The Role of Information Management Consultants in Modern Construction
The Middle East construction industry has embraced specialised consultants for decades. Structural engineers. MEP consultants. Quantity surveyors. Project managers. Each brings deep expertise to their domain.
But there is a relatively new specialist that is becoming increasingly critical: the Information Management Consultant.
Why Information Management Needs Specialists
Construction projects generate massive amounts of information. Design documents. Specifications. As-built documentation. Asset data. Warranties. Maintenance requirements.
Managing this information is not just an administrative task — it is a strategic capability that directly influences operational performance and long-term asset outcomes.
Many project teams understand construction. They understand design. But ISO 19650–aligned information management, and the operational information requirements that support asset performance, require a different and specialised skill set.
What Information Management Consultants Do
- Strategic Planning: Developing OIR, AIR, EIR, and LOIN (Organisational Information Requirements, Asset Information Requirements, Exchange Information Requirements, and Level of Information Need) that align with organisational objectives
- Process Design: Creating workflows that ensure information is captured, validated, and delivered progressively
- Technology Implementation: Deploying and configuring platforms like OmTrak to operationalise ISO 19650 principles
- Stakeholder Coordination: Ensuring all parties — from designers to contractors to FM teams — understand their information responsibilities
- Quality Assurance: Validating information completeness and accuracy throughout the project lifecycle
- Capability Building: Training project teams to implement ISO 19650 effectively
The Value Proposition
Consider the alternative: project teams learning ISO 19650 through trial and error on complex, high-value projects. The cost of mistakes is significant. Incomplete information. Delayed handovers. Operational inefficiencies.
Specialised information management consultants bring proven methodologies, lessons learned from hundreds of projects, and the experience to avoid recurring pitfalls that emerge when information governance is established too late.
The ROI Is Compelling — When Done Properly
A typical information management consulting engagement represents a small fraction of total project value, yet can deliver measurable benefits when implemented early and governed effectively:
- Up to a 12-month reduction in post-handover information validation time
- Material reduction in FM mobilisation effort and associated costs
- Significant reduction in post-handover information gaps
- Earlier and more efficient operational readiness
The return on investment is not measured in marginal gains, but in reduced risk, improved certainty, and faster transition to operations.
The Middle East Context
As the region continues to advance digital delivery practices — including strengthened BIM requirements, large-scale national development programmes, and increased focus on operational performance — the demand for robust information management capability continues to grow.
Projects can no longer afford to learn ISO 19650 implementation on the job. The stakes are too high. The timelines are too tight. The operational consequences are too significant.
The Future of the Profession
Information management consulting is evolving from a niche discipline into a core project role, comparable in importance to quantity surveying or project management.
Forward-thinking developers are appointing information management consultants during design — not at handover — recognising that information management is not an afterthought, but a critical success factor that underpins long-term asset value.
The Question for Your Organisation
Do you have the in-house capability to implement ISO 19650 effectively? Or would specialist consulting support reduce risk and accelerate delivery?
At WebFM, we have spent 25 years building information management capability across 3,500+ projects. We have seen what works, what does not, and how to navigate the realities of digital delivery on complex programmes.
Is your project getting the information management expertise it needs?