In traditional engineering models, each participant intervenes in a different order, and contracts exist independently from one another. Building Information Modeling (BIM) serves as a technological platform designed to enhance collaboration among all involved parties. However, current contract structures do not support early multi-party involvement or optimized design processes. Additionally, contracts often lack specific provisions regarding the use of BIM technology during the signing process. As a result, the efficiency of BIM application at this stage remains limited.
(1) Lack of Collaborative Standards
BIM plays a crucial role as a communication and coordination platform for all project participants. However, the traditional dual-contract system establishes a one-to-one relationship between contracting parties, which restricts the sharing of engineering information across multiple stakeholders. This limitation diminishes BIM’s advantage in facilitating collaboration among all involved parties.
(2) Delays in Information Transmission
The dual-contract structure causes information to flow in a single direction, creating a hierarchical transmission sequence among project participants. This results in lengthy communication paths, which in practice lead to extended response times, inaccurate information exchange, and delayed data transmission.
(3) Insufficient BIM Knowledge Among Project Participants
Typically, contracts are established between the owner or design unit and BIM subcontractors. However, key project participants—such as owners, construction teams, and designers—often lack adequate BIM knowledge. Consequently, these stakeholders rely solely on paper-based drawings, failing to fully leverage BIM technology. This gap leads to suboptimal BIM implementation and diminished overall project efficiency.
(4) Resistance from the Construction Team
In practice, construction teams usually become involved only after the bidding phase, missing the opportunity to contribute during the design phase when BIM models are developed. This results in low motivation to use BIM models during construction. Furthermore, due to limited BIM expertise, construction teams often delegate BIM operations to specialized personnel. As a consequence, critical BIM functions such as schedule optimization and construction simulation are underutilized, significantly reducing BIM’s effectiveness during the construction phase.
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