Members are invited to Projects and Projects are created in an Account. In a typical scenario, an owner or general contractor owns the account, creates a project in their account, invites members to the account and assigns them to projects. The account (doesn't matter who owns the account) must provide licensing for ALL invited members. However, there is an exception for BIM 360 Design. Read on.
"Given a supply chain on a $60 billion project, which party is responsible for buying the licenses and administering? ".... Typically the owner or the General Contractor. If the owner buys the license, the owner is the "Account Admin". They can then assign the GC as a "Project Admin". This gives the owner the ability to monitor the project. It can also make handover easier. Usually owners are not familiar with BIM 360 so they should work with an Autodesk approved BIM 360 partner/consultant for setting up and enforcing guidelines, BIM Execution Plan for example, invited members must follow. My company can help if needed.
"As I understand the Design License, holders are welcome to join any BIM 360 project if they are invited by another party that holds at least one Design license. Is this correct?".... Yes but they are limited to what type of access. With BIM 360 Design, invited members have access to document management and design collaboration but they won't have access to model coordination, field management, or project management. Click HERE to see license model for BIM 360 Design.
"..., except for Design, Plan and Ops, all licenses must be bought and procured by one party, for instance the Principal Agent / Owner and that they then assign these across the supply chain? ".... The only product that has Bring Your Own License (BYOL) is BIM 360 Design. BIM 360 Plan and Ops are each purchased separately. BTW, with the size of this project, proper planning is critical.
"Is there a reference online that explains this succinctly? "... See link above for BIM 360 Design.
I can't stress the importance with speaking to an experienced Autodesk approved BIM 360 partner for planning, implementation, training, and support. I hope this helps!
