Abstract Building Information Modeling (BIM) has emerged as a sophisticated tool for digital transformation in many countries, aiming to improve the quality and efficiency of engineering projects. Engineering supervision is the cornerstone for ensuring project quality and achieving its objectives in terms of time, effort, and cost. The concept of engineering supervision in the Syrian construction sector faces numerous challenges, including the complexity of modern projects, weak digital infrastructure, a shortage of qualified personnel, and reliance on traditional methods of monitoring and documenting work. These challenges have led to a decline in the efficiency of supervision, making it difficult to verify the quality of engineering projects in a timely and optimal manner. This research aims to identify criteria for implementing Building Information Modeling (BIM) in the engineering supervision environment. This was achieved through a review of previous studies on the subject, an analysis of the current state of engineering supervision in Syria, and a review of the literature related to BIM. Twenty-four criteria were identified. These criteria were organized into a suitable questionnaire and distributed to a representative sample of (60) participants from the study population, which consisted of supervising engineers, project managers, and some contracting companies operating in the Syrian construction sector in the public, private, and joint sectors. Fifty-eight questionnaires were returned and statistically analyzed after excluding two due to their ineffectiveness. The Relative Importance Index (RII) method was then used to determine the relative importance of all the criteria included in the questionnaire, with the aim of assessing their significance and comparing them with the degree of application in the engineering supervision environment in Syria. The research results showed a relatively large gap between the importance of Building Information Modeling (BIM) criteria in the engineering supervision environment and the extent of their application in Syria. This is attributed to several reasons, most notably: the lack of reliance on visual inspection to evaluate the quality and progress of work (Application = 12% / Importance = 98.5%), the absence of an immediate link between the site and the model in managing supervision operations (18%/98%), and the failure to use the model as a basis for resolving technical disputes on-site (20%/92%), and other reasons. Several proposals and recommendations were presented to increase the adoption of BIM technologies in the Syrian construction sector in general, and in the engineering supervision environment in particular.
Mohammed Ali Alshamali (Thu,) studied this question.