Starter Catalog
A ready-made template of goals, workflows, elements, and requirements so you can start quickly.
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Stop paying 1M+ in extra planner claims
Actionable & Checkable EIR Requirements
Vague BIM manuals cost millions in fee disputes. pragmaticBIM gives project owners crystal-clear, machine-readable contracts and gives BIM managers the tools to enforce them.
- Kill Unjustified Fee Claims: Clear, checkable openBIM specs eliminate planner ambiguity on required model deliverables.
- Automate Delivery Audits Across Any Project: Models and documents belong in one requirements contract, not siloed tools. Define them together, then automatically verify every incoming deliverable against your contracts before releasing payment. The only solution that manages requirements holistically.
- Setup in Minutes: Project or BIM managers select their project goals, import a starter template, and generate clear data contracts with zero hassle.
pragmaticBIM requirements interface showing IFC slab attributes, property sets, and machine-readable specification values
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Move each goal's intensity. Higher ambition activates more workflows, and those workflows require the matching elements. You never pick data for its own sake.
Cost/budget sensitivity
Fit-out standard
Sustainability
Handover focus
Schedule criticality
Dealing with existing stock
Quality assurance requirements
- Workflows
- 6
- Elements
- 71
- Project
- Site
- Building
- Storey
- Survey reference point
- Surface geometry
- Interior spaces
- Gross volumes
- Exterior spaces
- Windows
- Doors
- Suspended ceiling
- Wall cladding
- Floor build-up
- Exterior wall
- Facade cladding
- Non-load-bearing interior wall
- Opening / recess (architecture)
+53 more
What is pragmaticBIM?
A Platform for Requirements Management in Projects with and without BIM
pragmaticBIM connects a ready-made requirements catalog, an editor for adapting and managing projects, and a viewer for communicating published requirements.
Editor
Adapt templates and configure, review, publish, and manage projects from one place.
How it works
From template to Actions
A streamlined workflow that aligns your building data with real business goals through five simple steps.
1
Choose or Create a Template
Every project is based on a template. This can be our Starter Catalog or an organization-specific one.
2
Configure
Configure based on business goals or by selecting predefined use cases.
3
Adapt
Change the data requirements by importing other use case definitions, IDS files, or by working directly on the requirements.
4
Present
Provide different views on the data. A web interface as quick reference, IDS files for checking, or reports for contracts.
5
Act
Run project-specific Actions on the published plan. Print site-logistics QR labels, check incoming IFCs with IDS Check, or open Dashboards.
From Swiss AEC teams
Why owners replace EIR, IDM and BEPs
With Simon's support, we were able to deepen our BIM expertise in a targeted way and integrate it optimally into our office processes. Clear modelling standards and the element plan were the key to success. Model-based cost estimation worked smoothly right away and greatly strengthened BIM acceptance across the entire team.
Bernhard Flühler
Partner, Gähler Flühler Fankhauser Architekten
The element plan is a key component for us to specify data requirements. Our path was long: from an Excel sheet with version chaos and the difficulty of checking data deliveries, through collaborative work in a database and automatic IDS generation, to today's form where requirements are treated like code and have helped us keep simplifying requirements and communicating them better. The journey isn't over yet, but we're on it.
Giuseppe Acciardi
Head of BIM Program, armasuisse Immobilien
The switch from Excel to a database solution with pragmaticBIM was challenging but decisive. For the first time, we were able to capture our infrastructure data in a structured, detailed way that all project stakeholders could use. A valuable and sustainable improvement.
Julie Picarel
Senior Project Leader, Civil Engineering/BIM
In GIS, we learned that what matters is not the volume of data, but its structure, quality, and usability. pragmaticBIM brings exactly this pragmatic approach to BIM. Use cases take centre stage and help you specify only what is actually needed. That prevents unnecessary complexity and creates real value for projects and operations.
