The construction industry is recognising that BIM can deliver much more than a wow-worthy virtual fly-through for clients and stakeholders. BIM is creating new efficiencies in design and construction and unlocking long-term savings in facilities management.
What’s less obvious is the impact of BIM in the tendering process.
When contractors have access to an accurate and comprehensive model, they are more likely to bid confidently and competitively. A complete and reliable BIM model delivers a greater level of predictability in the project, so contractors are likely to find the tender more attractive and will not need to add as much additional cost for unknowns, errors, variations and rework.
Any reduction in construction costs is a win, especially in this period of persistent construction cost escalation. Current labour shortages are unlikely to resolve quickly, so providing extra confidence to contractors and subcontractors is worth the effort. With BIM, it’s quicker for contractors to respond to tenders and for developers to assess tenders – and time is money.
In our experience, the following steps are crucial for getting the best from BIM in tendering.
Put in the groundwork to create an optimal BIM environment
The first step is to be clear about your BIM ambitions, requirements, current standing and stakeholders’ needs for your project or portfolio. This sets the context for the BIM environment and framework.
A coherent, robust BIM framework sets your project up for success. When the BIM environment is well-managed, with clear standards and workflows, consultants can achieve greater consistency, efficiency and alignment during design, and contractors benefit when tendering.
You will need to develop a BIM execution plan that sets out clear processes, roles, quality standards, platforms and software, information exchange protocols, model contents, and data governance. The most important thing about your BIM execution plan is not burying it in a drawer. It must remain a living document that guides the project team (developer, consultants and contractors) to achieve the project’s BIM-related goals.
Review BIM health throughout design
Structured reviews of BIM deliverables at key milestones will help you maintain BIM health throughout all project stages, maximising continuity and a reliable flow of accurate, up-to-date information. These reviews should identify whether your consultants’ BIM deliverables are compliant with the standards and quality benchmarks you defined in your BIM execution plan.
A structured BIM review reveals potential issues early, allowing proactive rather than reactive interventions. For example, the review could identify and resolve spatial conflicts or coordination issues between different disciplines in the model, leading to less rework, fewer construction delays, and smoother collaboration among your consultants.
Engaging a trusted, independent and impartial BIM advisor to perform and record these BIM health checks will help alleviate any concerns of favouritism or bias and provide a greater level of integration and continuity when the model moves through different hands and stages. Interactive dashboards can make it easier for all consultants to understand the status and quality of the model and to determine the best timing to go to tender.
Be clear about BIM during the tender
In the tender, set out realistic, clear BIM requirements aligned with your BIM execution plan. Be clear about the essential BIM uses – such as whether you want the basics for coordination and quantities, or whether you’re also expecting sequencing and clash detection. Specify the level of detail and information that’s required, who will maintain the models, and the protocols for information exchange.
You may need some specialist support to help you structure your tender documents appropriately and to provide insight and impartiality during tender evaluation. A BIM consultant could also assist you by preparing a construction-phase BIM execution plan, setting out clear BIM requirements in the principal project requirements, and reviewing each bidder’s BIM experience, software compatibility, collaboration skills, workflows and risk mitigations.
Assess bidders on their BIM capability as well as their price. Selecting bidders with proven BIM expertise is likely to lead to better quality outcomes on the project, especially if the bidder can use BIM to drive value engineering and risk reduction.
Leverage BIM to futureproof facilities management
Once an asset is completed and occupied, an accurate, comprehensive as-built BIM model can be transitioned into a powerful and valuable asset and facilities management tool, supporting smarter operations, streamlined maintenance and lifecycle savings. Achieving this requires the as-built BIM model being handed over appropriately and in good condition.
Continue to review the health of the BIM model throughout construction to ensure that the final model will be just as useful for facilities management procurement as the working model was for construction tendering. Milestone reviews during construction will ensure that the models are up to date with actual progress on site, ensuring a seamless handover at practical completion. A high-quality BIM model will give facilities managers greater confidence in exactly what they’re signing up for, allowing them to provide more precise and defensible costings for their services. Significant savings can be realised here over the life of the building.
Look for experienced, independent BIM support
It’s natural to be unsure about where to start, and to be concerned about not having the deep technical nous or the right people to leverage BIM effectively. In our view, establishing and governing BIM is a matter of skill, consistency and continuity. You can lean on experts to provide this insight and oversight – ideally, experts with procurement experience. What you need to bring is your desire to maximise your return on investment by realising more competitive tenders, ongoing value and strategic advantage throughout the project lifecycle.
About the author
Andrew van Meel is the National BIM Advisory Lead and a National Director at WT. Andrew is at the forefront of digital technologies and how they can drive innovation and productivity in the construction sector, particularly BIM, data management and visualisation. He has a strong focus on large-scale commercial and residential projects, delivering expert cost management and advisory services.
