Building Information Modeling Services and Cost GoBim360

1. BUILDING INFORMATION MODELING SERVICES ANDCOST A professional working in the architecture, engineering, and constructionindustries understand how crucial precise planning is to streamline the construction process.In recent years the development of BIM technology rose, which completely changed the game when planning constructionprojects. BIM, which stands for building information modeling, is a comprehensivemodeling technology that incorporates all information about the design, construction, and demolition (or other structure) into one place. Essentially, it reduces logistical problems and provides cost and time-saving benefits. However, it is quitean investment to make, and for some engineering firms, outsourcing their servicesmay be more practical than trying to do itin-house. Read along to find out what costs you may expect for different BIMservices/projects and whether or not it is worth the investment to train your in-houseteam. Average Costs to Hire a BIM Consultant: Top Earners 75thPercentile Average 25thPercentile $43 /hr $43 /hr $39 /hr $33 /hr The national average cost to hire a BIM consultant is $39 hourly. However,many other factors could either lower or increase this price significantly, such asthe expertise of the consultant, the delivery time, and the difficulty of theproject.

2. Should I Use BIM Services For MyProjects? The BIM market is predicted to improve immensely in the next few years.There might have been a slight dip in its usage due to Covid-19 and the resulting material shortages and delays, but it is currently rising on an upward trend. Manyengineering companies are looking to become a part of this growing market. Overall, the benefits of using BIM boil down to two things: cost reduction andtime-saving. CostReduction Some critical BIM coordination servicesinclude clash detection, scheduling, and cost-analysis features. Essentially, all of these services increase the planning accuracy and reduce the chance of getting rework done, which can estimatearound 30% more of constructioncosts. Clash detection software ensures that equipment fits in the space allotted for it, and there are no improper calculations that lead to significant blunders. Thesemess-ups can be highly costly, possibly new parts needing to be ordered or, worse, demolishingthem. With poor scheduling, downtimes may occur when workers are at the site with no supplies, which raises labor costs unnecessarily. The cost-analysis featureprovides an up-front fee that can sometimes be hard to calculate without having allthe information in one place. This can be incredibly cost-saving as you can realizeearly on if a particular feature or material will be too expensive for thebudget. Finally, BIM can decrease the chances of legal problems by comparing the model to its as-built dimensions, making sure the two are as similar as possible. Deviatingtoo much from the construction contract grows into messy legalterritory. TimeSavings Most of the BIM services that are cost-saving are considered time-saving as well. Rework, and litigation issues are not only extremely costly but can delay aproject

3. significantly. However, BIM allows for transparency and reduces the chancesof unpredictable situations that can delay theproject. For example, a contractor named Robins and Morton adopted BIM to design and construct a hospital in Augusta, Maine, and surprisingly, the project wascompleted ten months ahead ofschedule! BIM software enables us to make “what-if” scenarios, changing different materials around and playing with features to observe the cost and result. This can behighly time-saving as there is no need to create aprototype. Okay, I Want to Implement BIM Services For My Construction Projects.Should I Outsource the Services or Expand MyCompany? When it comes to owning a large company, there is little to no fear about thereturn on investment from implementing BIM into their platform, as the efficiency and accuracy of BIM software cannot beoverlooked. However, when your engineering company is a smaller one, this unquestionably becomes a more difficult question. Mind that AutoDesk Revitis about $2,545, not to mention the additional expenses of hiring BIM specialists and the hours it takes to train your employees. Further note: It is common for employee productivity todecline due to difficulty getting started. BIM managers are also highly skilled professionals and will require a high salary,one a small company may or may not be able to afford. It may be wiser to hire a BIM consultant/modeler for specific projects you think couldbenefit.

4. I Decided I Want to Hire a BIM Specialist. How Do IChoose? • Choose a company with qualifiedprofessionals. • Communicate a budget to your specialist right away. BIM allows for highly accurate cost analysis, and your BIM specialist can help you stay veryclose to yourbudget. • Do not shy away from a BIM specialist with a steep hourly charge. Typically,It is a sign they are experienced and that their work is of excellentquality, • leading to little or nomistakes. • BIM makes delivery easy. You don’t necessarily have to hire a specialistclose to you, or even in the United States. With the remote world growing faster than ever, this is a pretty viable option. Sometimes you can find an experienced professional in other countries at more affordablerates. • Communicate when you expect the various portions of their services to be due. Depending on the local market, the business of a BIM specialist canvary greatly. Make sure you’re on a similar page when it comes to deliverytime. • Consider having a brief meeting before you officially hire them. You want to make sure you and the specialist are a good fit for each other beforeworking togetherlong-term. • Check out their previous work. Notice whether they’ve done projects like yours before and have done it well. Note: when a specialist is unable toshow you their previous work experience, this is a likely redflag • GeneralFactors • Some general factors will affect the cost of implementing BIM services intoyour project. Make sure to keep them in mind when estimatingcosts.

