Rethinking 3D BIM Coordination

Contributing to this week's Guest Blog is David Wilkinson, one of the preconstruction specialists at Vico. David is responsible for helping construction managers and general contractors embrace 5D BIM as a core competency.  He developed and delivers the Vico program, BIM for Executives, to help construction leaders learn where BIM fits into their corporate strategy.  He also teaches similar courses in lean construction at Northeastern University in Boston, MA.  With over 20 years of industry experience including superintendent, project manager, estimator, subcontractor, and industry lobbyist, David brings real world experience to every situation.  He is the consummate proud father and husband, passionate basketball coach, and avid cyclist.

 

We write a lot in the Vico Blogs about process change and how difficult it can be to motivate individual employees, whole departments, and even entire organizations to take the leap to BIM.

 

Most CM firms view themselves as risk managers as much as builders; they have to if they want to succeed. Most that continue to weather the storm are able to do so because they have built effective processes over many years which enable them to control projects. Their reluctance to embrace technology-based solutions is well-founded as they have been assaulted by software vendors for everything from marketing programs to get work, construction programs to execute work, and facilities programs to manage completed projects and everything in between!

 

It is not a surprise, therefore, that they do not simply rush to BIM as a solution for all that ails them. As a client recently told me: “We have managed to be profitable for 25 years without BIM and think we can continue that trend until BIM becomes the new standard.”  What he was saying was that his company does not have to be the Guinea Pig for BIM but can afford to wait until it proves itself.

 

One area which can now be said to be “proven” is that of MEP coordination using BIM technology. It is VERY important to understand this is NOT simple collision detection to detect clashes within a model. In fact, traditional methods still apply such as System – Priority – Structure which CMs and Subs have used for years to determine how to coordinate MEP systems.

 

 

Vico has pioneered a process called Coordination by Location which centralizes the MEP coordination process while still allowing for critical subcontractor input in the process. Coordination by Location, as practiced by Vico on hundreds of projects, takes advantage of BIM technology but also requires strict adherence to process, much as traditional methods require.

 

To many, coordination means using a collision detection program, generating a report identifying all of the clashes, and sending the report to the subs. In practice, this may actually increase coordination cost and time.

 

Depending upon the software program and how it identifies clashes, the report may include hundreds of clashes that are not, in fact, clashes. In addition, simply reporting clashes without a process to prioritize them forces the subs to track down all clashes in the report, when, in fact, most of them are not critical, but since the owner/CM provided a report with every clash they have to identify and resolve all of them!

 

Vico’s Constructability Manager is designed to identify clashes on an element basis as opposed to a geometric basis which significantly reduces the clash count. In addition, the process for reporting is built into Constructability Manager enabling the user to identify, prioritize, and recommend resolution. The report can also be combined with an existing RFI system to link the two together (includes an extra field for RFI number from client’s contract management program). Finally, construction documentation of the coordinated MEP systems is critical. The subs still need drawings to build by!

 

BIM is a great tool, but without proven process the garbage-in/garbage-out adage still applies. Most construction CMs, as well as MEP subs, use similar System – Priority – Structure methodology when coordinating MEP systems. While it is true that some clashes cannot be resolved by a simple System – Priority – Structure process, our experience has been that approximately 80% of the clashes can be resolved.

 

A typical System – Priority – Structure looks something like this:

 

 

Generally the concept is to move the cheapest and easiest things to move first…and difficult and expensive elements last. A large duct is something you would prefer not to move if you can avoid it. Simply resizing the duct may change the engineered standards of the system and, therefore, should be avoided. Sloped pipe is a priority because it has to maintain slope within local code requirements, etc.

 

Any program or process of coordination which does not recognize and allow for the Subs’ expertise and input will fail; their experience is just too important. Vico’s Construction Services Team members (or your staff taught by us) are trained to make coordination adjustments as they are modeling. However, some coordination decisions require modeling all components of MEP systems in a given location before effective re-routing can be accomplished.

 

The reporting requirements established by the Vico process show the system as modeled from the design, identifies the clash, includes a narrative about the change, and 3D images of before and after.

 

 

Showing the before and after images AND the design documentation enables the subs to review what was done, where it was done, why it was done, enabling them to give effective and precise feedback. In every project there will be clashes that cannot, or should not, be fixed as they require professional expertise and not a simple SPS. The reporting process must identify and prioritize these, as well, and enable the subs and/or project engineer to recommend an effective solution.

 

Integrated construction software like Vico Office takes what we did in 2D and puts it into 3D -- that’s the easy part. The hard part is documentation and reporting to ensure that the Subs’ input is included, that the SPS is followed, that modeling accuracy can be confirmed, as well as decision making in coordination, and finally, never letting good deeds go unnoticed. An effective analysis, coordination, and reporting process enables us to show our client what we are doing for them. Coordination by Location centralizes the coordination process AND includes the expertise of the subs.

 

Coordination drawings must be part of any deliverable, we still don’t see MEP subs working on projects using laptops for layout and installation! Once the MEP systems are coordinated, final issues resolved, adjustments made by the subs, 2D coordination drawings need to be generated. The Vico process includes generating all critical annotations including: elevations, distance to structural (columns for example), systems ID, etc.

 

 

Contract type can dictate how and when you use Coordination by Location. A preconstruction relationship within a GMP contract is ideal, but in today’s market the clients may want to hard bid or at least wait to bring subs in until late in the process to ensure competitive bidding. The alternatives don’t eliminate Coordination by Location, but do change how/when it is applied. Vico has used Coordination by Location in hard bids, as well as GMP environments, and been successful in all engagements. Hard bid is more difficult because of the shorter time period to build the model and perform the coordination and it eliminates sub input until post award. But resolving 80 – 90% of the coordination issues and providing a detailed report still drives significant savings on the Subs’ pricing.

 

In summary, there is often more smoke than fire when it comes to ROI claims for BIM, but one aspect of BIM, if performed correctly, has clear and significant benefit to the owner, CM, and subs: Coordination by Location.   Learn more about the topic by watching the recorded webinar: The New Preconstruction.

 

Learn more about this important step in the BIM workflow:

Blog: Coordination Resolution is 40% Faster than Traditional Clash Detection

Webinar: BIM 201: Clash Detection and Coordination

Webinar: Coordination Strategies in a Hard Bid

Webinar: Coordination 2.0 with Vico Office Constructability Manager

Webinar: The New Preconstruction

Product: Constructability Manager, Features and Benefits, FAQs

Services: Coordination Services

 

We have a highlight reel from that webinar here where we discuss the MPS and its role in preconstruction.  The model progression specification serves as the language of preconstruction planning with BIM. As long as modelers, schedulers, and estimators speak with the proper level of detail, the coordinated model can be used for quantity takeoff, 4D scheduling, and 5D cost planning.