Connected Places Catapult appoints nima to support industry engagement on 'digital whole life' data

Connected Places Catapult has appointed information management body nima to support industry engagement on 'digital whole life', the management of data about a built asset from planning through to renewal.

The work sits within the Digital Construction International Programme (DCIP), which the Catapult delivers on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (BIST), according to the announcement.

The Catapult said the aim is to involve experts from across the industry in developing the digital whole life concept and to produce resources that help individuals and organisations make better decisions across the lifecycle of buildings and infrastructure.

Anne Kemp OBE, Chair of nima, said: "Information management means agreeing what information people need, taking responsibility for its quality and making it available in a form they can use."

She said the collaboration would build on nima's existing work and communities to form a community of experts to develop and mature whole life thinking.

The programme

The Catapult said the programme is focused on building on the UK supply chain's existing strengths in delivering projects with Building Information Modelling (BIM) to standards developed in the UK, most notably ISO 19650. The announcement said the standard is set to be updated next year to specify a more holistic approach.

In the week before the announcement, nima and the Catapult held a workshop of clients, consultants, standards leads and educators to consider how the UK defines, governs and scales adoption of digital whole life capabilities.

Geoff Stevens, Director of Built Environment at Connected Places Catapult, said: "Working with nima gives us an opportunity to take the next step by bringing industry expertise together around a whole-life approach to asset data."

He said construction clients around the world need built assets that perform better, cost less to operate and produce fewer carbon emissions.

Export focus

DCIP promotes the adoption of digital construction techniques such as BIM aligned with international standards, and offers advisory and technical assistance on information management aligned to ISO 19650, according to the Catapult's programme page. The Catapult says the programme has more than 45 partner countries across four geographic regions and works alongside the Digital Construction Exports Group, which works with UK enterprises and SMEs.

The same page cites a reduction in unbudgeted change of up to 40% as a reported benefit of BIM, and a UK estimate that information management for infrastructure owners can secure between £6.90 and £7.40 in direct cost savings for every £1 invested.

In June 2026 the Catapult announced a UK–Canada digital construction collaboration under the programme, at that point described as delivered for the Department for Business and Trade. GOV.UK's machinery of government fact sheet, published on 22 July 2026, said that department would be renamed the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade.

nima's background

nima was set up as the UK BIM Alliance in 2016 to help make BIM business as usual, according to its own history. It led the creation of the UK BIM Framework in 2019 with the British Standards Institution and the Centre for Digital Built Britain, and changed its name to nima in October 2022.

In November 2024 it launched the Information Management Initiative (IMI), under which the UK BIM Framework became the IMI Framework. nima says the initiative is supported by the Construction Leadership Council and endorsed by the IM4Public Sector and BIM4Rail groups.

ISO 19650 revision

At a BSI and nima webinar, standard author David Churcher said the revised ISO 19650 is now clearly focused on the whole life of assets.

nima reported in February 2026 that draft revisions of ISO 19650 parts 1 and 2 were due to open for comment from 10 March 2026.