Peter Maag
Head of Geomatics & Utility Coordination, Flughafen Zürich
The problem
BIM manuals nobody can check
Traditional BIM Execution Plans (BAP) have become unreadable text manuals rather than checkable data requirements. They focus on manual processes instead of clean deliverables.
Template Overkill & Inflated Costs
Clients copy-paste generic, one-size-fits-all templates because specific downstream data use cases aren't defined. This drives up modeling effort and project costs.
The Non-Standardized Trap
Planners and architects receive entirely different, text-heavy specifications for every project, making it impossible to standardize or automate internal workflows.
Disconnected Data Handoffs
Requirements live in static PDFs disconnected from CAD/BIM software (Revit, ArchiCAD, Allplan). Modelers guess what parameters to input, leading to severe data loss.
The platform
Versioned BIM requirements
Merge requirements per use case
Combine templates across clients, phases, or workflows into one consistent data contract.
Extensible action plugins
Connect to your validation tools and extend workflows with custom integrations.
Version-controlled requirements
Treat your data contract like code - Draft, Review, Live Data, and Publish Version, with a full change history.
Multi-language support
Publish specs in DE, FR, IT, and EN - automatically, from a single source.
Built-in IFC consistency checks
Validate definitions against the IFC standard before they leave your desk.
Hosted in Switzerland
Your project data stays in Switzerland - secure, GDPR-compliant, and under your control.
Pricing
Pricing that scales with your projects
ISO 19650 as data, not documents. You order an Information Delivery Plan from project goals; planners get IDS, Excel, and a live Presenter, not another BEP PDF.
| Feature | Free 0 CHF Upgradeable | Project 400 CHF / year per project Pay by invoice | Private Project 1'200 CHF / year per project Pay by invoice | Planner 1'800 CHF / year per project Pay by invoice | Full Enterprise 16'000 CHF / year Pay by invoice |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start Free Now | Open the editor | Open the editor | |||
| Scope | Drafts only | Listed project | Private project | Planner / Department | Organization-wide |
| Templates | Community | Community | Community | Up to 3 own | Unlimited own |
| Active projects | Drafts only | 1 | 1 | Per project | Unlimited |
| Roles | Editor only | Editor only | Editor only | Editors + admins | Editors + admins |
| Branding | Not included | Not included | Not included | Custom subdomain | Custom domain |
| Support | Docs | Standard SLA | Priority SLA |
Included in all plans
- Information Delivery Plan from goals: EIR-style requirements you can check, not a 300-page BEP
- Goals in, data contract out - pick project ambition, get the matching requirements
- Interactive Presenter
- IDS + Excel + PDF from one source
- Multilingual: DE, FR, IT, EN
- Versioned review (Git)
- Swiss hosting
- Access to additional actions per project
Professional services
Discovery Package
Workshop with leadership to identify use cases and their data requirements.
1-day workshop (3'000 CHF). Language English or German.
Implementation Service
Transition your legacy PDF manuals into structured data infrastructure. We convert your existing guidelines into clean machine-readable schemas.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers about checkable EIR data contracts, Starter Catalog, Editor, Viewer, goal-driven workflows, IDS exports, and Actions on the published plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an EIR data contract, and how does it replace traditional BIM manuals?
Traditional BIM manuals are often hundreds of pages of static PDF documentation - incredibly difficult to read and enforce.
An EIR (Employer's / Exchange Information Requirements) data contract digitizes these rules into a machine-readable format. Define your data standards once; the platform validates project requirements automatically across the board.
How does pragmaticBIM fit abstract's contrarian approach?
Everyone tells you to follow ISO 19650 and write information requirement documents. pragmaticBIM asks what you actually need - and turns that into data contracts any model can be checked against.
That is abstract's Define step: disagree with documentation-first BIM, automate checkable requirements instead of 300-page manuals nobody reads.
How does the platform handle multi-party project collaboration?
