As a construction designer, say those three magical words to me and I’ll be yours forever! I am of course talking about – Building Information Modeling (BIM). BIM brings with it a technical revolution on the grandest of scales! Far superior to traditional 2D building designs, BIM implementations combine terabytes of information from numerous sources such as manufacturers, designers, engineers and suppliers alike, in a sophisticated virtual model that can cut down construction times and costs exponentially! So how does one go about identifying the perfect BIM service provider for the job?
An experienced BIM service provider themselves, Technostruct has learned to read the subtle signs and accurately differentiate BIM professionals from amateurs. Go through our simple 5 point guide for selecting the perfect BIM service provider. We hope it leads you to us!
- Experience
There is simply no substitute for experience. But judging experience is a tricky venture when it comes to BIM implementation. BIM is used across dozens of industries, and every industry brings its own challenges and requirements. Make sure the BIM service provider you choose is well versed in the same industry as your project. - References
No organization would badmouth themselves. To truly understand the strengths and weaknesses of your chosen BIM service provider, talk to their earlier clients. Solid recommendations from past clientele can help cement your decision. - Budget
BIM implementations are an expensive affair. Now that you have a pretty good idea of who you want to get into business with, it’s time to talk money! When considering your expenses, it is important to keep in mind that hourly costs are not good indicators of the total expense. Hurdles to on-time completion such as project rework, strikes, natural calamities, etc can inflate total time taken for project delivery and turn out to cost much more than initial expectations! Try to get a clear estimate of the total cost before you begin. - Communication
What separates a decent BIM service provider from a great one, is their communications process. Talking to past clients can provide you with helpful insights on how often your BIM vendor sends project updates, how long it takes for them to respond to emails, pick up calls or make changes in design. Here’s a quick way to assess communications – when you are contacted by the vendor, is it the same person who contacts you every time? This is a great sign, it could mean they have assigned a dedicated client support executive to you! - Size
If possible, go visit your BIM service provider in person. Check out their team size and work environment. Is everything organized and smooth flowing? Are there enough team members to handle a project of your size? You don’t want to hire a team that depends on one single employee.
As a final note, try to avoid freelance BIM service providers, unless they have a proven track record. Freelancers are often used to unsupervised work environments with no managers, which could result in undue delays to project completion.
We’d like to bring your search for BIM service providers to an end! So, head on over to Technostruct for more information: https://www.technostruct.com/