Exchange information requirements (EIR)

CurrentEIR

Also: Employer's information requirements (historical)

The information requirements that an appointing party (or lead appointed party) sets for a specific appointment: what information is to be delivered, to what standard, when, and how it will be accepted.

Explanation

EIR are issued with the invitation to tender so that prospective delivery teams can respond with a pre-appointment BIM execution plan. They draw on Project information requirements and, where the appointment affects the operational asset, on Asset information requirements. Typical contents include the information standard and production methods, the Level of information need for each deliverable, information delivery milestones, acceptance criteria and supporting information (existing surveys, reference libraries).

EIR cascade: a lead appointed party sets EIR for each of its appointed parties, so subcontracted designers and trades receive requirements consistent with the main appointment. Machine-readable formats such as IDS can express parts of the EIR for automated checking.

Practical example

A school board's EIR to the design-build team specifies IFC 4 exports at each stage, the board's room-naming standard, COBie-style equipment data at handover, delivery milestones at 33%, 66% and 100% design, and an acceptance test: all rooms must have a valid room number and area before the 66% milestone is accepted.

Why it matters

EIR are where vague ambitions become enforceable obligations. Weak EIR are a common root cause of poor handover data and disputes about scope.

Common confusion

EIR can mean "employer's information requirements" in older UK documents. Check the edition of the governing standard before interpreting a contract.

Historical context

Under PAS 1192-2 the acronym stood for "employer's information requirements". ISO 19650 uses "exchange information requirements" and replaces "employer" with "appointing party".

Standards and references

  1. ISO 19650-2:2018 — Organization and digitization of information about buildings and civil engineering works, including building information modelling (BIM) — Information management using building information modelling — Part 2: Delivery phase of the assets. ISO, 2018. Clause 5.2 (invitation to tender) and Clause 3.Original VDC Stack.io wording, based on the standard
    Supports: EIR established by the appointing party and issued with the tender; cascade to appointed parties · Status: Stage 90.92 (to be revised). Revision ISO/DIS 19650-2 at stage 40.93 on 2026-08-18 (decision for new DIS ballot).
  2. BIM Harmonisation Guidelines for Works Departments — Appendix I: ISO 19650 Terminologies (v2). Development Bureau, Government of the Hong Kong SAR.Historical record
    Supports: Change from employer's information requirements (BS/PAS 1192) to exchange information requirements
  3. Information Delivery Specification (IDS). buildingSMART International.Widely accepted professional interpretation
    Supports: IDS as a machine-readable way to express information requirements

VDC Stack.io writes its own explanations and does not reproduce copyrighted standards text. Consult the cited standard for normative wording.

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VDC Stack.io. (2026). Exchange information requirements (EIR). In VDC Stack.io Knowledge Dictionary. Retrieved from https://vdcstack.io/dictionary/exchange-information-requirements/