Project information model (PIM)

CurrentPIM

All the information — models, documents and data — produced and managed for the delivery phase of an asset.

Explanation

The PIM develops through design and construction in the Common data environment. It includes both structured information (models, data) and unstructured information (documents). At the end of delivery, the information required by the Asset information requirements is transferred to the Asset information model; the remainder is archived for liability and reference.

Practical example

For a highway interchange, the PIM includes alignment and corridor models, structure models, drainage calculations, construction sequencing models, inspection records and as-built surveys.

Why it matters

Treating project information as one managed model clarifies what must be delivered, checked and eventually handed over.

Common confusion

The PIM is not a single 3D model; it is the entire body of delivery-phase information. See Asset information model for the operational counterpart.

Standards and references

  1. ISO 19650-1:2018 — Organization and digitization of information about buildings and civil engineering works, including building information modelling (BIM) — Information management using building information modelling — Part 1: Concepts and principles. ISO, 2018. Clause 3 and Clause 4.Original VDC Stack.io wording, based on the standard
    Supports: PIM as delivery-phase information model and its transfer to the AIM · Status: Stage 90.92 (to be revised). Revision ISO/DIS 19650-1 at stage 40.93 on 2026-08-18 (decision for new DIS ballot).

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). Project information model (PIM). In VDC Stack.io Knowledge Dictionary. Retrieved from https://vdcstack.io/dictionary/project-information-model/