COBie
Construction Operations Building Information Exchange (COBie), a standardized spreadsheet-like data format for handing over a building's equipment and asset information, model numbers, warranties, maintenance schedules, from the design and construction team to the owner's facilities management system, structured so it can be imported directly rather than manually re-entered.
Why it matters
Without a structured format like COBie, an owner's facilities team often has to manually extract equipment data from PDF submittals and O&M manuals one item at a time to populate their own maintenance software, a slow, error-prone process COBie exists specifically to eliminate by delivering the same data already structured for direct import.
On a real project
A project's closeout package includes a completed COBie spreadsheet listing every major piece of mechanical equipment with its model number, warranty period, and maintenance requirements, formatted so the owner's facilities team can import it directly into their computerized maintenance management system.
Who this matters most to
A BIM/VDC Specialist or document control specialist compiles COBie data throughout the project so it's ready at closeout rather than reconstructed after the fact. A Facilities Manager imports and relies on the completed COBie data set once the building turns over.
Where this goes wrong
A project's contract requires COBie deliverables at closeout, but nobody actually populates the data incrementally as equipment gets installed throughout construction. The project team scrambles to reconstruct the required data from submittals after the fact, and the resulting COBie file is incomplete and full of gaps the facilities team discovers only once they try to actually import it.