How Integrated Digital Delivery (IDD) Works in Singapore Construction
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Integrated Digital Delivery (IDD) is the Building and Construction Authority's (BCA) approach to connecting everyone involved in a building project through shared digital data, from design to long-term operation. It sits at the centre of Singapore's push to raise construction productivity, and it now shapes how developers write tender requirements and how contractors plan digital work on site.
This guide explains what IDD is, how BCA's framework is structured, how IDD differs from Building Information Modelling (BIM), and how contractors can put it into practice. It also shows where computer vision fits into the site-delivery stage.
What Is Integrated Digital Delivery (IDD) in Singapore?
Integrated Digital Delivery (IDD) is "a holistic approach that uses digital technologies to connect all stakeholders involved in a construction project," according to BCA.
For example, when an engineer updates a building design, the revised information can be shared with contractors through a common digital platform. Site teams can then use the latest drawings, coordinate activities and reduce the risk of working with outdated information.
In Singapore, BCA identifies four main stages of IDD:
Design: Create and coordinate building plans digitally.
Fabrication: Use digital information to manufacture building components.
Construction: Track site activities, progress, safety and resources.
Asset Delivery and Management: Transfer project information for building operation and maintenance.
The objective is simple: help everyone involved in a construction project work with accurate, connected information.
How Does IDD Work in Construction?
IDD works by connecting project information that would otherwise be managed separately by different teams. It helps construction professionals access the latest information, coordinate activities and identify issues before they lead to unnecessary delays.
Consider a building project where an engineer changes the location of a mechanical installation. Without connected systems, the updated drawing may not reach the site team immediately. Contractors could continue working from an older plan, resulting in rework.
With IDD, the revised information can be shared through a digital platform, allowing the relevant teams to review the change and update their work.
A typical IDD process involves five activities:
Digital planning: Architects and engineers create building models and coordinate designs.
Information sharing: Project teams access updated drawings, schedules and documents through a shared platform.
Construction monitoring: Site teams record work progress, inspections, equipment activities and safety observations.
Project coordination: Managers compare site information with project plans and address issues requiring attention.
Digital handover: Completed project records are transferred to the building owner for future management.
IDD does not mean that every construction activity becomes automated. Instead, it helps different digital systems and project teams work together more effectively.
What Is the Difference Between IDD and BIM?
Building Information Modeling (BIM) is a method of creating and managing digital information about a building. Integrated Digital Delivery (IDD) is the broader approach that connects BIM with project activities, people and information throughout construction and building management.
BIM provides the digital building model, while IDD helps project teams use and share that information across different stages.
Factor | BIM | IDD |
Main purpose | Create and manage digital building models | Connect information and workflows across a project |
Focus | Building design, information and coordination | Design, fabrication, construction and building management |
Information used | Digital models and building information | BIM models, schedules, site records, documents and other project data |
Main users | Architects, engineers, designers and other project teams | Designers, contractors, fabricators, site managers and building owners |
Example | Identifying a clash between structural and mechanical systems | Sharing the resolved design with contractors and coordinating installation |
For example, BIM can identify that an air-conditioning duct conflicts with a structural beam. IDD helps ensure that the corrected design reaches the teams responsible for fabrication, installation and project coordination.
A construction project can use BIM without fully implementing IDD. However, BIM is an important foundation for many IDD workflows.
Why Is IDD Important for Singapore's Construction Industry?
IDD matters because it targets the coordination problems that cause rework and delay, and because Singapore's regulators are moving project submissions and tender requirements onto digital platforms. BCA states that IDD improves decision-making from early project stages and "avoids costly abortive works downstream."
Three developments make IDD relevant to contractors now:
Digital regulatory submission: CORENET X replaces CORENET 2 as Singapore's building plan submission system. According to the BCA and URA circular on CORENET X, it became mandatory for new projects with a gross floor area (GFA) of 30,000 m² and above from 1 October 2025, and for new projects of 5,000 m² and above from 1 October 2026. Digital Submission and Approval is also one of BCA's 19 IDD use cases.
Tender requirements: Employers can specify IDD use cases, a CDE and digital roles directly in contracts through the IDD Requirements Guide.
Site productivity measurement: BCA measures construction productivity as constructed floor area divided by site worker man-days, so better site data supports productivity reporting.
What Technologies Are Used in Integrated Digital Delivery?
IDD uses different digital technologies to connect building designs, site activities and project records. Contractors do not necessarily need every technology; the selection depends on project requirements.
Technology | How it supports IDD |
BIM and Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) | Create digital building models and coordinate construction activities before work begins |
Common Data Environment (CDE) | Provides a shared platform for drawings, documents, schedules and project records |
Digital Project Management Platforms | Track construction schedules, tasks, approvals and project updates |
IoT Sensors and Smart Devices | Collect information about equipment, site conditions and selected operational activities |
Drones and LiDAR | Capture site imagery and spatial information for surveys, inspections and progress monitoring |
Computer Vision | Analyses camera footage to identify selected site activities, safety risks and operational events |
QR Codes and RFID | Help track building components from fabrication through delivery and installation |
For example, BIM can show where a prefabricated component should be installed, while QR codes can help track that component during production and delivery. Site inspection applications can then record installation checks and update the project's digital records.
The value of IDD comes from connecting these records, not simply installing more software.
How Does Computer Vision Support Integrated Digital Delivery?
