Information Management Initiative (IMI) expands – an update from nima
Since its November 2024 launch, the Information Management Initiative (IMI) – led by the Construction Leadership Council with support from nima – has gathered support from a wide range of organisations. Founding sponsors and signatories include professional institutions, trade associations, technology providers, contractors and consultants.
New IMI signatories
The IMI was heavily promoted by nima during the recent Digital Construction Week trade show in London (4-5 June 2025). As a result, the IMI backers now include consultants Arcadis UK and Rider Levett Bucknall, among others, joining initial supporters including AtkinsRealis and BSI. Other signatories from DCW include the Ruxton Group and BIM Karela.
A Ruxton Group spokesperson said:
“We’re really excited to be part of the IMI. It feels like the beginning of something powerful – not just for us, but for the whole sector. We can’t wait to see what comes next and looking forward to staying connected to a wider community.”
For BIM Karela, UK BIM director Karolina Juste said:
“At BIM Karela, we believe every company should align with the core principles of the Information Management Initiative. By joining nima and supporting the Information Management Initiative (IMI), we’re not just showing our commitment, we’re embedding these principles into our company mandate. Consistent practices lead to better decisions and real industry transformation.”
The CLC and nima would, however, like to see further C-suite backing for the IMI from across industry (become a signatory). The initiative is aiming to build sector-transforming capabilities in applying emerging digital technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), the internet of things (IoT) and ‘digital twins’. The need to expand and apply the latest digital capabilities was highlighted in the UK Government’s Comprehensive Spending Review last week. It is important, therefore, that organisation leaders start to champion developing their businesses’ data and information management capacity, building the foundations for better future collaboration.
IMI next steps and projects
The IMI steering group is being refreshed to include representatives of its early backers who are keen to start taking the next steps in mandating change within their own organisations. As lessons are learned and resources are developed these will be shared via the IMI Framework (formerly the UK BIM Framework; news) – a body of knowledge recommended by the Government’s Construction Playbook.
The IMI team is also developing a series of projects intended to help industry build new common and practical approaches to data and information management challenges. Organisations will be invited to invest in these projects and be among the first to capitalise upon new advances.
