FEATURED PAPER
By Pascal Bohulu Mabelo
South Africa
Abstract
This article presents a comprehensive, lifecycle-based case study exploring the strategic and technical application of Building Information Modelling (BIM) and REVIT (for design) around a public-private partnership (PPP) hospital project in South Africa. Set against the backdrop of the country’s complex socio-economic infrastructure environment, the study highlights that BIM shall be used not merely as a “digital” design tool, but as a systems approach enabler throughout the lifecycle—from the Front-End Loading (FEL) phases to construction and operations, and eventual handback to the public sector. This case study is not imagined out of thin air, but a constructed realism, based on real-world project logic, and rooted in observed practitioner pitfalls and lessons.
By narrating the fictional (yet realistic) development of the Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe Regional Hospital (SOBHOSP), the article illustrates the integration of BIM maturity levels, Level of Detail (LOD) progression, and Digital Twin management within a PPP framework. Lessons are drawn regarding the timing of private sector involvement, the importance of progressive detailing, and the potential of BIM to support, not only the asset delivery, but also national priorities. This paper targets project managers, engineers, architects, public planners, and infrastructure professionals devoted to advancing lifecycle-aligned project planning and execution through digital innovation.
- Introduction
Modern infrastructure projects are no longer judged solely on cost, schedule, or quality compliance, but increasingly on their alignment with long-term value creation, social impact, and sustainability. This multidimensional approach becomes even more critical in complex environments such as South Africa, where first-world infrastructure systems crisscross third-world realities. Nevertheless, when correctly deployed, Building Information Modelling (BIM) provides a powerful means to manage complexity, improve integration, and cultivate systems thinking throughout the project’s lifecycle.
As public-private partnership (PPP) models become more prevalent in large capital projects, the strategic integration of BIM shall begin early in the project lifecycle. However, it must be sequenced intelligently to ensure commercial interests do not override the exploration of genuine public value. Front-End Loading (FEL) provides a structured framework for lifecycle alignment and decision-making discipline, especially in capital-intensive and stakeholder-heavy projects (Mabelo, 2017).
This article presents a fictional but didactically realistic case study centred on the Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe Regional Hospital (SOBHOSP). The project was delivered via a PPP model, and a “BIM and REVIT” method was employed from the Conceptual Phase (FEL-1) right up to facility handback.
The paper derives from a comprehensive educational case used in practitioner training (Green, 2000). It demonstrates not only technical execution but strategic systems application, including the careful timing of private-sector involvement and the role of the Digital Twin in long-term asset stewardship.
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How to cite this paper: Mabelo, P. B. (2025). BIM Implementation as Lifecycle Enabler; featured paper, PM World Journal, Vol. XIV, Issue VI, Jun. Available online at https://pmworldlibrary.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/pmwj153-Jun2025-Mabelo-BIM-Implementation-as-Lifecycle-Enabler-1.pdf
About the Author
Pascal Bohulu Mabelo
Johannesburg, South Africa
Pascal Bohulu Mabelo (MBA, MSc Industrial, BSc Civil, Pr. Eng, Pr. CPM, Pr. PMSA, PMP) has more than 25 years of professional experience and possesses a wide range of technical and managerial skills in large and complex infrastructure projects. He has worked on large infrastructure projects as a design engineer, project/programme manager, project consultant and project management executive. Pascal was honoured to serve as the national chairman of Project Management South Africa, the leading professional association in Southern Africa.
Pascal has published the book: “Managing Engineering Processes in Large Infrastructure Projects” (Cambridge, 2021); he has also published, “How to Manage Project Stakeholders—Effective Strategies for Large Infrastructure Projects” (Routledge, 2020) and “Operational Readiness—How to Achieve Successful System Deployment” (Routledge, 2020). Through various publications, journal articles, and conference presentations, he assiduously promotes the application of Systems Thinking and/or Systems Engineering principles, concepts, and practices to unravel complexity in Large Infrastructure Projects (LIPs) to address their persistent risks of failure and their massive, even pernicious, cost and schedule overruns.
Pascal is currently a Director and Principal Consultant at E 6 Project Consulting (E6PC); for comments, further information, and clarifications, he may be contacted at Consult@e6pc.com.
His other papers can be viewed at https://pmworldlibrary.net/authors/pascal-bohulu-mabelo/
