Although BIM technology has been developed in China for many years, its widespread adoption remains limited. During the implementation of BIM, numerous challenges arise. The difficulties encountered in this project are summarized as follows:
(1) High Costs Involved in Using BIM Technology
First, implementing BIM requires companies to hire BIM technicians and provide employee training, demanding considerable manpower and resources. Additionally, companies must recruit skilled professionals proficient in BIM software and knowledgeable about engineering costs. However, the overall education level of personnel involved in engineering cost management in China tends to be low, with limited learning capacity. Finding talents who are both proficient in cost management and BIM software is challenging. Relying on temporary BIM staff to manage projects risks project failure, and hiring such temporary experts is costly.
Secondly, significant investment is needed for software and hardware, including purchasing computer equipment and BIM software. Since many participants are involved across the project, standardizing the use of a single software platform proves difficult, often leading to software incompatibility issues and increased workload during later phases.
(2) Limitations of Traditional Business Processes
Traditional workflows primarily rely on Word, Excel, and other file formats. Staff have grown accustomed to these methods, making the transition to BIM technology challenging. Particularly for this project, which is the first time BIM is being applied, employees must enter project data into the BIM platform and maintain both online and offline backups. Offline data storage is essential to guard against BIM system failures, adding to the staff’s workload and requiring basic computer skills.
In conventional engineering cost management, individuals focus on their specific tasks—such as early-stage investment estimation or designing within their disciplines. However, BIM demands collaboration among all project participants, requiring a shift in work habits and adaptation to new workflows. Additionally, the traditional connection between stages of cost management is often weak. For example, the BIM design model created by design institutes is handed off to construction units, which then modify it based on real-world conditions. Even when operational problems arise, cost managers cannot avoid responsibility.
Therefore, cost personnel need to collaborate closely with designers to develop BIM models—an approach still rare in many companies. Typically, cost managers prepare construction budgets based on models provided by design institutes and then generate bidding lists, a process that consumes significant time and effort.
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