Next week in Washington, D.C., an important meeting of the buildingSmart alliance (bSa) will gather during the Building Innovation 2017 Conference at the National Institute of Building Sciences. You can be part of it.

Here's why: We are like-minded practitioners banding together for the betterment of all. A lack of interoperability wastes $15.8 billion per year in the U.S. capital facilities industry alone, according to a report. 

One way to bring about change is to join the bSa. As a council of the National Institute of Building Sciences, we are home to the National BIM Standard (NBIMS-US) and the National CAD Standard (NCS-US). You can participate in making positive change in the industry. Here is a brief agenda.

While overall productivity in the construction industry has not changed much over the past decade, specialties have been able to take advantage of standardization and develop significant economies of scale. For example, the standardization of structural steel shapes and file formats has enabled automated fabrication processes for faster delivery with fewer errors, while also benefiting those in the field by marking pieces to assist in positioning and attaching.

We need more tangible progress like this in the architecture, engineering and construction industry. The logical path forward is to take a look at your business, remove proprietary means and methods and replace them with standards readily available.  By participating in bSa, you’ll not only engage with other practitioners who actively changing their businesses. You’ll also have the opportunity to add your voice. 

Join us in creating and developing the standards currently being used by federal, state and local agencies, as well as the private sector. Be a leader in your industry, help diversity bSa's membership and join our annual meeting January 11th in Washington, D.C. next week.