EIR, BEP, CDE: understanding the building blocks of ISO 19650 in 5 minutes

EIR, BEP, CDE: in a BIM kick-off meeting, these three acronyms often land in the same sentence without ever being properly defined. The result is that everyone nods along and feels their way forward. Yet these are three simple notions that follow one another in a logical order. Once you understand that sequence, ISO 19650 becomes much less abstract.

The EIR: what the client asks of you

EIR stands for Exchange Information Requirements. It is the document that the client (or the appointing party) writes before even entrusting the project to you: it specifies what information they expect, in what format, at what level of detail, and at what point in the project. An EIR might, for example, ask for an up-to-date IFC model at each phase, with families named according to a specific convention, or schedule data that can be used for the future operation of the building.

In plain terms: the EIR is the specification for the data. It says nothing about how you will work internally — only about what you must deliver, and in what form.

The BEP: your firm responds, in writing

In response to an EIR, your firm writes a BEP — BIM Execution Plan. It is your organisational answer: how you intend to go about meeting the client's requirements. The BEP is not a theoretical document filed away in a drawer; it is the reference the whole project team consults to know who does what, with which tools, and according to which rules.

• The project's BIM roles (who is the BIM Manager, the coordinator, the modelling lead)
• The software and versions used by each party
• Naming conventions for files, views and families
• The level of detail (LOD) expected at each phase
• The deliverables schedule and coordination milestones

A BEP exists in two versions: the pre-appointment BEP (a concise response to the tender, showing that you are able to meet the EIR) and the post-appointment BEP (the detailed version, produced once the contract is signed, which becomes the team's actual working document).

The EIR expresses a need, the BEP answers it with an organisation, the CDE is where that organisation is carried out day to day.

The CDE: where all of this lives day to day

CDE stands for Common Data Environment. It is the platform (a cloud such as BIM 360, ACC, or any equivalent tool) where all project data is stored, shared and approved. The EIR sets what must be delivered, the BEP sets how you organise yourselves to deliver it, and the CDE is where that organisation actually materialises, file by file.

ISO 19650 structures the CDE around four workflow statuses, which follow each file from its creation to its final delivery:

• Work in Progress — the file is being produced, visible only to its author or their team
• Shared — the file is ready for cross-discipline coordination, visible to the other disciplines
• Published — the file is approved and becomes an official project reference
• Archived — every published version is kept, to maintain complete traceability

How the three fit together

Put end to end, the sequence is simple: the EIR expresses a need, the BEP answers it with an organisation, and the CDE is the place where that organisation is carried out day to day. Without an EIR, the BEP has nothing to respond to. Without a BEP, the CDE becomes a mere storage space with no rules. And without a structured CDE, even the best BEP remains a theoretical document that nobody really follows on the project.

Where to start if your firm has none of this

Most firms do not have these three building blocks set out in black and white — and that is not a problem in itself: what matters is knowing where you really stand so you can prioritise. Start with the most concrete of the three, the CDE: set up a shared workspace with clear file statuses, even basic ones. It is the foundation a BEP can then build on, and it is often what is most visibly missing day to day.