIM appendix was not accessible for clause-level review.

5. Government of Canada: bidding on opportunities ↗

   Official guidance on solicitation review, evaluation and written questions through the contracting authority.

6. CanadaBuys: request for information ↗

   Procurement RFI purpose and distinction from a solicitation or commitment to contract.