The usage of building information modeling (BIM) had increased from 28% to 71% in the construction industry, according to a McGraw-Hill Construction survey. These statistics show a paradigm shift of firms in the AEC industry to BIM. Shifting to BIM is no doubt beneficial, but doing it the right way, with the help of BIM consultancy, may be what is required. BIM is not a product but a process change, which requires change management. Here is when the role of a BIM consultant gets defined.
How a BIM Consultant Can Help You
Newly BIM adopting firms need to be aware that frequently workarounds are required in BIM tools as there are instances where there would not be a sure shot way to solve a modeling problem. This is when most users require professional help. It is important to understand that BIM improves efficiency, which means that firms can give more output for less input, which is significant in today’s tough economic environment. Moreover, the governments of many countries have made it mandatory for the AEC industry to adopt this technology by a definite time period.
BIM consultancy helps a firm to grow and adapt to the changes that come with shifting to BIM.
A firm may put in a lot of money and time in BIM software and provide short term training to their employees. This, however, may not get any effective results – faster drafting, enhanced quality or higher productivity. Due to this, the company might end up spending more time and money in keeping up with BIM rather than cherishing its fruits. This is the situation that a consultant can help a firm with and prevent it from facing anything like this.
BIM Consultant Helps With
- Exploring business opportunities
- Suggestions regarding the right amount of investments at the right intervals
- Instance access to expertise of experienced people
- Better communication and coordination
- Change management
- Setting down more concrete goals and timelines
- More accurate estimation of cost
- Reduced field cycle time
A BIM consultant would be able to offer better optimized BIM solutions, leading to a more advanced and enhanced solution. A sound BIM consultant would not offer a ‘one size fits all’ approach to all situations. They are not selling a standardized product, but rather a highly customized service. A BIM consultant helps firms in managing and understanding the entire BIM process and the way it is used throughout the lifecycle of a building or construction.