Architects, engineers, and contractors have adopted BIM (building information modeling) technology to advance their capabilities. Now the M&O (management and operations) segment is being pitched by vendors and owners alike to get on the BIM bandwagon.
Verdantix, an independent research firm in the United Kingdom, did a survey finding BIM systems bring considerable value in building M&Os those benefits are proving hard to access. BIM, from firms such as Autodesk and Trimble, is gaining major traction in the design and pre-construction phases of a building and the next issue is how to get and prove value in the M&O phase of the lifecycle.
The fastest developments will likely happen in the commercial real estate market, where developers have invested in BIM have an opportunity to test multiple usage scenarios. Based on their research, Verdantix’s compiled a “Best Practices” guide for corporate executives making decisions on BIM.
Key findings of the report, Best Practices: Extending The Value Of BIM Through The Building Lifecycle, show that BIM can have a positive impact at all stages of the building cycle after construction, and facility management teams should leverage BIM models to boost worker efficiency and ease labor-intensive tasks.
Planning ahead is key to unlocking value. Facility management teams need to be brought in at the development stage to determine how they will use the model down the line. A comprehensive handover with all stakeholders is a critical moment that is often missed.
A major barrier to using BIM during M&O is a mismatch of incentives; typically the people who benefit from BIM are not the people who pay for the model.
Another challenge is the lack of single-use case in M&O that justifies the investment. Given that it’s hard to calculate the return-on-investment for a new BIM model for M&O, building owners can struggle to rationalize the investment in BIM beyond the design and construction phases of a building. Only a better appreciation for the range of benefits BIM can bring, and a prioritizing of use cases and process improvements can close this gap.
Original Article: https://constructech.com/bim-and-mo/
