unit price that helps with streamlining the contracting process was created for seven technologies from FY 2012 to FY 2015.

## Section 3 Improving Construction Management Technology

## 1 Improving Costing Technology for Public Works

For the purpose of ensuring the transparency of public works, various price data standards are made public. In FY 2015, i-Construction, a method of improving productivity by incorporating ICT into studies, surveys, design functions, construction work, inspections, maintenance functions, and updating processes, was promoted and new estimation standards for ICT construction were enacted.

In addition to the promotion of i-Construction, estimation standards have been revised to facilitate the realization of attractive construction sites made possible by increasing the productivity of all construction site processes through the reinforcement of standards based on the cultivation of the maintenance sector, to be achieved in part by reviewing new bridge preservation work and methods of estimating maintenance work costs, and on amendments to laws on the verification of quality, to be achieved in part by reviewing enhancements to major metropolitan correction functions and the approach to the posting of accounts taken by transportation guidance and security personnel.

In addition, the standard percentages for civil engineering work were revised. In FY 2015, an expansion of construction categories subject to percentages for maintenance and repairs and corresponding percentage revisions as well as percentage revisions reflecting improvements in construction efficiency based on the latest in construction conditions were carried out to accommodate the aging of societal infrastructure.

Also, for construction machinery depreciation costs, field studies were carried out for the construction machinery owned by the contractors and the base value, maintenance and management costs, and operation costs were assessed and revisions are being implemented.

## CIM and BIM Initiatives

Construction Information Modeling/Management (CIM) endeavors to seamlessly connect processes at all stages by linking and developing three-dimensional models from the survey, planning, and design stages to the construction and maintenance management stages and promoting the sharing of information among concerned parties involved in the entire project. With trial operations having begun in FY 2012, studies on adopting and promoting CIM were carried out in FY 2015 in both systemic and technical terms through collaborative efforts on the part of industrial, academic, and governmental players.

Since FY 2010, the adoption of Building Information Modeling (BIM) to help visualize design content and integrate and consolidate building information has been subject to trial operations to verify the effect of the adoption of BIM and any issues that might consequently arise. In addition, Guidelines on the Development and Use of BIM Models in Government Building Projects, which outline the basic principles and considerations to be taken into account when using BIM for government building projects, were compiled in March 2014. Since FY 2014, a track record of cases involving BIM introduction to which the guidelines were applied has been maintained.

## Section 4 Technology Development for Construction Machinery and Mechanical Equipment

## (1) Development and Supply of Construction Machinery

In order to carry out the appropriate maintenance and management of rivers and roads managed by the national government and respond quickly to disaster recovery, initiatives are being carried out across the nation to implement machinery for maintenance and management, as well as machinery for disaster measures. In FY 2015, an extra forty-one machines were added and 279 aging machines were updated.

Furthermore, in order to improve efficiency, conservation of labor, and safety of construction associated flood control projects and road development projects, studies as well as research and development for construction machinery and construction processes are being undertaken.