During the construction process, activities such as quoting, verifying, and pricing occur frequently and regularly for each project. This workflow requires extensive on-site data collection, reaggregation, and reconfirmation. Traditionally, drawings were two-dimensional and flat, so extracting relevant project data—like engineering quantity statistics and price calculations—depended heavily on professionals with deep expertise. These experts would mentally integrate information from 2D plans, decompose and reassemble components, and then summarize the data.
Moreover, cost management during construction often involves changes and approvals on site. Unfortunately, different departments frequently fail to exchange timely and effective information, leading to delays in transmitting updated data to relevant personnel. This lack of coordination makes it difficult for management teams, each with different roles, to fully integrate data when applying for progress payments. Even when data is unified, detecting errors remains inconvenient.
While data integration and statistics generation are possible, they require significant time and effort. Additionally, progress payment applications involve multiple procedures requiring signatures and seals from various parties. Early errors in statistics or verification can cause payment delays, leading to disputes that waste time and resources and increase costs unnecessarily. This situation is inefficient and frustrating.
A robust database based on BIM 5D technology can store and track all on-site conditions, including incomplete work, changes, and completed tasks. Relevant personnel can quickly access detailed information about specific components to complete declarations for the client. The benefits are mainly reflected in the following aspects:
① Improved accuracy and efficiency in engineering calculations. Accurate engineering quantity calculations are foundational for cost control. The BIM model contains comprehensive data, enabling quantity calculation software—based on BIM algorithms and relevant specifications—to precisely compute quantities for both standard and irregular components. Each component’s composition and spatial location are accurately recorded, allowing one-click data extraction. Visualization helps avoid missing items, ensuring fast and accurate calculations.
For example, in concrete calculations, BIM technology identifies concrete-related data based on pre-input parameters. It then summarizes quantities according to established rules and automatically categorizes them by component type and key characteristics. Since BIM-based quantity calculations can update previous models, repetitive modeling work is minimized. This not only accelerates the process but also enhances accuracy. Using BIM transforms tedious manual measurements into an intelligent, streamlined process, freeing budget personnel to focus on higher-value tasks such as real-time data analysis and cost optimization.
② Comprehensive cost data management for engineering changes. Effective cost control requires detailed data coverage. Early in construction, the 2D drawing information must be reflected within a 3D BIM model, which then links to the BIM 5D data database. Integrating engineering changes as an independent module within the cost control BIM model addresses the common issue of overlooked changes. When changes occur on site, management personnel gather and upload the relevant data to the BIM 5D model, which automatically updates and generates a revised model reflecting those changes. This process helps eliminate cost overruns caused by untracked modifications.
③ BIM technology streamlines visa claims. Throughout construction, it is essential to standardize site control, allocate funds reasonably through budgeting, and prepare in advance to improve visa claim quality and maximize fund utilization. Once visa-related tasks are completed, BIM 5D can be used to review and verify them. Its visualization capabilities enable direct comparison between the actual site conditions and the BIM model, ensuring accuracy from the outset. This approach significantly improves efficiency and provides all parties involved with a reliable shortcut for visa claims.
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