Impact of Project Integration on Implementation of Model-Based Estimating

Model-based estimating (MBE) has become more common in recent years with many seeking to capture the potential of building information modeling (BIM) in the construction industry. However, MBE is neither utilized as widely as expected nor implemented as efficiently as it could be in current industry practice. Previous studies attributed this to a low level of model sharing and lack of required information in models largely due to lack of integration between design and construction and the absence of effective communication among project participants. Thus, the cooperation between two major project participants, namely designing team and general contractor, appears to be a crucial factor in determining the level of utilization of MBE. However, there has been little to no study specifically aimed at investigating cooperation that is required for MBE. In response, the present study targets to test a hypothesis that a correlation exists between the level of project integration and the level of MBE implementation. This study uses an online survey as a main research methodology to collect responses from industry practitioners, and a statistical analysis was conducted to test the hypothesis. The study results will support project teams in devising ways to improve the level of MBE implementation for future projects.