Understanding Status Codes – BS EN ISO 19650-2 National Annex A

**Information is relevant from the February 2021 update.

Issue

The status codes tend to be one of the more confusing parts of the standard naming structure set out originally in BS 1192:2007 and now in BS EN ISO 19650-2 National Annex A with a subsequent update in Feb 2021. When working within a team, is it the most misunderstood mainly because of how they are supposed to be applied within a project and particularly on deliverables and we regularly get questions on how this should be applies in projects, and in some cases represented in Common Data Environments such as Autodesk Docs.

Detail

For those who are new to compliant naming structure, Status Codes are one of the naming containers used to identify different information deliverables. Generally you have standard naming containers including things like originator, level and discipline but Status and Revision are not normally included in the name of a file or drawing, but included as metadata within the file or when uploaded to a common data environment.

There are differences between Revisions and Suitability codes and how they should be used.

Revisions – Revisions are each issued iteration of a file whether that is a Preliminary or Contractual issue (eg P01 or C01). See ISO 19650-2 NA.4.3 for more details on revision use and order.

Suitability – Status codes are to be used to illustrate to recipients of information what the creator is authorising the suitability of use of the information used. This allows you to have more control on the use of the data in terms of a progressive design process and an information release and use purpose.

Lets look at the Status Code table from ISO 19650-2 NA.4.2 – Table NA.2.

Status codes are broken into 2 core categories:
– S codes (WIP or preliminary and Non-contractual status)
– A and B codes (Published Contractual Status), although B codes are recommended not to be used as these would still be deemed preliminary information.

It should be noted that this list can be expanded for project specific codes to be recorded in the BIM Execution Plan however our advice would be to keep within the 2 core categories. It should also be noted that BS 1192:2007 also had ‘D’ status codes which were non contractual codes which allowed you to skip some of the formal issue process, however these have now been removed from the standard as they were being misused.

Therefore when applying status codes to any piece of information it is important to understand what your information is suitable to be used for and how they relate to the state containers in the Common Data Environment. If you are providing information from the WIP or Shared containers generally you will only be using the S codes and will only ever have a preliminary Revision applied to them. The S codes are used to aid the design and delivery teams to have access to information prior to published information being issued, S1 and S2, and to aid in the delivery or sign off a project stage, specifically the three stage review and approve workflow around codes S3, S4 and S5.

Once a piece of information is formally moved to the Published container and has passed through all the relevant sign off and approval processes, it then becomes contractual and an ‘A’ code can be applied at its relevant design stage. The aim is to have a set of signed off information with an A status for each delivery stage. Therefore if a piece of information has been signed off for contractual use in RIBA Stage 3 for Planning purposes, for example, this would gain an ‘A3’ code.

And finally prior to the physical handover, the virtual model, drawings and documentation should be verified against what has been built on site and status changed to ‘A6’ aligning with the handover stage of a project or appointment. Ideally the A6 code should only be used if it is a contractual as constructed record which requires verification and capture of any changes made between design and final build of the asset. The previously used CR code has now also been removed from this guidance and should no longer be used.

These codes can be explained in terms of their use a little further as follows:

Status code commentary explanation:

• S0 – generally should not be provided outside of the authorship environment and is the initial status given to any information during compilation.
• S1 – Normally applied to information shared between design teams for information and reference purposes only. Aids with project review and informing the teams of key information which can be used as a geometrical or non-geometrical reference to other teams’ information or delivery.
• S2 – Normally applied to information shared between design teams for coordination and development. Aids with discipline specific advancement or mid stage review and control of projects such as project management or cost reviews during design and delivery stages.
• S3 – First stage to formal sign off. May be used by task teams to share approval workflows within their own team prior to formal issue to other parties.
• S4 – Second stage approval to authorising individuals for formal sign off prior to client approval. This captures any final comments or issues by project leads prior to submission to the appointing party.
• S5 – Final stage approval by the appointing party prior to being converted to a published state. Issued for sign off prior to becoming an A status code.
• A Code – Normally followed by a sequential number relating to the approved work stage. Contractual information which has been approved for use at that stage by all parties
• B Code – Normally followed by a sequential number relating to the approved work stage however not recommended use.

Any additional codes should be added to an execution plan with the recorded purpose of use as above so that it is clear what each is to be used for. Hopefully this guide has been useful to help explain each of the status codes and their usage.

It should be noted that ISO 19650-1, 2 &3 are currently under review in 2026 and due for an updated publication (potentially Dec 2026). Please check the latest standards prior to formalising status codes on your project in line with your Exchange Information Requirements and Execution Plans.

Further Reading:
BS EN ISO 19650-2 Guidance – IMI Framework
Facilitating the CDE – Guidance C