I keep hearing and reading about all of this fuss and hullabaloo about this BIM thing – Building Information Modeling (or Management). Architects, engineers, and owners are singing the praises of information in 3D, 4D, or even 5D! So what is the fuss? BIM hasn’t even caught up with estimators and the estimating profession.
Architects and engineers tout the benefits of being able to see the project in 3-D. Estimators have to do this and have been doing this for centuries. They use the 2D plans to visualize how they fit in 3D so they can reliably estimate the costs.
The architects and engineers proclaim BIM will let them see the project in real time 4D to spot problems. Again estimators have been doing this for centuries. They have to determine the means and methods of the project in order to correctly estimate the costs.
When was the last time that an architect or engineer had a design that was complete? Not just 60% or 70%, but lets say 95% to 98% for a Design-Bid-Build project? Not in a long time! Estimators have been filling in the blanks before architecture became a profession.
The architects, engineers, owners and others are touting BIM as a great means to share information and improve the construction process. This could be considered the “I” in BIM. The trouble is this system relies upon the architects and engineers putting in the correct information in the first place. Big mistake! One way to correct this is to provide some training and education for architects and engineers. Ask any contractor for a course of study!
Oh, By the Way… My take on the BIM is: Bim! Bam! Boom! It is just another attempt to curtail a major crisis in construction due to a lack of “How To” knowledge in the design professions. It does accelerate communications but it is still GIGO (Garbage In Garbage Out) only faster without trained and educated personnel.
One Comment
It seems like your greatest concern is that estimators are not included effectively in the BIM process?
For Architects and Engineers proper BIM process has been proven to reduce RFI’s and change orders. I know one engineering firm that has cut down their CD product time by 30% and an architect that is realizing an 11% savings in total cost (internal) by working using BIM processes. Point being, these are not exceptions to the rule but companies that prove the rule and have seen benefits.
I agree that estimators have had to think about these things for decades and that the software to support them has been slow in adoption. But companies such as Vico and Innovaya have begun to change that and incorporating these technologies in the estimating process will soon reap benefits for estimators as well. This doesn’t mean that BIM isn’t a lot of work…its waaaaay more work than most people suggest (easily as much work as you do today and requires more knowledge)but the accuracy of your work and the way everyone can exchange information more appropriately leads to the ultimate benefits of a BIM workflow. Your points (improved education, etc) are very valid, but that’s also what BIM is about…getting information into the hands of the most skilled individuals to do their jobs, and the software/processes are still improving to empower you to do that.