Contractors are the largest beneficiaries of BIM technology. It’s interesting but their contribution is relatively small in relation to the benefits obtained. Moreover, working with a project becomes not only more pleasant but also more effective. The main benefits for Contractors:
- minimize the risk associated with the implementation of investments
- better coordination and control over the task
- automation of the BOQ development process
- streamlining the change management process
- clash detection
- schedule of work linked to the BIM model
- creating the different scenarios (revisions of the model) to optimize the project (cost, time of execution …)
Execution of the works based on BIM technology means, among others: saving time and resources, a professional approach to the task and control over the costs of the investment. The three-dimensional model is the best friend of any cost estimator or cost manager. A compendium of knowledge about the designer’s intentions, parameters of individual elements and their mutual relations as well as relations with the environment. The time we have spent in the past to counting the quantity (BOQ) today can be devoted to the analysis of the possibilities of reducing costs and optimization of the project. Please remember that we must have a good project to do our job properly.
It is a good practice to set the requirements for the content of data from the very beginning of cooperation with the designer. Of course, there are many design programs and each of them has its strengths and weaknesses. Therefore it is worth knowing the limits imposed by the program. We can’t expect things which are technically impossible to do. The same principle works the other way, knowing the possibilities of design tools, we can set specific requirements. Let’s all remember – the project is a product which has to serve the next participants of the investment process, not just makes a good impression.
How to start?
It is not so difficult. Most Contractors are terrified by the scale of investments related to the implementation of BIM. It’s huge mistake. For you the most important is to select the trusted collaborators with expected experience. If we do not have our design department, we can easily limit ourselves to free tools (viewers such as: BIMvision). Further steps, such as the preparation of a budget and a schedule of works, can be developed based on other BIM class tools, dedicated to this scope of work. We do not need design programs ?.