BIM for private building plans: the 2029 target and what to do now.

Where public works stand

Under the Development Bureau’s technical circular in force since 1 February 2025, BIM is mandatory for government capital works designed in-house or under design and design-and-construction consultancies. That followed several years in which it applied to larger projects only.

Where private projects stand

For private developments, using BIM for building plan submissions is still voluntary. The Buildings Department encourages authorised persons and registered engineers to adopt it, and accepts BIM-based submissions.

The direction is set, though. A roadmap published in December 2023 set out full adoption of BIM in preparing and approving private building plans, and government officials have said the aim is to propose mandatory adoption for private-sector plan submissions by 2029. The Buildings Department ran a second round of industry engagement on the proposed framework in 2025.

What is not yet decided: the final rules, the timetable for each type of project, and the detailed standards. Anyone telling you exactly what will be required in 2029 is guessing.

What it means for a mid-sized firm

• The model is not the hard part. Most design firms can produce models. The harder part is the record around them: who issued which version, when, to whom, and what was approved.
• Information management becomes a submission skill. A controlled common data environment, consistent naming and a clean issue record move from good practice to something an approval depends on.
• Contractors inherit it. As models flow into construction and handover, the same discipline reaches site, subcontractors and, eventually, maintenance.

What to do now

1. Get the file and revision record in order

   One controlled place for project information, with versions you can prove.

2. Run one project the BIM way voluntarily

   Learn where your process breaks on a job that does not yet depend on it.

3. Watch the consultation, not the rumours

   The final framework will come from the Buildings Department and the Development Bureau.

Sources: Development Bureau Technical Circular (Works) No. 1/2025; Buildings Department BIM resources; Digital Policy Office speech, 20 November 2024.

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