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 Catapult said the collaboration forms part of the Digital Construction International Programme, which it delivers on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (BIST).

The aim, according to the Catapult, is to draw industry experts into 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."

The workshop

Last week 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. The announcement did not say where the workshop took place or how many people attended.

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, in particular ISO 19650.

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 worldwide need built assets that perform better, cost less to operate and produce fewer carbon emissions, and that the Catapult would work through the wider programme so that projects in the UK and overseas could benefit from the approach.

ISO 19650 revision

The Catapult said ISO 19650 is set to be updated next year to specify a more holistic approach. nima's own write-up of a joint BSI/nima webinar held on 24 February 2026 does not give a publication date; it says the 2018 editions remain in place until the revised standard is published.

Kemp is both nima chair and the ISO 19650 convenor, and gave an overview of the consultation process at that webinar. Standard author David Churcher said the revised ISO 19650 is now clearly focused on the whole life of assets, with the distinction between an asset's delivery phase and operational phase removed. The revision also proposes putting the emphasis on "information management" rather than "BIM" as a term.

nima says organisations have to share information continuously throughout the life of built and managed assets. The Catapult, for its part, defines BIM as information management for the construction and operation of the built environment, and cites a UK study finding between £6.90 and £7.40 in direct cost savings for every £1 invested in information management.

The programme

The Catapult describes the Digital Construction International Programme as advancing global infrastructure through adoption of digital construction techniques such as BIM. Its three stated objectives are to grow international public sector demand for digital construction methodologies, to increase public sector capacity to introduce, procure and use digital construction, and to connect UK agencies, bodies and exporters of digital construction solutions to overseas opportunities.

According to the Catapult, the programme has more than 45 partner countries across four geographic regions and has trained more than 2,200 public officials. Under the programme it has sought UK suppliers with BIM, information management and ISO 19650 expertise to support Türkiye's national BIM adoption programme, work it described as aimed at accelerating the digital transformation of Türkiye's infrastructure sector.

The programme also includes a Digital Construction Exports Group, which works with UK enterprises and SMEs interested in exporting. The Catapult reported the following participation in the group's events in 2025:

Participant type	Number
SMEs	27
UK consultancies	11
Industry bodies	5

BIST says it supports businesses to invest, innovate, export and grow, powered by science and technology. The Catapult, which describes itself as the UK's innovation accelerator for transport, construction and infrastructure, reports 56 trials and demonstrators delivered in the 2025-26 financial year and £698m in private investment raised since 2019 by SMEs it has supported.

Kemp 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 Catapult has invited those interested to register for updates from the Digital Construction International Programme.