Dive Brief:

• A new Dodge Data & Analytics report, SmartMarket Brief: BIM Advancements 01, found that building information modeling (BIM) provides substantial benefits for the construction industry, such as improved productivity and reduced costs. The report, written with Bentley Systems, on BIM success factors is the first of three on improving the industry through technology, according to Dodge. The next two topics will be construction modeling and information mobility
• Dodge found that BIM gives companies a competitive advantage and that 48% of respondents from large AEC firms have seen a 5% decrease or more in final construction cost with the technology, and 31% have seen a 25% improvement in labor productivity. 
• Dodge also reports the factors that have the greatest impact on achieving a high level of success with BIM are BIM planning (creating a common methodology for use of BIM), platform compatibility and BIM-integrated meetings.

Dive Insight:

The Dodge report also found that BIM is underutilized, with only 41% of respondents seeing BIM used on their projects. However, of those who used it, 72% reported value from it. In addition, general contractors use BIM the most, while the greatest areas of unmet BIM demand are with interior, building envelope and electrical trade contractors.

In areas outside of BIM, 70% of those surveyed currently use information/document management systems and online meetings, and more than 80% expect to use them in two years. Use of cloud storage services is expected to increase from 56% to 89% in two years.

In addition, contractors, 43%, have seen a greater benefit from information mobility in the last two years than architects (28%) and engineers (37%). Among all of the survey respondents, 70% or more place a high importance on having improved devices for jobsites, more reliable and ubiquitous connectivity, more standardization and interoperability of data platforms, and greater ability to store and access project information in the cloud.

"Time and again, our research has demonstrated that BIM is most valuable as a means to enhance collaboration," said Steve Jones, senior director of industry insights at Dodge Data & Analytics. "These findings demonstrate that you achieve the best results when BIM is at the heart of a transformed process built on sharing information, rather than simply the deployment of software."

The Dodge report also addresses the various levels of challenges of BIM adoption in companies.

"Implementing BIM successfully involves behavioral, cultural and technological changes: transforming your organization, adopting new processes and implementing new standards," said Anne Busson, industry marketing director, AEC at Bentley Systems.

The U.K. is currently preparing for its mandatory BIM utilization rules to kick in for those contractors working on public projects, but, as of October, only 16% of the country's contractors were fully ready.