Digital Practice Documents
AIA Digital Practice documents may be used for any projects involving digital data or Building Information Modeling. AIA Document C106 provides a licensing agreement for transmission of digital data when not included in the prime agreement. AIA Documents E201, E202, E401, and E402 are exhibits to an agreement that establishes the parties’ expectations for the use of digital data and building information modeling on the project and sets the process for developing detailed protocols governing the use of digital data and building information modeling. Once agreed to, the relevant protocols and procedures are set forth in AIA Document G203, BIM Execution Plan. The G203 BIM Execution Plan gives the parties the ability to subsequently agree upon Levels of Development for Model Elements using either G204 or G205 Model Element Tables.
C106-2022, Digital Data Licensing Agreement
C106-2022 is similar to C106-2013, with some minor modifications. AIA Document C106™–2022 serves as a licensing agreement between two parties who otherwise have no existing licensing agreement for the use and transmission of digital data, including instruments of service. AIA Document C106–2022 defines digital data as information, communications, drawings, or designs created or stored for a specific project in digital form. C106 allows one party to (1) grant another party a limited non-exclusive license to use digital data on a specific project, (2) set forth procedures for transmitting the digital data, and (3) place restrictions on the license granted. In addition, C106 allows the party transmitting digital data to collect a licensing fee for the recipient’s use of the digital data.
E201-2022, BIM Exhibit for Sharing Models with Project Participants, Where Model Versions May be Enumerated as a Contract Document
The E201-2022 is intended to be used when Models will be shared among all Project Participants, and some Model Versions will be enumerated as a Contract Document. With the evolving nature of the construction industry, it is reasonable to assume that Models, or – to be more precise, Model Versions – will be increasingly used in the same way that traditional 2D drawings are now: as Contract Documents. However, the decision of whether to permit a Model Version to be enumerated as a Contract Document is significant and has many consequences. Therefore, the new E201-2022 gives Project Participants the ability to explicitly permit or prohibit certain Model Versions to be enumerated as Contract Documents. As a result, since the same E201-2022 is attached to all of the contracts throughout the Project, all Project Participants are aligned in their understanding as to the extent of reliance on particular Model Versions. This unified understanding allows Model Authors to structure their modeling services and fees accordingly.
E202-2022, BIM Exhibit for Sharing Models with Project Participants, Where Model Versions May Not be Enumerated as a Contract Document
The E202-2022 is intended to be used when Models will be shared among all Project Participants, but E202-2022 does not permit Model Versions to be enumerated as a Contract Document. Many of the other terms of E202-2022 are similar to E201-2022.
E401-2022, BIM Exhibit for Sharing Model Solely Within the Design Team
Unlike E201-2022 and E202-2022, E401-2022 is intended to be used when Models will be shared solely within the Design Team, which is defined as “the Architect, its Consultants, Subconsultants, and Sub-subconsultants, at any tier.” In this regard, E401-2022 anticipates a more “siloed” approach to Modeling, where the Design Team creates and distributes Models within the Design Team only, and those Models are not intended to be shared with the Owner or any member of the Construction Team.
E402-2022, BIM Exhibit for Sharing Model Solely Within the Construction Team
Similar to the E401-2022, the E402-2022 anticipates a more “siloed” approach to Modeling. Specifically, the E402-2022 is intended to be used when Models will be shared solely within the Constuction Team, which is defined as “the Contractor, its Subcontractors, and Sub-subcontractors, including fabricators, at any tier.” When using the E402-2022, the Construction Team can share Models within the Construction Team only, and those Models are not intended to be shared with the Owner or any member of the Design Team.
G203-2022, BIM Execution Plan
BIM execution plans are, by their very nature, Project Specific. G203-2022 is intended to serve as a framework from which the Project Participants can create a Project-specific BIM Execution Plan. In this regard, G203-2022 contains multiple fill points and is intended to stimulate conversations and document decisions surrounding how the Project Participants will utilize BIM on their Project. All of the BIM exhibits contain language requiring the Parties to adhere to their BIM Execution Plan. Acting in a similar manner to a Project schedule, although the BIM Execution Plan is not intended to be a contract exhibit, Parties are contractually obligated to adhere to its terms.
