The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) and the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) have agreed to sponsor development of a new XML schema for exchanging business process data between software applications used by facility owners and AEC firms.
The new schema, dubbed AGCxml, is being targeted specifically for construction-related business-to-business data such as owner/contractor agreements, change orders, and requests for information. The intended emphasis of AGCxml is not on design data; there are already XML schemas and building information modeling (BIM) initiatives available for design data.
The AGC and NIBS say the goal is to create a unified document exchange standard to allow construction business data interoperability. As long as the program supports AGCxml, other file format compatibility won't be necessary. “AGCxml will enable the efficient exchange of electronic construction project information between various industry software applications, including software designed for generating construction contract documents, project management, accounting or related construction work-flow systems,” according to a joint announcement.
“The development of AGCxml has the potential of saving contractors countless hours of data-entry, which can lead to hard-dollar savings,” said AGC CEO Stephen E. Sandherr. “This robust solution will also support the differing office applications employed by various segments of the construction industry.”
“This is a very exciting opportunity,” said NIBS’ President David A. Harris, FAIA. “Our organizations’ collaboration on this ground-breaking buildingSMART initiative will couple recognized IT professionals with AGC’s recognized construction business leaders to foster more efficient and sensible business practices. By taking the lead in this effort, AGC demonstrates its commitment to improving the ability of its members to collaborate with their business partners and better serve their clients on every project.”
Related AECnews articles:
NIST Report Says Inadequate Interoperability in Construction Wastes $15.8 Billion Annually
http://aecnews.com/news/2004/08/13/342.aspx
A Plan for Bringing Client Requirements into the AEC IT Sphere
http://aecnews.com/articles/1107.aspx
Understanding and Minimizing Transaction Costs in AEC
http://aecnews.com/articles/714.aspx
NIBS Forms Committee to Create a National BIM Standard
http://aecnews.com/news/2006/02/22/1400.aspx
--RSN