ABAB Meeting: Information as Infrastructure
For a more productive built environment

At its 3 September 2026 meeting in Canberra, the Australasian BIM Advisory Board (ABAB) reflected on an important shift gaining pace across the sector. Andrew Curthoys (Chair) remarked, “…the focus is towards how trusted information can improve productivity, support better decisions, strengthen asset outcomes, and deliver measurable value across the built environment lifecycle.” Discussions throughout the meeting highlighted that, while the past decade has largely been focused on digitisation, the next decade will be defined by how effectively organisations utilise the value of the information they create.

ABAB received updates on the National Construction Strategy, procurement reform, digital policy implementation, and infrastructure delivery. Members recognised that the sector is entering a new phase of digital maturity. Considerable investment has been made in developing digital capability, establishing standards, and promoting adoption. Future success, however, will increasingly be measured by improvements in productivity, project performance, and long- term asset outcomes.

Members outlined that through workforce development, procurement reform, modern methods of construction and digital policy implementation, the conversation is increasingly shifting from technology adoption towards benefit realisation and practical outcomes.

Rather than focusing solely on technology adoption, members repeatedly returned to a common challenge: demonstrating value. The proposed BIM Value Tool 2.0 initiative, developed in partnership with the Sustainable Built Environment National Research Centre (SBEnrc), attracted strong interest as a practical mechanism for helping organisations
understand, communicate and realise the benefits of digital engineering investments. Similarly, updates on the ABAB Industry Collaboration Group’s Construction-to-Operations Data Transition project reinforced the importance of ensuring information remains usable, accessible, and valuable long after project completion.

The new strategic challenge: Trusted digital information
Trusted digital information is emerging as a foundational capability that underpins the performance of the broader built environment system.

A presentation from the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) highlighted this shift to modernise the National Construction Code content and explore future machine-readable and digitally consumable regulatory information. Board Members discussed the opportunities associated with digital compliance pathways, automated code checking and greater interoperability across systems, while recognising that such capabilities ultimately depend upon robust information foundations.

The Board also discussed the opportunities and challenges associated with artificial intelligence (AI). Members recognised the significant potential of AI to support analysis, automation and decision-making, while also noting the importance of governance, information

quality, assurance, and critical thinking. As digital capabilities continue to mature, confidence in outcomes will depend increasingly on the quality and reliability of the data.

The discussion reinforced ABAB’s longstanding position that digital transformation is fundamentally an information challenge, with trusted data representing a critical foundation for future innovation.

National consistency remains critical
South Australia’s introduction of BIM capability requirements, through its construction prequalification arrangements, generated significant interest. Members identified opportunities to learn from this initiative and to continue exploring approaches that reduce duplication, provide greater certainty for industry, and support more consistent capability development across jurisdictions. The Board reaffirmed the importance of collaboration in helping governments and industry move towards more aligned digital practices and expectations.

This same principle underpinned discussions on the draft Australasian Strategic BIM Framework, which members supported. The Framework is intended to provide a shared strategic direction for digital transformation while recognising that individual jurisdictions will continue to progress at different rates and through different implementation pathways.