The platform replaces dense, static documents with clear, actionable data contracts. Stakeholders agree on goal levels, not on a raw use-case checklist. The platform activates the use cases those goals require, so every party sees a contract that matches the project.
External collaborators can coordinate seamlessly depending on your plan:
- Free: Editor-only drafts on the community template. No publish, no listing. Community and docs support.
- Project Plan: Email access for planners and clients on one live Presenter project
- Private Project: Email access on one live Presenter project that is not listed
- Planner: As many Presenter projects as a planner / department needs, billed per project, on up to 3 own templates
- Full Enterprise: Unlimited projects, org-wide editor admins, and default viewer lists
Can I export the data contracts into different formats for my team?
Yes. The platform presents and exports your data standards in every format your team needs.
Human-readable documentation for reference, machine-readable configurations for software tools - bridged automatically, without manual re-entry.
Does this platform integrate with standard BIM software?
Yes. Built-in IFC consistency checks and standard schema format support are included.
Automated validation ensures incoming model data matches your EIR data contracts exactly - no tedious manual data audits.
What are the pricing options available for the platform?
We offer five pricing tiers tailored to your organization's scale. Free is self-serve in the editor. Project and Private Project plans are ordered and invoiced through abstract; Planner and Full Enterprise run on an agreement with your organization.
- Free: 0 CHF. Editor-only drafts on the community template. No publish, no listing. Unlimited drafts, 0 published. Community and docs support. Upgradeable.
- Project Plan: 400 CHF / year per project. Start from the community template, import additional requirements by IDS, configure one project by goal levels, one live Presenter, German and English. Pay by invoice.
- Private Project: 1'200 CHF / year per project. The project is not listed. Start from the community template, import additional requirements by IDS, configure one project by goal levels, one live Presenter, German and English. Pay by invoice.
- Planner: 1'800 CHF / year per project, plus a one-time onboarding fee of 1'000 CHF that includes up to 3 own templates. Planner / Department, as many Presenter projects as you need, separate editor and admin roles, custom subdomain, standard plugins and API access. Pay by invoice.
- Full Enterprise: 16'000 CHF / year. Organization-wide, unlimited projects with no per-project fee, unlimited own templates, custom domain, dedicated GitHub repo, custom actions and pipelines, priority SLA. Pay by invoice.
How does pragmaticBIM differ from Plannerly?
Both speak ISO 19650. The medium of truth differs. They can coexist: Plannerly runs the delivery team's documents; pragmaticBIM is what the appointing party orders first.
- Plannerly: Project execution suite. ISO 19650 as documents (BEP, eSign, CDE, in-app Verify).
- pragmaticBIM: Appointing-party ordering. ISO 19650 as data (goals, workflows, IDP, then IDS, Excel, and Presenter).
How does pragmaticBIM compare to bimQ?
Different architectures for defining and managing requirements.
- bimQ: Traditional heavy database for internal asset standardization and technical validation rules
- pragmaticBIM: Lightweight GitHub-style versioning - data contracts like clean code, transparent change history, goal-driven configuration instead of a use-case checklist
Why use pragmaticBIM if I already use a standard IDS Editor (like Solibri)?
An IDS Editor and a data contract platform solve different problems.
- IDS Editor (e.g. Solibri): Excellent for creating raw, machine-readable validation files - but no collaborative framework
- pragmaticBIM: Full platform - host requirements in a web portal where clients and collaborators align on goal levels and legally agree before modeling begins
How does pragmaticBIM handle requirement changes compared to static .ids files?
Instead of managing dozens of detached, un-versioned .ids or Excel files across a CDE, pragmaticBIM uses GitHub-style versioning. Every update is permanently committed as a fixed, controlled version.
The platform records who made each change, what was altered, and why - eliminating accidental edits and lost tracking.
Your team always works from a strictly managed, live single source of truth instead of trading static, unverified files back and forth. Your team always works from a strictly managed, live single source of truth instead of trading static, unverified files back and forth.