COBie (Construction-Operations Building information exchange)

COBie (Construction-Operations Building information exchange) is an open spreadsheet-based format for handing operational data from construction to facility management. Originally developed by US Army Corps of Engineers for federal facilities, COBie is now an international standard (ISO 19650-aligned). Indian construction increasingly uses COBie for major commercial and government buildings to provide structured operational data at handover.

COBie data categories: (1) Facility — building basic information, location, type. (2) Floor — floor-by-floor information. (3) Space — individual rooms and areas. (4) Zone — functional zones (HVAC, fire, security). (5) Type — equipment categories. (6) Component — individual equipment items with manufacturer + model + warranty. (7) System — building systems (HVAC, electrical, plumbing). (8) Spare — spare parts inventory. (9) Resource — operations and maintenance resources. (10) Job — operations and maintenance jobs. (11) Document — maintenance manuals, warranties, drawings.

Application: Indian major commercial and government projects (airports, metros, hospitals, government offices) increasingly require COBie spreadsheet at project handover. The data populates facility management software (IBM TRIRIGA, Archibus, Maximo) for ongoing operations. Major Indian COBie service providers: BIM Workshop, Genesis BIM, Capacit'e BIM Services. The most-overlooked aspect of Indian COBie adoption: data quality at handover. Many projects deliver COBie spreadsheets at handover but with incomplete data (missing manufacturer information, partial component lists). Spending on COBie at handover saves multiples in operational efficiency through ongoing facility management.