_{DSG Quantity Surveyors:
5D BIM case studies, articles and opinions}

_{Dear Editor,}

_{There's a lot of talk about 5D BIM in our industry at the moment, but surprisingly little action! For various reasons — and despite the Government's intention to require collaborative (3D) BIM on all projects from 2016 — uptake has been slow and there are few examples of projects being completed using BIM throughout.}

_{However, DSG took the initiative and invested in the Vico Office BIM solution as far back as 2012. Although it's taken some time, with pitfalls and setbacks along the way, the company now has a number of completed BIM projects under its belt or
in progress.}

_{As such we are able to offer you case studies and insights based on a real understanding of the issues faced by any business looking to implement BIM, as well as the obstacles to BIM adoption, along with a clear view of the potential benefits. Many of these don't match those frequently stated by industry experts and BIM advocates with perhaps little or no practical experience.}

_{For example, there's one question that we've heard time and again: "What does it mean for our fees?" It's a crucial question of course, because BIM doesn't come for free. The training, software and hardware upgrades needs to be repaid, with interest. So what is the impact on BIM in terms of fee structures?}

_{The answer is that in many cases it will mean that the time required upfront at the start of a BIM project increases. This is because the level of detail needed to create an accurate and effective BIM model is greater than the tolerances that the industry generally works to today. For some, especially architects, this means more time spent during the design phase with correspondingly greater costs. Further down the line the QS may well also have a greater involvement in the verification and refinement of the bill of quantities and cost plans.}

_{Of course the client needs to bear these costs. But wasn't BIM supposed to save time and money? It does. And to accelerate adoption we need the client to understand that this greater investment will pay dividends later on. A more effective and accurate design, with more detailed bills of quantity and cost plans, will mean the frequently significant charges associated with amends or issues that need to be rectified on-site will be much lower. There will also be less waste and potentially faster construction schedules as any major issues have been resolved ahead of the build phase.}

_{So initial design fees will rise and this needs to be communicated to the client in context of those benefits. However, when clients return for repeat projects of similar buildings the templated and standardised elements that form part of a BIM model will mean that costs may be lower. This aspect actually creates an incentive for the client to remained ‘locked in' to a group of suppliers to exploit this benefit over time. Hence we can see that although BIM will indeed save money it's not as simple as many of the savings traditionally seen through technological change and requires a careful ‘sell' to ensure the message gets across.}

_{That's just one of the issues we have had to understand and accommodate within our sales and marketing process.}

_{We'd love to discuss BIM with you and contribute in any way to increasing the knowledge and understanding of BIM across the entire industry, from consultant to contractor. As such we'll be keeping in touch with any genuinely newsworthy events but, rather than send you information thatwethink will interest you, please tell us what you are looking for and we will try our best to help. I have also attached an overview to BIM at DSG as an introduction.}

_{It would be great if you have a forward features schedule that we could review in order to help us decide what items would be most appropriate to which issue. Also we are keen to write positioning pieces to offer Case Studies for your consideration.}

_{As BIM moves forward into the mainstream of the construction sector we expect there to be standards and awards for quality projects etc, again if you have any events that you feel DSG could engage in then please let us know.}

_Regards,

_{Paul Niblock - PR Consultant to DSG Quantity Surveyors}

Attachment - DSG_BIM positioning document V2 Dec 2013

Image captions:

• Steven Gosling MD of DSG

• Vico Office in use

• DSG's Team entry to Build Sydney Live Competition

If you require further information on this press release please contact the following:

Bill Hicks, Upside4Business -bill@upside4business.co.uk- 01380 710400

Paul Niblock, Upside4Business -paul@upside4business.co.uk- 01380 710400