AGC’s BIM management certificate an industry firs

In a move that could be emulated in Canada down the road, the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) has introduced a Certificate of Management-Building Information Modeling (CM-BIM) program.

The initiative is said to be the construction industry’s “first and only” BIM certificate program that teaches the practical application of the building information modeling process for commercial construction firms.

“Not just a tech certificate for BIM software and applications, the CM-BIM program combines the latest information on BIM processes and technologies, step-by-step procedures for integrating BIM into the project delivery process, real-life case studies of successful BIM implementations, and the practical issues all parties need to understand when utilizing BIM on a construction project,” AGC says.

The program came up for discussion at a meeting in Ottawa in late August of the North American Construction Federation, a group comprised of senior elected officers of the AGC, the Canadian Construction Association (CCA) and the Mexican Chamber of the Construction Industry.

In an interview later, CCA president Michael Atkinson said the Institute for BIM in Canada, which the CCA helped found, is aware of this program “and I believe will eventually look at establishing something similar in Canada.”

The Certificate of Management-BIM was introduced last fall by the AGC, which represents 30,000 companies across the United States. The highly interactive program provides 40 hours of instruction and training.

Candidates must first successfully complete the association’s four BIM courses. These are: an introduction to BIM; BIM technology; BIM contract negotiation and risk allocation; and BIM process, adoption and integration.

AGC began offering these courses in the spring of 2009, designed to be delivered locally at AGC chapters, individual construction firms and educational institutions.

Stephanie Mullins Adamec, the AGC’s director, education advancement, said the educational program was developed in response to feedback the association received from across the industry about the need to establish a common nomenclature and processes related to BIM.

AGC’s program was developed to be software-neutral, and to instead focus on the process of implementing these practices, she said.

To date, nearly 200 individuals have earned the CM-BIM designation. More than 2,300 individuals have entered the program.

“Many already have jobs in which they are filling a building information modeling role,” Adamec said. “We see a variety of titles, from company executives to engineers, estimators, and project managers.”

Currently, there are 17 approved testing centres across the U.S., primarily AGC chapters.