The agreement between PBS, Finland's Senate Properties, the Danish Enterprise and Construction Authority and Norway's Directorate of Public Construction and Property supports open source standards for building information modeling. BIM is an emerging technology that generates finely detailed three- and four-dimensional virtual models and links it with data. To make sure BIM technologies from multiple vendors will work together, GSA wants vendors to work toward interoperability.

GSA and its three new partners are committed to making their construction projects accessible for piloting and will work together to issue corresponding BIM requirements, open standards mandates, and adoption schedules with the goal of using these on a regular basis within two to four years.

"This is a significant collaboration," PBS Commissioner David Winstead says of the new agreement. "It gives public owners and users a leadership role in the development of this important tool, and promotes global cooperation and creativity."