What is COBie and what is it used for?

COBie, short for Construction to Operations Building information exchange, is a standard way of organising and delivering the data needed to operate and maintain a facility's assets. The National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS), which has curated it since 2013, describes it as combining the space, product and equipment schedules from design with the as-built, operation and maintenance, and commissioning information captured during construction. Its stated aim is to shorten, or remove altogether, the gap between handover and the point at which the owner's maintenance system can actually be used.

A completed spreadsheet is therefore the wrong measure of success. A COBie deliverable has done its job when the receiving team can load the data and use it to run the building from the first week.

A data structure in related tables

NIBS describes the format as a non-graphic subset of a BIM model, defined as a model view definition (MVD) of IFC, which can also be delivered as a spreadsheet; version 3 lists SpreadsheetML, JSON and IFC as approved formats. The data is organised into related tables:

COBie was first published by the US Army Corps of Engineers in 2007. Version 2.4 was adopted into the US National BIM Standard (NBIMS-US) version 3 in 2015. NIBS describes version 3 as the latest version, and its NBIMS-US version 4 site lists COBie version 3 among the standard's modules. Projects and software in use may still be based on version 2.4, which is why every requirement must state the version explicitly.

Be clear, too, about what COBie does not do. It does not configure maintenance plans, train staff or prove that installed systems work. It carries the information those activities depend on.

Ask for exactly what you will use

NIBS summarises the process as specifying what data is wanted, when it is wanted, and who will deliver and review it. An owner's requirement should therefore name the COBie version and delivery format, and define the asset scope, meaning the systems and asset types this particular owner will maintain. It should list the tables and fields required beyond the mandatory minimum, set naming conventions and the classification system, and fix the delivery milestones. It should also say who reviews each delivery, who takes responsibility for the data once approved, and which system will receive it.

Scope deserves the most discipline. NIBS's own example is a facility manager who wants COBie data for only a few asset types, such as HVAC units, power transformers and water pumps. Collecting records for every door handle creates effort without making the building any readier to maintain.

Deliver in stages, test before the end

Equipment selections, installed details and commissioning records become available at different times, so the information is best built up progressively. NIBS strongly recommends interim deliveries, especially on larger projects, for example at the end of concept design, design development and construction documentation. Each one is a chance to find mapping and quality problems while the people who can fix them are still on the project. Before final handover, a sample import into the owner's maintenance environment shows whether the data will actually work.