Bimarchis

What Bimarchis does

BIMARCHIS is a French non-profit professional association (association loi 1901) founded on October 16, 2019, with its registered office (siège social) in Paris. It operates as the first and only association specifically dedicated to representing and defending architects' interests within the Building Information Modeling (BIM) ecosystem in France and abroad. The association serves individual architects, architecture graduates, and architecture firms registered with the Order of Architects, addressing pain points around insufficient representation in BIM normalization commissions, lack of standardized practices and terminology, undefined contractual responsibilities for BIM management roles, and exposure to scope creep and unpaid additional work.

The association's core "product" is a platform of five specialized working groups (Groupes de travail) — covering Glossary, BIM Convention, Référentiels, Contracts/Missions/Remuneration, and Insurance/Law — which collaboratively develop shared standards, contractual frameworks, glossaries, and reference documents for the profession. Notable proprietary outputs include a standardized BIM Convention Template built from members' real-world models, a BIM Glossary to prevent terminology-driven scope ambiguity, a common contractual framework for architects and architecture firms, and a decoded Reference Framework for BIM standards. Distribution is via organic social media and direct member engagement rather than commercial channels.

BIMARCHIS's business model is that of a member-funded advocacy association, not a commercial enterprise. Revenue streams consist of tiered annual membership dues (varying by member category from honorary exemption through benefactor, active, and simple member tiers as set by the General Assembly), voluntary donations from supporters, and permissible public subsidies from the state, territorial collectivities, and public establishments. All governance functions, including the Board of Directors and Bureau roles (President Samuel LOCUS, Secretary Thierry BERNARDOUX, Treasurer Jean-française GUILLOT), are voluntary and unpaid per Article 14 of the statutes, with only reasonable expenses reimbursed. The association has no venture capital, private equity, or parent ownership structure.

Name

Bimarchis

Legal name

BIMARCHIS

Website

https://bimarchis.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

BIMARCHIS is a French non-profit association (loi 1901) founded in 2019 that represents architects' interests in the BIM ecosystem by developing standards, contractual frameworks, glossaries, and reference documents through specialized working groups. It serves individual architects, graduates, and architecture firms across France and internationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association (Architecture / BIM)

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Professional Organizations (813920)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Building Information Modeling (BIM) & Digital Design Services (BPAHAKAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Architecture, Construction & Building Codes Reference (Design, BIM, Safety Codes) (EDAGAGAH)

Keywords

• Building Information Modeling
• Professional association
• BIM standards
• Architectural services
• BIM governance

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees paid by members. The amount varies by membership category: honorary members are exempt, benefactor members pay a special annual fee, active members pay a reduced fee, and simple members pay a fixed annual sum determined by the General Assembly.
2. Donations: Voluntary donations from supporters of the association's mission.
3. Government Subsidies: Public funding from the state, territorial collectivities, and public establishments as permitted by law.
4. Donations (Contact Page): The association accepts donations from individuals who wish to support their mission.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

BIMARCHIS is a French non-profit professional association that develops BIM (Building Information Modeling) standards, contractual frameworks, and best practices specifically for architects through collaborative working groups. The association produces standardized deliverables including a BIM Convention Template, a BIM Glossary, a BIM Reference Framework, and guidance on Contracts/Missions/Remuneration and Insurance/Law, and represents architects' interests in BIM normalization commissions and institutions in France and internationally.

Product overview

Bimarchis is a French professional association (governed by the 1901 French law) for architects focused on Building Information Modeling (BIM). Rather than a software product company, it provides a platform of working groups and documentation resources including a BIM Glossary, a Model BIM Convention, Referentials, Contractual/Mission/Remuneration guidance, and Insurance/Law research. The association acts as a representative body for architects in BIM discussions and standardization efforts in France and internationally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Working Groups Program A collaborative framework of five specialized working groups (Glossary, BIM Convention, Référentiels, Contrats/Missions/Rémunérations, and Insurance/Law) that develop BIM standards, contractual frameworks, and best practices for architects. Each group is open to participation and led by a Board member, producing standardized deliverables for the architecture profession.
• BIM Convention Template A standard BIM convention document developed by the association for use by architects, authored collaboratively from existing models used by members and highlighting pitfalls and difficulties of BIM conventions imposed on architects by other stakeholders.
• BIM Glossary Standardized terminology for BIM-related terms to address inconsistencies and prevent misinterpretations that could lead to additional unpaid work for architects.
• Common BIM Contractual Framework A common BIM contractual framework developed for architects and architecture firms, addressing roles, responsibilities, and mission definitions in BIM processes, including Loi MOP and private contract considerations.
• BIM Reference Framework (Référentiels) Decoded BIM standards and reference documents to inform members of existing BIM references and influence ongoing work for architects' interests, including cataloging BIM norms, evaluating implementation constraints, and proposing orientation actions in normalization commissions.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Ordre des Architectes (Order of Architects)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019The association maintains working relations with the Order of Architects for exchanges on BIM normalization matters and professional representation.
• UNSFA (Syndicat des Architectes)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Collaborates with UNSFA on BIM-related topics and normalization commission work, as both organizations are active on these subjects.

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• AFNOR (Association Française de Normalisation): French national standards body that hosts and runs the BIM normalization commissions BIMARCHIS seeks to influence. It is an enabling/standards-setting peer rather than a direct competitor, but materially shapes the standards environment BIMARCHIS operates in.

Direct peers

• Ordre des Architectes (Conseil National de l'Ordre des Architectes): France's national regulator of the architect profession and a named strategic partner of BIMARCHIS. Both organizations exist to represent French architects' interests, and BIMARCHIS engages it specifically on BIM normalization matters, making it the closest institutional peer.
• AIA (American Institute of Architects): US professional association for architects that produces BIM contracts (e.g., AIA G202), BIM protocol guides, and continuing education. It is a clear international comparable for a national architect association producing standardized BIM documents.
• buildingSMART France: French chapter of buildingSMART International, focused on open BIM standards (IFC, BCF, bSDD). It is the most direct French peer for BIM standardization work, which is exactly the domain BIMARCHIS's Referentials working group operates in.
• MEDIACONSTRUCT (now Fédération CINOV Numérique): French association driving digital transformation of the construction industry, including BIM adoption. It overlaps with BIMARCHIS's mandate to harmonize BIM practices across construction stakeholders and represents construction-industry digitalization interests at national level.
• RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects): UK chartered body for architects that publishes professional standards, contracts, and BIM resources. It is a comparable national architects' institute engaged in BIM practice guidance, useful as a sizing and scope benchmark.
• CINOV (Fédération Française des Syndicats de Prestataires de Services, Conseil, Ingénierie et Numérique): French federation representing consulting, engineering, and digital firms — including many BIM practitioners who work alongside architects. It is comparable because it represents another profession-group with contractual and standards interests in BIM projects.
• UNSFA (Union Nationale des Syndicats Français d'Architectes): French national architects' union and a named strategic partner of BIMARCHIS, collaborating on BIM normalization and contractual topics. Both represent architects on professional practice issues and overlap directly on BIM-related advocacy.

Broad incumbents

• buildingSMART International: Global authority for open BIM standards with national chapters worldwide. It is a broader incumbent in the same BIM-standards space BIMARCHIS operates in, but at international scope rather than focused on architects.
• FFB (Fédération Française du Bâtiment): France's main federation for building contractors, with active BIM working groups and influence on BIM contractual norms. It is a broader incumbent on the construction side of BIM and competes for voice on BIM conventions imposed on architects.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bimarchis

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bimarchis