5. Level ofDevelopment ContractType Whether you’re paying hourly, by the square foot, or with a lump sum, either one will have an impact on prices. For example, a BIM specialist may account forunforeseen problems in their cost, but the project ends up going smoothly, so you end up paying more than if you were to pay by a “time and material” method. Nevertheless, when dealing with a pretty complex project and the lump sum doesn’t seem too unreasonable, you may want to go for it as you could be getting yourself quite a bargain if the project ends up being problematic andcostly. Project/BuildingType Creating a BIM model for a commercial hospital will be much more expensive thana humble residential home. Therefore, the type of building, the number of stories,size, and purpose will significantly impact thecost. Time, Scope, andQuality These factors may seem like a no-brainer, but it can be easy to forget just howmuch they will affect the overall cost. Excellent quality work will not be so affordable, but it may as well be a sacrifice to consider when reducing rework and repaircosts. When you give your specialist a minimal timeframe to complete the work, they’llhave no choice but to increase prices to account for working overtime and othersacrifices. Finally, the project’s scope, such as what services the specialist offers, whatLOD, what dimension, etc., will influence the costs. Usually, when the specialist takes ona manager role for the project, you may need to pay them considerablymore. There are various Levels of Development (LOD) that a BIM model can be, basedon the client’s requests. LOD creates an industry standard so clients canaccurately

6. express how much detail they want to include in their model. Take note that asLOD increases, so doescost. LOD 100 – ConceptDesign Parameters like area, height, volume, location, and orientation are defined inthis stage, and the information is represented on an elementary level. There may be symbols to represent elements but not their precise location, shape, orsize. LOD 200 – SchematicDesign This LOD is slightly more detailed, where different features are moreaccurately represented to their final shape and size. There may be placeholders torepresent elements. However, the information from this stage is still onlyapproximate. LOD 300 – DetailedDesign In this stage, the quantity, size, shape, location, and orientation of elements canbe observed from the model directly without referring tonotes. LOD 350 – ConstructionDocumentation The parts necessary for certain elements to interact with other nearby featuresare modeled (supports and connections). This is in addition to all aspects being of accurate size andshape. LOD 400 – Fabrication &Assembly This stage includes a model that is sufficient in detail and accurate in sizeand shape. It will be mostly developed before the constructionbegins. LOD 500 –As-Built This model stage is a field verified representation of the project in terms ofsize, shape, location, quantity, and orientation.

7. Dimension BIM is a very complex software with varying levels of features. There are between 2 to 7 dimensions that all provide different information. Figure out which size youneed for your project, but remember, the more detailed the model, the more it willcost. 2DBIM 2D BIM is a two-dimensional construction drawing that consists of an x andy-axis. These drawings are critical, but this will most likely not be the onlydimension requested by theclient. 3DBIM 3d bim servicesrepresent the geographical structures of a building on an X, Y, and Z-axis. 3D BIM is probably the most popular BIM as it allows for pretty accurate visualization, especially with growing virtual reality/virtual walkthroughtechnology. This dimension can also include information about constructionmaterials. 4DBIM 4D BIM adds a scheduling/time element to 3D BIM. This dimension helps organize the building site by creating a timeline for the different construction stages and delivery of equipment. 4D BIM reduces delays and can implement on-time deliveryof equipment and supplies, which reduces labor costs of workers waiting around and creates a more productive and saferworkspace. 5DBIM 5D BIM is 4D BIM + cost estimation. 5D BIM links the cost information of materials stored in 3D BIM with the work hours tracked by the construction schedule kept in 4D BIM. 5D BIM can provide a live update of cost estimation when the informationof the model is modified and provides a visual for the progress of the project sofar. 6DBIM

8. 6D BIM considers the sustainability element. It can track if the project complieswith LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certificationrequirements or manage “green” constructionpractices. 7DBIM 7D BIM is known as project lifecycle management, which means it considersthe entire lifetime of the project from design to demolition. As-built drawings can be produced by taking 3D scans of the finished building and converting it into a 3D model. This model can be used to plan the changes anddemolition. • Rate Types and AverageCosts • There are many different metrics by which a BIM specialist can charge you.The • most common ones are hourly (covered at the beginning of this article) by thesquare foot, turnaround time, or a combination of a fewmethods. • BIM Costs Per SquareFoot • Service Cost per squarefoot • White Model$0.30 • Material Model$0.60 • Ornament Model$0.60 • BIM Model$0.90

9. It is common for BIM models to be charged per square foot as it is areasonably • accurate representation of how much work goes into the project. It will take much more effort to model a 2,000 square foot home than a 5,000 square foot home.As the table suggests, the price per square foot also increases based on the level of detail as requested by theclient. • It is also common for a company to use a combination of methods to charge forBIM services, such as a flat fee in addition to a cost by square foot charge. Forexample, Burwell Designs, an engineering and architectural support servicescompany, • reported charging a $1000 project set up fee + $0.60 per square foot for total BIM Management CD production. They also said charging a $1000 project set up feein addition to $75.00 per rendered view for 2D to 3D BIMrendering. • DeliveryTime • Turnaround Time Cost per SourceDocument • 3 Days$350 • 5 Days$245 • 10 Days$195 • 4 – 6 Weeks $140 • The above prices are for the costs per source document to turn a 2D sketch into a BIM model by the allotted turnaround time. Whenever you need a service expedited, you will see the costs skyrocket. That is because the company/professional willmost likely have to sacrifice projects from other clients to complete yours, and it needs to be worth it to them. They will also need to put in extra hours of work which theyneed to be compensatedfor. • Conclusion • BIM technology is ever-changing and growing. Its positive impact on theefficiency, accuracy, and ease of the construction process isimmense.

10. When it comes to costs to implement BIM for a project, the more detailed andthe larger the project is, the higher prices will be. Hiring an experienced specialist will be expensive but worth it as a poorly completed project will rack up repair costs quickly. A BIM specialist can charge hourly, by the square foot, a lump sum, or acombination method, and each method has its perks and disadvantages for different kinds of projects. As BIM is a complicated technology to understand, the best thing you can do is have an honest conversation with a potential specialist to understand what price you’re looking at for yourproject. How Cad Crowd CanHelp Cad Crowd can put you in touch with reputable BIM firms without having to worry about the time and expense of managing additional personnel within your organization or paying the high price of training employees to use BIM softwareand paying for the softwareitself. No matter what size your project is or how far along you are, BIM and the expertsat CAD Crowd can help. Get a free quotetoday. Source:- https://gobim360.blogspot.com/2021/09/building-information-modeling-services-and- cost.html