BIM project owner's assistant: role and missions
A strategic advisor, the BIM AMO supports the project owner in defining their BIM approach and translates their needs into clear technical requirements.
Interested in the BIM project owner's assistant profession? Here are the characteristics of this still-emerging activity (training, salary, etc.), and the role and responsibilities of the AMO within a BIM construction project.
What is a BIM AMO?
For projects integrating Building Information Modeling (BIM), the project owner can call on a BIM AMO. Their role: to oversee the implementation of a BIM process, in every sector where BIM processes have become widespread:
- Public buildings and transport infrastructure, where energy constraints and the involvement of multiple stakeholders often require a BIM AMO.
- Private real estate, where developers call on them to ensure deliverable quality and optimize workflows.
- Large urban and industrial projects, for their BIM programming.
Their responsibilities depend on the project owner's level of skill in digital building management and are defined by contract. The BIM AMO steps in from the design phase or mid-project: social housing, public facilities, transport infrastructure, tertiary projects.
BIM AMO
The BIM AMO supports the project owner, the natural or legal person who commissions the work and finances the construction. They act as an ad hoc consultant and are generally self-employed.
BIM MOE
The BIM MOE assists the project manager responsible for delivering the construction work. They more often work as an employee of a company.
Why call on a BIM AMO?
The BIM AMO brings the project owner technical expertise and a strategic vision of collaborative processes:
- Supporting the digital transformationIn a rapidly evolving construction sector, they give project owners a clear overall view of digital stakes.
- Ensuring BIM consistency from programmingStandards are numerous and evolve rapidly; taking them into account from the outset avoids costly errors in later phases.
- Facilitating coordinationThey orchestrate exchanges between trades through clear communication protocols and help organize planning and model review meetings.
- Optimizing future operationsThey structure the BIM model data to make it accessible to the future building managers.
Core missions of a BIM AMO
- Defining the BIM strategy: key players and their role, modeling tools and communication platforms, budget, schedule. The BIM AMO precisely defines the project's scope.
- Drafting the BIM charter and BIM specifications: the charter sets the objectives, each stakeholder's responsibilities and the data exchange procedures; the specifications define the technical constraints to comply with.
- Helping select stakeholders: drawing on their network and expertise, they take part in choosing the project manager, the BIM Manager, the BIM coordinator and other actors.
- Checking deliverable compliance: after validation by the BIM Manager, the BIM AMO performs a second check against the original specifications. This double validation spots deviations before they cause real consistency problems.
Skills and profile of a BIM AMO
This is not an improvised profession. It combines four main skill sets:
- Technical and regulatory knowledgeThey master the ISO 19650 standards, IFC formats, and Level of Development (LOD) and Level of Information (LOI).
- Digital toolsThey master collaborative visualization platforms and, without being a modeler, know the main modeling software and its limitations.
- Advice and teachingWith no decision-making power, they must convince their client and maintain constructive dialogue with participants, particularly the project manager.
- Project experienceThey must have led real estate or infrastructure projects, after a substantial career as a BIM coordinator or manager.
How to become a BIM AMO?
To become a BIM AMO, you need to master both project management and BIM processes.
Training: several Master-level programs in architecture, engineering and/or project management, completed by a BIM specialization.
Certifications: the buildingSMART Professional certification is the international benchmark; the Mediaconstruct BIM Manager certification is recognized only in France.
Software
They know the main modeling tools (Revit, IFC) and collaborative platforms, to understand the constraints of design teams and check deliverables more effectively.
Discover
Discover the Kroqi platform.
Start your free trial or request a personalized demo.
BIM AMO and the regulatory framework
The BIM AMO profession is highly regulated and subject to technical, energy and governance constraints:
- ISO 19650: the primary BIM standard, it describes how to set up a BIM strategy from programming to execution, as well as data security and management throughout the building lifecycle.
- CCAG: the general administrative clauses set out the rights and obligations of the public contract holder during the contract's execution.
- DOE: the digital as-built record combines the final version of the digital model with its geometric, alphanumeric and administrative data; it is delivered to the building manager.
- RE2020: BIM projects must comply with the energy and environmental regulations for new construction.
Your questions about the BIM AMO role
What is the average salary of a BIM AMO?
It is estimated at €2,500 gross per month. Often freelance, the BIM AMO's compensation varies with their experience and the complexity of their missions.
How does it differ from a BIM Manager?
The BIM AMO is a consultant, tied to the project owner by a contract that defines their prerogatives. The BIM Manager defines and deploys the project's BIM methodologies. The difference lies in the level of responsibility.
Do they always work freelance?
No, they can work as an employee of a BIM consulting firm or as a freelancer.
Do you need to be an architect or engineer?
The profession requires sharp technical knowledge in construction; these courses are therefore the royal road to it.
