ABSTRACT

Public procurement plays a pivotal role in achieving sustainability goals, yet the legal frameworks often fall short in integrating effective tools to support this aim. One such tool is Building Information Modelling (BIM), a digital methodology that facilitates collaboration and lifecycle management in construction projects. While BIM is widely recognized for enhancing efficiency and quality, its potential to support sustainability in public procurement remains underexplored in legal research. This study investigates the legal and policy implications of BIM’s implementation in sustainable public procurement (SPP), with a focus on the Hungarian regulatory landscape and comparative international practices. Through a dual-method approach comprising a systematic literature review and an analysis of Hungarian procurement data, the study reveals a significant gap between the theoretical potential of BIM for SPP and its actual legal application. The results demonstrate that legal and administrative sciences are underrepresented in the BIM discourse and that sustainability objectives are rarely embedded in BIM-related public procurement.

This paper argues that aligning BIM regulation with sustainability goals is both necessary and achievable through proactive legal frameworks. The findings underscore the urgency of legislative and policy interventions to harness BIM’s full potential in promoting sustainable development through public procurement.

keywords

Building Information Modelling, BIM, public procurement n sustainable public procurement, implementation  

citation (MLA)

Szabó, Kinga. „To regulate or not to regulate? The impact of Building Information Modelling (BIM) on sustainability in public procurement from a legal perspective.” Jog–Állam–Politika: Jog- és politikatudományi folyóirat, vol. 18, no. 2, 2026, pp. 189-213.
https://doi.org/10.58528/JAP.2026.18-2.189.

[1] Phd candidate, Széchenyi István University Doctoral School of Law and Political Sciences; drkingaszabo@gmail.com, szabo.kinga3@sze.hu.
MTMT: 10081267 * ORCID: 0000-0003-2610-9947.

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