G204-2022, Model Element Table (free)
AIA Document G204–2022, Model Element Table is not an agreement; rather, it is a project form used to document the LOD decisions once the project participants have agreed on them. Because the protocols are set forth in a form (and not part of the agreement), it is easier for project participants to revise the protocols as needed to evolve with the project’s needs.
G205-2022, Abbreviated Model Element Table (free)
AIA Document G205–2022, Abbreviated Model Element Table is not an agreement; rather, it is a project form used to document the LOD decisions once the project participants have agreed on them. Because the protocols are set forth in a form (and not part of the agreement), it is easier for project participants to revise the protocols as needed to evolve with the project’s needs.
2022 BIM Documents Guide (free)
The purpose of this guide is to explain and analyze the AIA Contract Documents’ 2022 Digital Practice Documents and, thereby, streamline the process of completing those documents.
NOTE: The 2013 documents have been replaced and are being retired.
C106–2013, Digital Data Licensing Agreement
AIA Document C106™–2013 serves as a licensing agreement between two parties who otherwise have no existing licensing agreement for the use and transmission of digital data, including instruments of service. AIA Document C106–2013 defines digital data as information, communications, drawings, or designs created or stored for a specific project in digital form. C106 allows one party to (1) grant another party a limited non-exclusive license to use digital data on a specific project, (2) set forth procedures for transmitting the digital data, and (3) place restrictions on the license granted. In addition, C106 allows the party transmitting digital data to collect a licensing fee for the recipient’s use of the digital data.E203–2013, Building Information Modeling and Digital Data Exhibit
AIA Document E203™–2013 is not a stand-alone document, but must be attached as an exhibit to an existing agreement, such as the AIA Document B101™–2007, Standard Form of Agreement Between Owner and Architect, or A101™–2007, Agreement Between Owner and Contractor. Its purpose is to establish the parties’ expectations for the use of digital data and building information modeling (BIM) on the project and provide a process for developing the detailed protocols and procedures that will govern the development, use, transmission and exchange of digital data and BIM on the project. Once agreed to, E203–2013 states that the relevant protocols and procedures will be set forth in AIA Documents G201™–2013, Project Digital Data Protocol Form and G202™–2013, Project Building Information Modeling Protocol Form. E203 does not create a separate license to use digital data because AIA documents for design or construction, to which E203 would be attached, already include those provisions. Parties not covered under such agreements should consider executing AIA Document C106™–2013, Digital Data Licensing Agreement.
G201–2013, Project Digital Data Protocol Form
AIA Document G201™–2013 is a form that is coordinated for use with AIA Document E203™–2013, Building Information Modeling and Digital Data Protocol Exhibit. Its purpose is to document the agreed upon protocols and procedures that will govern the transmission, use and exchange of digital data on a project, such as electronic project communications, submittals, contract documents and payment documents. G201–2013 is not designed to address Building Information Modeling protocols and procedures, which is the purpose of AIA Document G202™–2013, Project Building Information Modeling Protocol Form.
G202–2013, Project Building Information Modeling Protocol Form
AIA Document G202™–2013 is a form that is coordinated for use with AIA Document E203™–2013, Building Information Modeling and Digital Data Protocol Exhibit. Its purpose is to document the agreed upon protocols and procedures that will govern the development, transmission, use and exchange of building information models on a project. It establishes the requirements for model content at five levels of development, and the authorized uses of the model content at each level of development. Through a table completed for each project, AIA Document G202–2013 assigns authorship of each model element by project milestone. G202 defines the extent to which model users may rely on model content, clarifies model ownership, and sets forth building information modeling standards and file formats.