BIM becomes more and more mandatory and unavoidable in the field of construction industry day to day. The UK Government has made the compliance of Level 2 BIM in all public sector construction contracts since the 4th April 2016.
Almost all major private organisations in the construction industry have already started to applying this rule and their supply chains are ‘BIM-ready‘. However, some small construction companies, who so far think that BIM is only applicable for bigger project teams, are now in the stage of anxiety. As only a few contractors were verified and approved ahead of the deadline, many of the smaller companies may lose their major contract projects.
According to the Director of Built Environment at the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), Alan Muse, Not only the BIM firms, but also the smaller construction teams also stand to get the rewards. It shows that almost half of the small and medium-sized construction companies are not yet planned to start using BIM. However, it is not so late even now. Such companies can still take advantage of using BIM, if they ensure the accessibility of the BIM tool. It will really help them to become more productive and profitable and thereby win their competitors.
According to Alan Muse, the main factor that determines the future skill agenda is nothing but technology and BIM is the best example for it. But, the reason that restricts the smaller companies from gaining efficiency and competitive edge is that they invest in people alone. That is why they face ongoing skills shortage. Therefore the smaller companies have to be ready in investing in technical skills like BIM. There is no doubt that investment in technology will definitely help the companies to differentiate their business offerings.
BIM enables quick and easy quantification, 2D and 3D drawings and 3D BIM models, automated schedule and automation of measurement and these features provide typical time and money saving compared to the traditional method.