MANDATORY IMPLEMENTATION OF BUILDING INFORMATION MODELING AS A MECHANISM FOR DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION OF THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY IN THE REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN

Abstract

The digital transformation of the construction industry requires a shift from fragmented voluntary technology adoption to structured regulatory implementation. This study examines the mandatory implementation of Building Information Modeling (BIM), referred to in Kazakhstan as TIMSO (Technology of Information Modeling of Construction Objects), as a pre-implementation case of regulatory-driven digital transformation in the construction sector of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Using a comparative document-based analysis and drawing on institutional theory, innovation diffusion, and international BIM mandate experience, the study analyzes the regulatory design of mandatory BIM adoption in Kazakhstan in relation to three reference jurisdictions: the United Kingdom, Singapore, and Finland. A three-level analytical framework is developed, comprising normative, organizational, and technological dimensions of implementation. The study introduces the concept of computable regulation readiness (CRR) to distinguish between the formal adoption of BIM mandates and the broader regulatory conditions required for automated compliance checking (ACC). The findings show that Kazakhstan’s mandate already establishes the formal basis for structured information delivery and phased implementation, but that digital submission infrastructure, interoperability enforcement, and institutional authorization of computational verification remain underdeveloped. The study demonstrates that mandatory BIM adoption should not be equated with computable regulation readiness and argues that regulatory digitalization depends on the combined development of structured data requirements, standardized exchange procedures, and formalized regulatory knowledge. The findings contribute to the literature on regulatory-driven BIM adoption in transitional economies and provide practical implications for digital construction governance.