BIM project coordination on CDE basis

What’s wrong with coordination in general?

In short, the quality and availability of information are the problem.

Project stakeholders have little visibility of each other’s work, which causes a lot of delays and errors. They don’t have enough information, or they get access to it too late, and often all they see is an outdated version of the plan that only half includes the changes requested, and they don’t know what it affects, who it affects, and how much it costs.

The solution lies in information sharing and change management, for which BIM has great supporting tools for the whole project.

What is CDE-based BIM project coordination?

The coordination of BIM projects is facilitated by the Common Data Environment (CDE) and the BIM tools, software, and hardware built on top of it:

The information of the central (BIM) model is delivered by a cloud-based CDE software to the project participants, who can see a constantly updated status that can be queried at any time.

With these tools, the project manager also acts as a professional interpreter and coordinator, acting as an interface so that the many specialist engineers, the client, and the contractor speak the same language and have the same access to technical and cost information based on the same data, even the future operator or tenant.

BIM project coordination includes not only design but also tendering, contracting, and construction.

BIM design coordination

BIM design coordination always uses some kind of CDE (Common Data Environment) solution to share BIM model data with project participants.

At Arcoord, we use the Dalux Box web project management software, which makes the project fully transparent and understandable during the design phase and provides a platform for creative dialogue.

In the Dalux interface, comments, requests for changes, and feedback on design errors, virtually all communication is done in a closed data environment, logged, transparent, and clear to all participants. The BIM model can be viewed in both 2D and 3D views, and nodes can be clicked and extracted. The whole building can be virtually walked through and sectioned, and the individual section plans can be viewed and switched off separately.

Our client can also look back at previous phases of the design, use the interface to discuss changes, indicate change requests, and retrieve all information down to the last building element. Whether you’re traveling, on a construction site, or between meetings, you can do it all with a simple smartphone or tablet.

What is our role in this?

In practice, we help to develop and contractually define the designer’s tasks in the same way as in traditional coordination: we analyze the plans, check their completeness, carry out technical reviews from the perspective of the contractor and project manager, detect critical errors, make suggestions for improvements, organize coordination and check that the requested changes are implemented.

But faster, more accurate, and more transparent.

BIM cost coordination

With a BIM model, cost coordination is also much more reliable: the information is not provided by hundreds of lines of easily accessible excel files, untraceable emails and pdfs, printed price lists, but

• is based on near real-time
• quantity take-offs from the model and
• costs assigned to elements and processes.

This allows you to generate an up-to-date cost statement at any stage of the project at the touch of a button, and drill down into the data with any filtering you like.

To track costs, Arcoord uses BEXEL and PowerBI software, so individual cost statements can be integrated with certain financial systems or transferred into the customers’ software ecosystem.

BIM tender coordination

The tender specification, the technical content of the project, and the design documentation will be shared on the Dalux Tender closed platform. We will continue to communicate here to avoid misunderstandings and mistakes resulting from the sharing of information through multiple communication channels (email, phone, etc.). While making it transparent, we also speed up the whole tendering process.

A 2D and 3D version of the building design model is available to all invited participants. The model is walkable and the section plans can be switched on/off, which helps to understand the technical content.

This is where bidders can ask and questions are answered. The system sends notifications and the sharing of responses, clarifications, additions, and information is transparent and visible to all stakeholders.

Bids are received and evaluated here, on the basis of which we prepare comparative analyses and, if necessary, make recommendations to reduce costs, and technical content and, if necessary, develop a new tender strategy.

The new tender is managed in the same place, so changes are easy to track and understand. In case of a successful tender, we will help you select the general contractor, and if it is a multi-contractor model, the contractor for each of the different sections.

Contract coordination

We lead and coordinate the contracting process by providing expert advice, and technical assistance, identifying critical points and making recommendations to protect the client’s interests in relation to the contractual terms and conditions.

Without being exhaustive, we help you in the following:

• progress and payment schedule (with 4D and 5D BIM support)
• the roles and responsibilities
• documentation / communication obligations
• what standards must be met
• the technical stage of completion, milestones and penalty parts on which the settlement is based

and all the BIM project drivers that keep the client safe and the contractor motivated.

BIM construction coordination

On-site digital support for project implementation is very rare in Hungary even though it makes the project faster, clearer, more transparent, more accurate, and therefore cheaper on an unprecedented scale.

The Dalux Field we use brings the current design model out onto a tablet, laptop, or even smartphone screen on the construction site, where it can be turned on/off at the same fully accessible, sectional design level as if you were sitting at your desk. The plan is up-to-date, and the augmented reality (AR) available on the interface helps workers understand in seconds where to break through the wall or leave space for the electrical cable tray resulting in fewer mistakes, extra work, site redesign, accidents, slips, and penalties.

Comments, errors, and feedback are managed in the same closed system, making redesign and change management accurate, fast, and easy to track, and the updated design model is quickly available on site.

During construction, the as-built condition is recorded using point cloud laser scanning, including a Leica RTC360 static laser scanner and a Leica BLK2GO handheld mobile scanner. We compare the point clouds with the design model, analyze the deviations during construction (sloping slab, inaccurate masonry, etc.), and suggest improvements based on significant deviations.

This makes monitoring and quality control more efficient and clearer so that problems caused by faulty workmanship can be easily prevented.

Capturing the state of the art in the model, the result of scan-to-BIM process is that at the end of the project, our model will actually contain the reality (as built model), which

• provides the opportunity for high-quality, error-free planning of future developments, and refurbishments;
• iOT tools and digital twins make operation and maintenance an order of magnitude cheaper and more efficient.

Contact

For more information about our BIM project management services, please contact us. We help you get the most out of your project, at any stage.