nima to prioritise working with other industry bodies to improve information management
A members poll has suggested nima should focus on working with other industry bodies, and with government, to improve information management practices, and on upskilling in IM across the built and managed environment sector.
Nima launched its membership programme in May 2025, and its commitments included consulting regularly with its members on key issues. In its first poll, carried out over two weeks up to 25 July 2025, it presented eight options regarding future strategic priorities. The three most highly ranked options were:
- Work with other industry bodies to improve information management practices – Identify and work with relevant membership and trade organisations in the built and managed environment, with nima seen as the coordinating ‘hub’ of information management, complementing the professional or sector focuses of other bodies.
- Lobby government about data and information management – Identify and work with relevant government departments and other agencies to ensure data-centric approaches to information management are incorporated into any policy initiatives relating to the built and managed environment.
- Upskill the sector generally regarding information management – Recognising that effective information management is mostly about people and processes, not technology, identify and contribute to the development of the most appropriate ways to improve the sector’s understanding of, and competencies in, IM.
View from the nima chair
Nima chair Anne Kemp said:
“I am delighted to see this first poll to nima members. It is so important that our members feel that they have a say in what we focus on as nima. We are already gearing up to act on the feedback, and by useful coincidence, the priorities highlighted fit neatly with recruitment of two of our new Vice Chairs in the areas of stakeholder engagement and upskilling. I am looking forward to continued growth in our memberships and to continuing that conversation as we progress, with members helping steer the way forward.”
Confirming long-standing objectives
Nima was originally established in 2016 (as the UK BIM Alliance) to help make information modelling/ management ‘business as usual’. The ongoing objective is to create the foundations needed to satisfy many beneficial information use cases. This started with BIM, and is expanding to include digital twins, the Internet of Things, smart buildings/cities, the golden thread, artificial intelligence (AI), and many more.
Recognising that this requires collaboration with other organisations, nima has since gradually established working relationships with around 30 professional institutions, trade bodies, and other organisations. Industry engagement and upskilling are also key objectives of the Information Management Initiative (IMI) that nima launched with the Construction Leadership Council in November 2024.
What were the other strategic priority options?
The other strategic priority options, according to the nima poll, were (in order):
4. Support Industry IM practitioners – Develop, maintain and improve resources that will help new and existing practitioners in the adoption of good information management practices across the built and managed environment, and across the lifecycles of its assets.
5. Address the sector’s data-sharing infrastructure – Contribute to the development of common, consistent, open and sector-wide approaches to data-sharing across the built and managed environment, and across the lifecycles of its assets.
6. Promote the IMI – Promote sector-wide awareness and understanding of the IMI, and significantly expand current levels of active involvement, including the development of internal IM mandates, by all types of organisations in the built and managed environment.
7. Provide additional IMI Framework guidance – Expand the IMI Framework (previously the UK BIM Framework) to include additional supporting resources that help individuals and organisations deliver against their internal IM mandates and sustain new approaches into the future.
8. Gain investment for IMI projects – Clarify the scope and levels of investment needed to deliver IMI projects, and secure sufficient financial and intellectual investment by consortia to create project deliverables within 1-3 years.
Continuing industry engagement
In addition to polling its members, nima will continue to listen to all IM practitioners across the sector via its quarterly forums and virtual conferences (and it already engages with numerous industry bodies who are nima affilates). The next quarterly forum (on 4 September 2025 – register here) will be an opportunity for anyone to discuss nima’s strategy and activities. The next nima virtual conference is scheduled for 6 November 2025.
Non-members who wish to participate in future polls are invited to join nima. They will then receive notifications when further polls are opened.