Computer vision supports Integrated Digital Delivery (IDD) by converting construction-site camera footage into digital records that can be used for site management, safety reporting and project coordination. It helps connect activities happening on-site with the digital information used by construction teams.
BCA identifies Digital Safety Planning and Management and Digital Site Management among its essential IDD use cases. Computer vision can support these activities in three ways:
Digital site records: Captures selected site activities and safety observations as time-stamped records.
Connected reporting: Organises detected events into digital dashboards and reports that can be shared with relevant project teams.
Project coordination: Provides updated site information that managers can use alongside construction schedules, inspection records and other project data.
For example, viAct construction AI safety solution can analyse compatible existing CCTV footage and organise detected events through viHUB, its centralised management platform. Where suitable integrations are available, these records can contribute to the project's wider digital management workflows.
Singapore's mandatory video surveillance system (VSS) requirements also provide a relevant starting point. Since 1 June 2024, construction worksites with contract values of S$5 million and above have been required to install VSS. Although AI video analytics is not mandatory, compatible camera infrastructure can support additional digital monitoring applications.
Computer vision does not replace BIM or other IDD systems. Its role is to provide structured information from actual construction-site activities, which can complement the design, planning and management information already used by project teams.
What Are the Benefits of IDD for Construction Companies?
IDD helps construction companies finish projects faster, with fewer mistakes, less rework and less paperwork. It does this by keeping everyone, from designers to site teams, working from the same digital information.
Main benefits:
Faster projects: Design reviews, approvals and site coordination take less time.
Less rework: Problems are found in the digital model before they show up on site.
Less paperwork: Records, approvals and requests move online.
Better coordination: Designers, fabricators, contractors and owners all see the same up-to-date information.
Safer sites: Digital monitoring helps teams spot hazards earlier and keep better safety records.
Lower costs: Fewer mistakes, delays and repeated work mean less money wasted.
A total of 7,000+ working hours were saved during May 2025–April 2026 by a leading Singapore construction company following the deployment of viAct AI monitoring solution across high-rise and infrastructure projects involving more than 12,000 workers. Site observations, from missing helmets to near-misses between workers and heavy machinery, were captured as time-stamped digital records and consolidated into centralised reports.
This supported BCA's Digital Safety Planning and Management and Digital Site Management use cases under IDD, improving site documentation, information sharing and coordination across project teams.
How Can Contractors Implement IDD in Singapore?
Contractors can implement Integrated Digital Delivery (IDD) by identifying where better information sharing is needed and introducing suitable digital tools. BCA recommends starting with clear project goals, selecting relevant digital activities and measuring their results.
The process involves six steps:
Identify the project's needs: Determine which activities need improvement, such as design coordination, construction scheduling, site inspections or progress reporting.
Choose what to digitalise: Select relevant activities from BCA's 19 essential IDD use cases based on the project's requirements.
Select suitable digital tools: Choose BIM software, project management platforms, digital inspection applications or monitoring systems that support the selected activities.
Connect project information: Make sure architects, engineers, contractors and site managers can access updated drawings, schedules and site records through a shared digital platform.
Assign responsibilities: Decide who will update project information, manage digital records and ensure that different teams receive the information they need.
Test and improve: Start with selected activities, check whether the tools improve coordination and reporting, and expand their use where appropriate.
Where IDD is specified in a project tender, contractors may also need to prepare an IDD Implementation Plan (IDDIP) explaining the selected digital activities, responsibilities and expected outcomes.
Conclusion: Key Takeaways
Integrated Digital Delivery (IDD) connects people, processes and project information across design, fabrication, construction and building management.
BIM is an important foundation for IDD, but IDD extends beyond digital building models to include connected project workflows.
BCA identifies 19 essential IDD use cases to guide digital adoption across construction projects.
IDD is not universally mandatory for every Singapore construction project, although specific tender and contractual requirements may apply.
Computer vision, IoT, digital platforms and other technologies can support construction-stage monitoring and information sharing.
Successful IDD implementation requires clear objectives, reliable data, suitable technologies and cooperation between project teams.
For Singapore contractors, the main value of IDD is not simply moving construction information online. It is ensuring that the right people can access and use updated project information when making decisions.
Quick FAQs
1. What is IDD?
IDD (Integrated Digital Delivery) is BCA's approach to getting everyone on a construction project to use digital tools and share the same information, from design to building operation.
2. Is IDD mandatory in Singapore?
Not in general. Owners can ask for it in tenders, so check each project's requirements. CORENET X online submission is separate and is mandatory for new projects of 5,000 m² or more from 1 October 2026.
3. Can a Construction Project Use IDD Without BIM?
BIM is an important foundation for IDD because it provides structured digital building information. Some digital workflows can operate without BIM, but comprehensive IDD generally builds on BIM and connected project information.
4. How Does AI Support Integrated Digital Delivery?
AI can support IDD by analysing construction information, identifying selected site events and helping teams organise monitoring records. Computer vision, for example, can analyse compatible CCTV footage to support safety monitoring and site management. Its outputs can contribute to connected project workflows where appropriate integration is available.
5. Where Is Project Data Stored in an IDD System?
IDD project data for platforms like viAct may be stored on cloud platforms, on-premises servers or a combination of both, depending on the systems selected. Contractors should evaluate data location, access permissions, cybersecurity requirements and the project owner's data management policies before implementation.
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