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This paper presents a comparative study of commercially available BIM-based estimating software, and an investigation of the changes in work practices and workflows incurred by the adoption of such software by a construction company. Due to the fragmentation of the construction industry and the linearity of the design process, cost estimating is typically performed at a time when the conceptual design is quite advanced or even completed, which is much too late in the design process to help the different stakeholders make informed decisions. Performing value engineering and cost estimation from the beginning of the design process would potentially enable a faster and more cost-effective project delivery process, higher quality buildings, and increased control and predictability for the owner. This research examines the changes in work practices and work flows within a construction company as they move towards adopting Building information Model (BIM) estimating process. To conduct this research, we: (1) tested several BIM-based cost estimating software tools to support different phases of design, (2) evaluated the benefits and challenges of working with this software, and (3) analyzed the work practices and workflows of a BIM-based estimating process within the firm. Finally, we propose a multi-stage technology adoption scenario.
Forgues et al. (Thu,) studied this question.