Abstract:

This work inquires about the role of electronic procurement tools in general and of the Building Information Modelling (BIM) for public procurement. First, the phenomenon of digital transformation in public procurement is introduced and framed within the broader trend of transformations of public contracting. Second, the new trends and tools promoted by the European Commission for the digitalization of public procurement are discussed, and particular attention is given to analyzing the potential of the Building Information Modelling tool, its promises and challenges. Then, to move the debate forward about the potential positive and negative consequences of BIM for collaborations within public procurement frames, insights from the organizational and project management literatures are combined with insights from literature on the use of information technologies in projects and organizations. Specifically, the study focuses on the gap between virtual building modelling and building physical realization, highlighting how the aforementioned gap can have both affording and endangering effects on the collaboration between multiple stakeholders with different interests such as is the case for public procurement. Last, the study concludes that more studies are necessary to connect legal and managerial aspects concerning the use of BIM in public procurement. Empirical evidence about the first cases of BIM implementation may also help carry the debate forward.