Under ISO 19650, the BIM Execution Plan is the document that explains how information will be managed and delivered on a project. Internationally it is usually called a BIM Execution Plan (BEP), but many countries have translated the term into their own language - and sometimes changed the acronym too.
This article lists the most common abbreviations you will see in different regions and explains how they all relate to the same core concept. Use it as a quick reference when you are working with international teams in Plannerly.
Quick reference table
| Country / Region | Local name | Common abbreviation(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| International / ISO 19650 | BIM Execution Plan | BEP | Baseline term used in many English language standards and guides. |
| US & Canada | BIM Execution Plan / BIM Project Execution Plan | BEP, BIMxP, BxP, PxP | Multiple variants - all describe the same BIM execution planning document. |
| UK & other anglophone countries | BIM Execution Plan | BEP | Often split into pre-contract and post-contract BEP in UK guidance. |
| Germany, Austria, Switzerland (DACH) | BIM-Abwicklungsplan / BIM-Durchführungsplan | BAP (sometimes BEP) | German term literally means “BIM handling / resolution plan”. |
| France, Belgium, Luxembourg | Plan d’exécution BIM / Convention BIM | PEB, Convention BIM (sometimes CBIM) | “Convention BIM” is often used as the umbrella term for the BEP. |
| Spain | Plan de Ejecución BIM | PEB | Spanish translation of BIM Execution Plan, widely used in national guides. |
| Portugal | Plano de Execução BIM | PEB | Same acronym as Spain but Portuguese wording. |
| Brazil | Plano de Execução BIM | PEB, BEP | Both the Portuguese PEB and the English BEP are used. |
| Italy | Piano di Gestione Informativa | PGI / pGI, BEP | Italian PGI is explicitly defined as the national equivalent of the BEP. |
| Latin America (Spanish speaking) | Plan de ejecución BIM | BEP, PEB | Documents may keep the BEP acronym or switch to PEB in Spanish. |
| Nordic countries (Norway, Finland, etc.) | Local translations of “BIM execution plan” | No single fixed acronym, often still “BEP” in English docs | National languages use descriptive names; English contracts often stay with BEP. |
| Middle East, Asia, Africa | BIM Execution Plan (plus local translations) | Usually BEP | Most government and client standards adopt the English BEP term directly. |
International / ISO 19650: BEP
In ISO 19650 and many international guides, the document is simply called a BIM Execution Plan (BEP). This is the default term you will see in most English language standards, including the RICS International BIM Implementation Guide and many national BIM guides that follow ISO 19650.
US & Canada: BEP, BIMxP, BxP, PxP
In North America, you will often see several different but closely related abbreviations:
- BEP - BIM Execution Plan (same as the international term).
- BIMxP - BIM Execution Plan, written with an “x” to emphasise “eXecution”.
- BxP - Short for BIM execution Plan, widely used in BIMForum materials.
- PxP - BIM Project Execution Plan, often used in NBIMS-US and Penn State toolkits.
These documents all serve the same purpose - defining how BIM will be used, who does what, what software and exchanges are required, and how models will be coordinated. When you see BIMxP, BxP or PxP, you can read them as a BEP with a slightly different local naming convention.
UK & anglophone countries: BEP (pre-contract / post-contract)
In the UK and other English speaking countries that originally adopted PAS 1192 and then ISO 19650, the term BIM Execution Plan (BEP) is standard. Guidance often distinguishes:
- Pre-contract BEP - bidder’s response to the EIR / exchange information requirements.
- Post-contract BEP - the agreed plan after appointment, used to manage delivery.
Even when the structure is split like this, the abbreviation remains BEP.
Germany, Austria, Switzerland: BAP
In German speaking countries, the BEP is usually translated as:
- BIM-Abwicklungsplan - often abbreviated to BAP.
- Sometimes also BIM-Durchführungsplan in similar contexts.
“Abwicklungsplan” or “Durchführungsplan” can be translated as “execution / resolution plan”. German national guidance and buildingSMART Austria materials use BAP as the project specific BIM execution plan that answers the client’s information requirements.
France, Belgium, Luxembourg: PEB and Convention BIM
In francophone countries, you will typically see two related terms:
- Plan d’exécution BIM (PEB) - direct translation of BIM Execution Plan.
- Convention BIM - the overarching BIM agreement that usually includes the BEP content.
Many French resources explicitly state that the Plan d’exécution BIM (BEP) is also called a Convention BIM. In some legal and training documents, “convention BIM” is treated as the contractual document that bundles protocol plus the execution plan. You may also occasionally see the abbreviation CBIM used for “convention BIM”.
Spain: PEB
Spain uses the term Plan de Ejecución BIM, abbreviated as PEB. Spanish national and sector guides describe the PEB as the document that sets out strategies, processes, tools and responsibilities needed to meet the client’s BIM requirements for a given project and phase.
Portugal: PEB
Portugal uses a very similar term:
- Plano de Execução BIM (PEB) - Portuguese wording with the same PEB acronym.
Portuguese BIM guides for contracting and public works treat the PEB as the central BIM document that defines how BIM will be implemented, similar to the BEP in English.
Brazil: PEB and BEP
In Brazil, both the Portuguese and English acronyms are common:
- Plano de Execução BIM (PEB) - Portuguese name used in many Brazilian publications.
- BEP - sometimes kept in English to match international terminology.
Brazilian guidance often describes the PEB as the translation of the BIM Execution Plan concept into the national context, aligned with ISO 19650.
Italy: PGI / pGI as the Italian BEP
Italy typically refers to the BEP as:
- Piano di Gestione Informativa - usually abbreviated PGI or pGI.
Italian academic and professional literature explicitly calls the PGI the Italian version of the BIM Execution Plan defined in ISO 19650. You will often see both terms together, for example: “BIM Execution Plan (BEP) o Piano di Gestione Informativa (PGI)”.
Latin America (Spanish speaking): BEP and PEB
In many Latin American countries, the document is called Plan de ejecución BIM, but there is a mix of acronyms:
- BEP - some publications keep the English acronym, writing “Plan de ejecución BIM (BEP)”.
- PEB - others follow the Spanish PEB style, especially when aligned with Spanish guidance.
When reading Spanish language BEPs in Latin America, check the first pages of the document: they often define whether they are using BEP or PEB for the same underlying concept.
Nordic countries: local names, often still “BEP” in English
In the Nordic region, the BEP is usually translated into local languages in specifications and technical texts, for example:
- Norway - terms like BIM gjennomføringsplan or simply gjennomføringsplan for the BIM execution strategy.
- Finland - tietomallinnuksen toteutussuunnitelma (implementation plan for information modelling).
However, English language contracts and BIM manuals from Nordic clients often still use the international acronym BEP, especially where ISO 19650 is referenced directly.
Middle East, Asia, Africa: mostly BEP
Many government and client BIM standards across the Middle East, Asia and Africa adopt ISO 19650 with minimal changes to terminology, so the term BIM Execution Plan (BEP) is usually used directly in English. Local translations may be provided in guidance notes, but they rarely introduce entirely new acronyms.
How to use this in Plannerly
When you see any of the terms above in a contract, standard or client requirement, you can map them back to the same core idea:
- A structured plan for how information will be created, shared, checked and delivered.
- A response to the client’s information requirements (EIR / AIR / PIR etc.).
- A living document that should be updated as team members, models and deliverables change.
In Plannerly, you can model all of these as the same thing - your information management plan - and simply label your templates according to the terminology that is familiar to your client or region (BEP, BAP, PEB, PGI, PxP, BIMxP, etc.).