The Construction Research Centre (CONST) within the National Research Council (NRC) produces the National Model Construction Codes (Codes) on behalf of the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Canadian Board for Harmonized Construction Codes (CBHCC). CONST also produces the National Master Specifications (NMS), conducts product assessments through its Canadian Construction Materials Centre (CCMC) group, and develops related technical guides.

In 2022, CONST launched the NRC Platform initiative to decarbonize the construction sector by boosting digitalization and productivity. A prerequisite for enabling digital construction practices is a digital version of the Codes that is interoperable with digital platforms and software used by practitioners, building asset owners, and regulators. The NRC Platform’s project aims to establish a data framework for construction, potentially leading to a CONST common data environment, with a beta release scheduled by 2026.

Before implementation, CONST needed to assess data governance requirements head-on. That meant working through copyright implications, managing risk around open-source XML data, and aligning with federal guidelines and precedents from comparable organizations. CONST engaged Bronson to conduct an initial data governance analysis that would inform the overall planning for the target-state availability of digitalized Codes and NMS.

The Challenge

Moving from traditional construction code publication into a digital, interoperable, potentially open-source environment is not a routine digitization project. It puts regulatory data, intellectual property, federal policy, and stakeholder interoperability all on the same table at the same time.

The main challenges Bronson tackled:

• Multi-channel current state. CONST distributes content through several channels: HTML Codes, printed publications, NMS publications, and other formats. The governance analysis had to cover all of them.
• Regulatory data complexity. The Codes are regulatory data adopted by federal, provincial, and territorial governments. Governance choices carry implications well beyond CONST itself.
• Intellectual property and copyright exposure. Decisions about open-source XML availability, distribution rights, and external use carry real IP and copyright considerations that had to be examined explicitly.
• External XML source code requests. CONST already receives external requests for XML source code. Current practices for handling those requests needed to be reviewed and benchmarked against where the NRC Platform target state was heading.
• Federal precedent benchmarking. Two to three comparable federal organizations managing similar open-source data needed to be reviewed to surface applicable guidelines, policies, and constraints.
• Alignment to a moving target state. The NRC Platform’s preliminary target state was still under development. The governance analysis had to inform that planning rather than respond to a finalized design.
• Stakeholder alignment for transition. Whatever direction CONST chose, it had to be deliverable through a transition that stakeholders across CONST and the broader NRC could support.

CONST needed an evidence-based governance analysis that connected today’s regulatory data practices to tomorrow’s NRC Platform target state, with a credible transition path between the two.

Our Solution and Impact

Bronson designed and delivered the engagement as a structured, five-step analysis, organized to move from discovery through current state, federal benchmarking, findings, and transition planning. The work was organized into the following streams:

1. Kick Off and Discovery

Bronson mobilized the engagement, confirmed objectives, scope, and approach with CONST, and aligned on timeline and stakeholders. This step grounded the analysis in CONST’s actual operational priorities rather than abstract governance frameworks.

2. Current State Review

Bronson conducted a structured review of CONST’s distribution channels, including HTML Codes, printed publications, and NMS publications. The review then focused on current state data governance for regulatory data, with deliberate attention to two areas: the scope and application of risk management, IP, and copyright, and the current practices CONST applies when handling external requests for XML source code.

3. Federal Practice and Future State Review

Bronson examined practices, guidelines, policies, and constraints at two to three comparable federal organizations managing similar open-source data. In parallel, Bronson reviewed the NRC Platform’s preliminary target state to ensure the governance analysis aligned with where CONST was heading, not just where it stood today.

4. Consolidate and Present Findings

Bronson analyzed, consolidated, and documented findings into a single, decision-ready deliverable. The consolidation step pulled the current state, federal precedent, and target-state views together into one coherent picture for CONST leadership.

5. Transition and Alignment Approach

Bronson facilitated sessions with CONST and relevant stakeholders to discuss possible approaches for transitioning and aligning data governance toward the NRC Platform target state. Discussion outputs were summarized and folded back into the final deliverable, ensuring the analysis carried both diagnostic and forward-looking weight.

Key Deliverables

• Engagement Mobilization and Discovery Confirmation – A documented confirmation of engagement objectives, scope, approach, timeline, and stakeholders, anchoring the analysis in CONST’s operational priorities.

• Current State Data Governance Review – A focused review of current state data governance for regulatory data, covering the scope and application of risk management, IP and copyright, and current practices for external requests for XML source code.
• Federal Practice Benchmarking Review – A documented review of practices, guidelines, policies, and constraints at two to three comparable federal organizations managing similar open-source data, providing precedent and benchmark context for CONST’s choices.
• NRC Platform Target State Alignment Review – A review of the NRC Platform’s preliminary target state to support the governance analysis and ensure alignment with the broader digitization direction.
• Consolidated Findings Deliverable – An analyzed, consolidated, and documented set of findings combining current state, federal precedent, and target-state perspectives into a single decision-ready picture.
• Transition and Alignment Approach – Documented stakeholder discussion outputs and a recommended approach for transitioning and aligning CONST’s data governance toward the NRC Platform target state, integrated into the final deliverable.

• Distribution Channel Review – A documented review of CONST’s distribution channels, including HTML Codes, printed publications, and NMS publications, capturing how regulatory content currently reaches practitioners, asset owners, and regulators.

The Impact

Bronson’s work gave the Construction Research Centre an evidence-based governance foundation for its move into digital, interoperable, potentially open-source construction codes and specifications. Specifically, the engagement delivered:

• A clear picture of CONST’s current data governance practices for regulatory data, including how risk management, IP, copyright, and external XML source code requests are handled today.
• A federal precedent base drawn from two to three comparable organizations managing similar open-source data, surfacing the guidelines, policies, and constraints CONST should weigh in its own decisions.
• An alignment view between current practice and the NRC Platform’s preliminary target state, helping CONST see what stays, what changes, and what new governance is required.
• A recommended transition and alignment approach validated through facilitated stakeholder discussion, giving CONST a credible starting point for moving from analysis into planning.

The result is a governance foundation that supports the broader NRC Platform initiative to decarbonize the construction sector through digitalization. As CONST works toward a 2026 beta release of digitized National Model Construction Codes and National Master Specifications, the analysis Bronson delivered helps ensure the underlying data governance, IP, and risk management practices are aligned to that target state rather than catching up to it after the fact.