The BIM manager should first create a controlled package containing only the models, documents, and supporting information required for the interior-partition scope. A package establishes a defined information exchange and prevents subcontractors from relying on unrelated or uncontrolled project content.

Role-based permissions and folder-level access must then be configured according to the principle of least privilege. The subcontractors should receive only the minimum viewing, downloading, uploading, or editing rights necessary to perform their contractual tasks. Structural, MEP, scheduling, commercial, and other restricted folders should remain inaccessible rather than merely hidden within a broader model set.

Watermarking does not prevent unauthorized viewing or access. Granting full project access and relying on verbal instructions provides no enforceable technical control and creates an unacceptable information-security risk. Hiding coordination issues is unrelated to controlling access to model files and may obstruct legitimate issue resolution within the subcontractors’ assigned scope.

The BIM manager should test the permissions using an equivalent user role, confirm that inherited folder permissions do not expose restricted information, and document the approved access configuration as part of the onboarding record.

Reference topics: Common Data Environment security; role-based access; folder permissions; information packages; least-privilege access; subcontractor onboarding.