The role of digitalization in public projects as a vector for regional development: structuring collaborative BIM networks

Abstract

This article analyzes how different institutional arrangements structure the formation of BIM-enabled collaborative networks in the context of public civil construction projects. The research is based on the recognition that public projects developed in this context require interorganizational coordination, while a gap remains regarding the structuring of relationships among the different actors involved from the perspective of collaborative governance. Based on findings from multiple case studies, the forms of articulation among organizations, BIM competencies, and network mechanisms present in these projects were analyzed. The results show that collaborative governance applied to technological, process-related, and policy competencies contributes to the consolidation of BIM networks in public projects. Based on these findings, a process diagram was developed that integrates BIM competencies and network mechanisms structured according to collaborative governance principles. The diagram provides a theoretical map for analyzing how different organizations interact in the formation of BIM collaborative networks in public civil construction projects.

Keywords: collaborative networks; Building Information Modeling (BIM); governance.