Small Business Standards (SBS) welcomes the publication of the new Compatibility Policy for ISO 16739-1 (IFC), adopted within ISO/TC 59/SC 13. This represents a major advance in ensuring that IFC remains stable, predictable and usable throughout the entire lifecycle of construction projects.
The document establishes, for the first time, a clear and structured framework describing how future IFC revisions must be assessed for compatibility. It defines what constitutes a minor or major revision, sets rules for acceptable changes, and introduces practical tools such as compatibility checklists and decision tables. These help standardisers evaluate whether proposed updates could break interoperability and ensure that IFC evolves without disrupting existing data or software.
For many years, SMEs have faced practical difficulties when IFC revisions introduced incompatibilities, forcing costly software updates or manual rework of digital models. The new policy directly addresses this challenge by making compatibility a formal requirement, significantly reducing risk and uncertainty for smaller companies.
This achievement builds on the SBS position paper on IFC compatibility and the work of SBS Expert Pierre-François Jullien, who led the editorial committee drafting the deliverable. His leadership ensured that SME needs were fully reflected in the final text and that the resulting framework is both rigorous and workable for industry.
By giving SMEs confidence that IFC data will remain usable over time and across software tools, the new policy removes a major barrier to adopting BIM and openBIM workflows. It supports fair competition, lowers digitalisation costs and strengthens interoperability across the construction ecosystem.