The use of the BIM methodology has an impact on all stakeholders of the Architectural Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry in a fundamental way. A carefully planned transition is necessary to avoid economical damage. In many countries around the world, government-driven initiatives are underway to initiate the necessary changes. Germany is also preparing the transition to BIM-based workflows in its AEC industry. In 2015, the German Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure defined a comprehensive roadmap for the stepwise introduction of BIM methods with the goal to make BIM mandatory for federal infrastructure projects. The authors present the outcomes of the large-scale project BIM4INFRA2020 initiated by the government that helped to pave the way towards the German BIM mandate through a number of measures, including the precise definition of the BIM implementation on the basis of well-defined use cases, the guidance and supervision of a number of carefully selected pilot projects, the creation of extensive guidelines and handouts, and the formulation of measures to be taken by industry and government to overcome yet existing hurdles.