In 2002 the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) assessed the cost of Inadequate Interoperability in the U.S. Capital Facilities Industry. The cost of inadequate interoperability was quantified by comparing current business activities and costs with a hypothetical counterfactual scenario in which electronic data exchange, management, and access are fluid and seamless. This implies that information must be entered into electronic systems only once, and it is then available to all stakeholders instantaneously through information technology networks on an as-need basis.