Why Is BIM No Longer Optional in Saudi Arabia?

TL;DR

BIM (Building Information Modeling) shifted from a competitive differentiator to a baseline requirement for any project of meaningful size in Saudi Arabia. Vision 2030 giga-projects — NEOM, the Red Sea Project, AMAALA, Diriyah Gate, Qiddiya — and the developers operating in their orbit (ROSHN, the National Housing Company, MEYDAN, Red Sea Global) now write ISO 19650-aligned BIM into tender documents as a precondition. Architecture, engineering, and construction firms that cannot demonstrate LOD 300+ modeling, federation strategy, BCF clash workflow, and COBie-ready asset data are screened out before commercial evaluation.

Definitions, in plain language

BIM (Building Information Modeling) is a model-based workflow for designing, constructing, and operating buildings and infrastructure. The model carries geometry, attributes, and relationships — not just shapes.

ISO 19650 is the international standard governing information management on BIM-enabled projects. It defines roles, processes, and the structure of the BIM Execution Plan (BEP).

LOD (Level of Development) is a five-tier scale (LOD 100 to LOD 500) describing how much information a model element carries.

COBie (Construction-Operations Building Information Exchange) is a structured spreadsheet format for handing over asset data from construction to facility management at project close.

BEP is the BIM Execution Plan: the document that governs how a project actually delivers BIM, authored before the contract (Pre-Contract BEP) and live during execution (Post-Contract BEP).

The conversations that prompted this article

Every week, OnePoint receives the same kinds of calls and emails from Saudi-based design and construction firms. The names of the projects change. The questions don’t.

“We’ve been asked to deliver LOD 400 on a tender we want to win. Our team uses Revit, but we’ve never delivered a federated model with COBie data. Can you help?”

“The drawings the client gave us are from 2008. They don’t match the building. We need a Scan to BIM model before we can even start the renovation design.”

“We’re a structural firm. The MEP consultant on this project doesn’t seem to know what ISO 19650 means, but the client put it in the EIR. What now?”

“Our junior architects love Revit. Our project managers think BIM is just 3D drawings. We have a problem.”

These conversations share one thing: the client is reacting to a market that has moved faster than their internal capability.

What has changed?

From differentiator to baseline

Until recently, listing “BIM capability” in a tender response was a way to score extra points against competitors. That era has ended for any project of consequence in the Saudi market. Procurement teams at NEOM, Red Sea Global, Diriyah Company, ROSHN, the National Housing Company, the Royal Commission for Riyadh City, the Ministry of Municipal, Rural Affairs and Housing (MoMRAH), and the major hospitality and infrastructure programs no longer ask whether bidders do BIM. They ask at what LOD, against which standard, with what federation strategy, and how the COBie data is structured.

Why has the shift become permanent?

Project complexity has outrun 2D management. Multi-tower mixed-use developments, hospitality clusters spread across kilometres of coastline, heritage renovations with hidden services — none of these can be coordinated on paper drawings. The federated model is no longer a deliverable; it is the only viable single source of truth.

Owners are buying certainty, not optimism. Saudi clients have learned, expensively, what happens when quantities are estimated on flat drawings and discovered on site. Model-driven QTO and 5D BIM are now in tender requirements precisely because owners want the conversation about scope, not about defending a number.

Operations and maintenance is the larger half of the project. Forward-looking owners have done the lifecycle math: design and construction is a small fraction of a building’s total cost; operations dominates. They want structured asset data — COBie — at handover so facility teams can actually use what was built.

What do Saudi tenders actually demand now?

What questions does OnePoint ask back?

1. What does your last federated model look like? A firm that has actually delivered federation work can show the model, the clash log, and the BEP. A firm that has not will describe Revit families instead.
2. Who in your team owns the BIM standard? A real BIM operation has a named individual — typically a BIM Manager — who owns the modeling standard, runs QA, and signs off federations.
3. How does your team handle disagreements between the model and the drawing? In a mature BIM operation, the model is the source of truth and drawings are extracted from it.

What does the typical capability gap look like?

Most firms have: licensed Revit and trained users; some completed projects modeled in 3D; confidence that “we do BIM”.

What is typically missing: documented modeling standards beyond Revit defaults; a federation strategy across disciplines; BCF-tracked clash workflow rather than email threads; asset data discipline (parameter sets, COBie attributes); BEP authorship as routine, not as emergency; ISO 19650 governance applied to live projects rather than referenced in marketing.

The gap is not software. It is process.

What should a firm do this quarter?

1. Run a capability audit against a real tender. Take a recent EIR. Compare each requirement against your team’s last delivered output.
2. Pilot one project with full BIM workflow end to end. BEP authored, federation cadence run, clashes BCF-tracked, COBie exported at handover.
3. Decide build versus partner. Building in-house is 12-18 months. Partnering is faster and produces artifacts your team can learn from.

How does OnePoint engage?

• Pre-tender support — We work alongside firms to prepare BIM elements of a tender response.
• Project delivery — Once awarded, we deliver modeling, coordination, and handover scope.
• Capability transfer — We deliver real projects in parallel with structured training.

See OnePoint’s six BIM service lines →

Frequently asked questions

Our team uses Revit. Doesn’t that mean we have BIM?

Drawing in Revit is a starting point, not BIM capability. BIM is the discipline around the model — federation, COBie attributes, ISO 19650 governance, BEP authoring.

How long does building in-house BIM capability typically take?

For a firm with technically strong engineers but no BIM workflow, allow twelve to eighteen months of consistent project exposure plus structured training.

Will BIM be required on smaller projects too?

The threshold has been dropping for several years. Government, healthcare, and infrastructure projects increasingly specify BIM regardless of contract size.

What does engagement with OnePoint typically look like?

A first call to understand the project, the deadline, and the gap. A scoping document. Then execution with a weekly review cadence.

What standards does OnePoint work to?

ISO 19650, with COBie-structured handover, BCF for clash management, and CDE governance via Autodesk Construction Cloud or BIM 360.

Key takeaways

• BIM in Saudi Arabia has moved from competitive edge to baseline requirement on any project of meaningful size.
• Tenders now expect LOD 300+ modeling, ISO 19650 federation, BCF clash workflow, COBie asset data, and a properly authored BEP.
• Most firms have Revit licenses but lack the surrounding process.
• The fastest path to capability is parallel delivery with a specialist partner.
• A capability audit, a pilot project, and a clear build-versus-partner decision are the three concrete steps.

Related reading

• LOD 100 to LOD 500: Choosing the Right Level for Your Project
• Scan to BIM: When the Drawings Don’t Exist (Or Lie)
• 4D and 5D BIM: Making Schedule and Cost Visible
• COBie and the Asset Data Question Most Owners Forget
• Choosing a BIM Partner: 7 Questions That Tell You What You’re Buying

OnePoint is a Saudi-registered BIM Solutions practice based in Riyadh, established in 2017. To discuss a project, request a quote or reach us at info@onepoint.com.sa or +966 58 244 0780.