Building information modelling (BIM) implementation in South Africa, though spanning over a decade, has been neither widespread nor optimal, prompting a need to identify key constraints to achieving this. Data was collected through semi-structured interviewing of purposively selected consultants who have implemented BIM within their organisations and on projects. Key industry level constraints to optimal and widespread implementation of BIM in South Africa include lack of standards and uniform protocols as well as lack of government capacity, buy-in and support. These in turn contribute to varying patterns of implementation methodologies among collaborators along with non-interoperability of technology and business processes. The findings establish a clear demand for countryspecific standards and institutional backing, though current implementers adopt or adapt standards and protocols from other countries. Taking the proliferation of BIM standards into account, rather than recreating such standards for the South African construction industry, it is more efficient to adopt or adapt existing standards from countries already leading in BIM. Therefore, as countries lagging in BIM continue to adopt or adapt existing BIM standards, diverse standards and methodologies across the world may evolve towards a dominant pattern of BIM implementation practice among existing variants and with global collaboration global BIM standards may emerge.