CONSTRUCTION & BIM NOT JUST A BUZZ WORD
Consultants in the facilities management industry have long recognised the disconnection between BIM and FM. Here, experts from WYG assess how the barriers to adopting BIM technology can be avoided.
More than two years ago, the PAS 1192-3 document was published to help the FM sector embed BIM Level 2 processes in their operational activities. Years later, however, there still remains a void in understanding. In 2016, the UK government set the mandate for centrally funded public-sector contracts to be delivered to BIM Level 2 standards.
“When you have selected your new digital solution, start small and
implement it on a couple of projects first before carrying out a full-scale deployment.”
But the problem, some say, is that many FM organisations are still not clear how, or importantly, where BIM delivers value, which discourages investment in BIM. There are clearly pockets of BIM excellence in the sector, but wide scale BIM adoption remains quite a way off for now. So, what can be done to better embrace this valuable way of working?
Benefits of BIM in FM The benefits of BIM in the FM sector have been preached extensively over the last few years. To summarise, BIM (processes, standards, technologies and collaboration) help to deliver accurate asset information to building managers that enable them to optimally operate and manage their buildings safely and efficiently, with significant cost savings as a result. BIM provides accurate information about building and asset performance, helping FM teams to make better-informed strategic asset management decisions. Despite the known benefits, why isn’t BIM standard practice in the FM sector?
Barriers to adoption Quantifying benefits: BIM can generate value wherever there is FM service delivery. However, some of the benefits may not be immediately obvious (or cannot be measured financially), and this may be preventing FM organisations fully committing to BIM.
Cost: The initial high cost is a common reason for not investing in BIM. Many FM organisations would say that there is not enough money in their budgets to invest in BIM. If the budget is held by others, then there is a tendency to feel that there is a loss of control.
Risk: The FM sector is generally considered risk-averse. Many organisations prefer to be ‘fast followers’, only
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feeling confident about implementing new processes and technologies when others before them have been through ‘the pain of change’ first.
Resistance: In some cases, there may be deliberate resistance to implementing BIM. There could be fear among staff about losing control over their projects, or wrongly perceiving that BIM will dictate the process of a project. There may also be fear that some FM roles will eventually become obsolete through using digital technologies to automate certain tasks.
Too much disruption: To deploy new digital technologies successfully, a fair amount of ‘prep work’ is required beforehand to ensure the correct workflows are set up to support the digital application. Getting the required ‘back-end’ processes right does take time and dedicated resource. The level of time and resource investment - as well as the inevitable change management that goes with it - may be off-putting to FM teams particularly those that don’t have the capacity to invest the needed time and resource. However, when the task is managed properly, so many benefits can be gained.
Too many choices: New technologies are being invented every day. Trying to choose the most appropriate digital solution for your organisation (and at the right time) may be overwhelming.
“Getting the required ‘back-end’
processes right does take time and dedicated resource.”
Overcoming the barriers FM organisations need to recognise that some BIM benefits may be difficult to financially measure at first but will prove to be highly valuable. Understanding that the type and level of BIM benefits also varies from sector to sector is important too, as is an FM manager’s involvement in the process.
It is often the case that FM teams are typically introduced to BIM at the finished build stage when mobilising their service delivery. However, earlier FM engagement during the design stage may break through barriers, as the FM teams become invested in the process from the beginning and can offer their experience throughout the process. This also helps to ensure outputs are bespoke to the user.
Maintaining equipment in heavily regulated industries such as nuclear and industrial can present challenges,
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