BIM’s approach to managing project costs can be divided into three key phases: pre-construction, during construction, and post-construction.
1) Cost Management Before Construction
During the pre-construction phase, visualizing the construction process and critical steps by linking real-world elements with abstract components helps simplify complex issues. This approach enables timely identification of problems, detection of omissions, and more effective implementation of solutions.
① Drawing Review
Specialized professionals create 3D models based on key details from construction drawings. This serves two purposes: enhancing understanding of the drawings during the design process, and providing a foundation for subsequent work. By presenting all professional aspects visually on a single platform, BIM eliminates previous issues caused by fragmented software and disciplines.
This method allows for early detection of conflicts and inconsistencies both within a single discipline and across multiple disciplines. It helps identify unreasonable areas and facilitates timely communication and coordination among stakeholders to find the most effective solutions. The 3D models are clear, concise, and easy to understand, reducing confusion or misinterpretation. Finally, updates from the design team can be directly incorporated into the 3D model to reflect corrections.
② Cost Budgeting
Using 3D dynamic simulations of construction, the details and critical points of the plan become clearer. Because BIM integrates cost data, the construction plan inherently includes a cost plan. During planning, costs are preliminarily calculated to enable comparison between budgeted and actual expenses later on. This helps identify significant budget overruns early and prevents negative impacts on the construction schedule.
2) Cost Management During Construction
① Engineering Measurement and Valuation
With BIM, all relevant data and models are centralized on one platform, reducing errors and oversights caused by using multiple systems. When measuring and pricing, it is sufficient to accurately record completed and ongoing work periods. Automated calculations then determine the corresponding costs and generate progress payment schedules.
By integrating this system with project management platforms, progress payments can be automatically processed without manual input, avoiding delays caused by calculation errors or recording mistakes.
② Material Management
From the early stages of creating a BIM model, material types and quantities are defined. Once construction begins, BIM enables automated calculation of material requirements and helps prepare demand plans based on overall inventory data. Deviations between planned and actual usage can be promptly addressed through feedback and adjustments.
If project schedules change, BIM model parameters can be optimized accordingly, allowing the system to automatically update calculations based on new inputs.
3) Construction Settlement Cost Management
When core project elements change, BIM model parameters and indicators must be updated. The data should then be correlated and analyzed against the model to reflect the project’s actual status accurately.
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