Overview
ISO 6707-2:2017 - Buildings and civil engineering works - Vocabulary - Part 2: Contract and communication terms - is an international terminology standard that defines the language used for contracts, project information and communications in building and civil engineering projects. The third edition (2017) reorganizes and expands the vocabulary to cover information/data, communication and collaborative working, and contract measurement concepts - making it especially relevant where consistent terminology is needed across teams, contracts and digital workflows (including BIM).
Key topics and technical focus
This part of ISO 6707 concentrates on standardized definitions rather than prescriptive construction rules. Key topics include:
- Contract basics: definition of “contract” and related contractual concepts used in construction procurement and tendering (e.g., tender/bid, specification, programme).
- Information and data: terms for document types and data units - document, record, drawing, as-built drawing, production drawing, schedule, plan, identifier (UID/GUID), article number, GTIN.
- Modelling and information exchange: definitions for model, information model, modelling, information delivery manual (IDM), exchange requirement (ER) and interaction schema to support coordinated digital information exchange.
- Project communication: terms for project information, general information, management information, brief, plan of work and programme.
- Administration and asset lifecycle terms: identifiers, product catalogue, maintenance and operational manuals, and terms that support procurement, documentation and facility management.
The standard also:
- Lists preferred and admitted terms and country-specific synonyms (e.g., US variants).
- Provides an alphabetical index and cross-references to help locate terms.
- Refers to normative references such as ISO 6707-1 for general terms.
Practical applications and users
ISO 6707-2 is practical for anyone who needs unambiguous language in construction and civil engineering contracts and information exchange:
- Contract managers, procurement teams and legal advisors drafting or interpreting construction contracts and specifications.
- Architects, engineers and consultants preparing documents, drawings, schedules and information delivery requirements.
- BIM managers, information managers and software implementers working on model-based workflows, IDMs and data exchanges.
- Contractors, subcontractors and facility managers who rely on consistent document and identifier definitions for handover, maintenance and operations.
- Standards writers and publishers aligning national or organizational terminology with international practice.
Related standards
Using ISO 6707-2 helps reduce ambiguity in contracts and digital exchanges, improving clarity in procurement, project delivery and BIM-enabled collaboration.
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