Exchange information requirements (EIR) set out what information an appointing party needs from an appointed party: what it is, what it is for, in which format and level of detail, and when it must be delivered. In ISO 19650 every appointment has its own EIR. Before ISO 19650, the UK used "employer's information requirements" with the same abbreviation.
At a glance
| Written by | The appointing party (client) for its lead appointed parties; lead appointed parties for their own appointments |
| Derived from | Organisational, project and asset information requirements (OIR, PIR, AIR) |
| Answered by | The BIM execution plan (BEP) |
| Part of | The tender documents and then the appointment |
| Defined in | ISO 19650-1 and -2 |
Where an EIR comes from
The client's organisation has strategic needs (OIR). A project serves some of them (PIR), and the finished asset must be operated (AIR). The EIR turns these into specific deliverables for one appointment.
Requirements flow from the client’s needs into the EIR; the delivery team answers with the BEP and delivery plans.
What an EIR usually contains
Information requirements
- the purpose of each piece of information (design approval, cost planning, operation)
- the information to provide: models, drawings, schedules, data sets
- the level of information need for each: geometry, alphanumeric data and documentation
- acceptance criteria: how the client will check it
Management requirements
- the information standard (naming, classification, units)
- production methods and procedures
- the CDE to use and how to exchange information
- the information protocol and any security requirements
Timing
- the information delivery milestones, linked to project stages
- the client's own decision points that depend on the information
How it is used
Tenderers price the EIR and reply with a pre-appointment BEP. After appointment, the EIR becomes part of the contract, and deliveries are checked against its acceptance criteria. A lead appointed party then writes its own, narrower EIR for each subcontractor or consultant it appoints.
Common weaknesses
- "Provide a BIM model" with no purpose, milestone or format.
- Everything at every stage: asking for operation-level data at concept design.
- No acceptance criteria, so nobody can say whether a delivery is complete.
- A copied EIR that names software, codes or standards the client does not use.
- Mixing requirements with methods: the EIR says what is needed; how to produce it belongs in the BEP.
Where to read more
ISO 19650-2 lists what the appointing party should establish. National guidance (for example the UK BIM Framework) offers EIR templates and examples to adapt.