In Issue 2 of The B1M Mail, I caught up with Exactal's Simon Lovegrove to explore 5D BIM and ask whether the days are numbered for estimators...

Simon Lovegrove knows his estimating. Originally from the UK, he has spent much of his life in Australia, holding a directorship at Turner and Townsend in Brisbane and becoming a founding director of Exactal. Nowadays, and with 35 years industry experience behind him, he leads Exactal’s focus in the UK and Europe, splitting his time 50:50 between there and other offices in Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong. If anyone has a global view on estimating with BIM, he does.

Despite enquiring about his movements and insisting that I fly over to grab a beer on an Australian beach (apologies for that stereotype) I instead meet Simon on a rather cold day in London. The agenda? BIM, Exactal’s take-off software, and whether their product could bring an end to the estimating profession.

Global Success

We start with an impressive low-down on team Exactal. Founded in 2003, they have built a global firm behind the success of their core software product CostX. Recognising synergies with the UK market, they quickly branched out from Brisbane to the less exotic Newcastle-upon-Tyne, before coming to their senses and going on to open five subsequent bases across Europe, Asia and Australasia. The success of CostX speaks for itself, and the product now supports users in 70 different countries around the world.

So why has it proved so popular? Well CostX originally set out to better integrate the estimating process with that of CAD drawing files. Despite the presence of several competitors at the time, Exactal’s approach differed in that they directly tied measurements to specific CAD-drawn elements. This enabled them to deliver unique bi-directional links between the estimate and sections of the drawing represented. As estimating started going digital, Exactal enjoyed the steady success of CostX’s intuitive and straight-forward workflow resonating with an ever-widening user base.

Let’s stop there for a moment. Simon is a very genuine and grounded guy, but to avoid the risk of writing pure propaganda I dug around to see what Exactal’s user base really think of their product offering. Amazingly, I only found positive feedback and a total conviction amongst users of the efficiencies the product has brought them. Now, they couldn’t imagine not using it.

“I fear BIM will replac me”

Interestingly, when speaking to those estimators (and to many others over recent months) I always encountered a mixed bag when I gently moved on from digital tools to raise the topic of BIM. This was despite an almost universal acceptance of the efficiencies that a digital approach can bring, even amongst non-users who still prefer manual techniques. Some described with genuine horror their perception of a ‘push-one-button’ approach to pricing that would do them out of a job; others were comparatively well-advanced in using it; whilst some recognised the potential but pointed to a long road ahead.

Exactal’s journey of success has run pretty parallel to the digitisation of estimating and inevitably brought them to the BIM question. So I put this feedback to Simon and asked him straight-up: will BIM mean the end of estimating?

“Ultimately, professional advice will always be needed to analyse and interpret cost data in preference to the raw output from any software program, no matter how sophisticated” he said. “I often come across estimators and quantity surveyors who carry a fear that BIM will replac them. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. The advent of BIM means they can actually focus on applying their intelligence and wisdom to a project, rather than spending 90% of their time calculating a quantity”.

The 5D BIM Value Proposition

What Simon alludes to is the BIM value proposition for estimators and those involved in the cost planning and pricing of projects. So what does the ultimate vision look like?

The engagement of cost data in the BIM workflow is known as adding a ‘fifth dimension’ to your project or asset information set (hence the term ‘5D BIM’). linking in programme data is the fourth dimension, whilst incorporating facilities management information is the sixth. These dimensions are distinctly separate from the ‘levels’ of BIM maturity running from zero to three. You may find 4D, 5D and 6D data are all used within a Level 2 BIM environment for example.

Fundamentally, successful working in a BIM environment and realisation of true value from the process demands (amongst other things); 1) earlier design development and options testing (from a clear set of Employer’s Information Requirements) before progression to the detailed design phase, and; 2) holistic project team collaboration, including from cost planners and the specialist supply chain, right from the outset.

In a 5D BIM environment, rather than working in isolation to offer cost advice or take-off quantities for a project, estimators are participating in data exchange from day one. “They get to play on the team instead of watching from the side-lines” as Simon puts it; “automated quantities generation provides a faster, more accurate tool to analyse data and provide better advice. This enables real-time options modelling and facilitates scenario testing to explore ways of improving building design, efficiency, performance and cost”.

Far from replacing them, 5D BIM actually enables estimators to better collaborate with project teams, explore opportunities, eliminate risk and focus spend on a Customer’s needs more effectively, resulting in a higher quality built asset that truly supports their business outcomes.

Barriers to Adoption

So the proposition sounds great, but why the slow uptake? How do we get the majority of the estimating profession from wher they are now to using BIM? Simon explained: “At the moment, we’re finding one of the main challenges is receiving incomplete models, missing some sections for example. That can be frustrating for estimators and some use this as an excuse not to adopt”.

A potential solution lies in CostX’s support for 2D take-off in addition to 3D model data: “We not only allow the estimator to manually measure from the model if required, but also by supplementing 2D drawings wher necessary. There’s no need to switch from one program to the other”. It means that wher information is missing from a model the estimator doesn’t have to completely write it off. “The hybrid approach is great for estimators until we reach ‘BIM nirvana’ wher all models are complete” Simon continued.

Indeed in any project information model there is a considerable amount of attribute data not actually ‘modelled’ but instead provided (linked) on 2D product data templates, specification pages or note sheets cut from the model. CostX allows additional quantities to be measured from these sheets for augmentation with 3D data, covering the gaps. Simon points out that this allows them to support the traditional workflow on non-BIM projects, enabling estimators to gradually progress to BIM. He believes there will always remain a place for 2D data and drawings as the ‘universal language of construction’.

But surely the real issue still lies in the accuracy of data provided by designers, regardless of whether it’s 2D or 3D, hand-drawn or CAD generated, BIM or non-BIM? Most estimators already fill the gaps in information with their judgement, particularly in the early design stages, and this is wher the profession’s real skill lies. “That’s the biggest thing” Simon said. “Accurate take-off tools can’t make up for poor model information being issued in the first place and in that respect there’s little difference between a BIM environment and the 2D world that most people are used to”.

BIM is all about information and its management; bringing information to the forefront of our approach to minimise risk and placing greater emphasis and reliance on our transactions with it during project development. That demands a greater level of integrity in the information that all of us produce on a scheme, not just designers. As projects progress, the degree to which information needs to be relied upon for decision making increases; from agreeing a business case, submitting for Planning approval and entering contract, right through to releasing drawings for construction and then referencing as-built and real-time performance data in an asset information model, post-completion.

It will take everyone time to get used to this new, more exposed way of working and if anything it’s a little embarrassing that our industry is only gradually reacting to the new concept of things ‘having to be right’. I don’t mean to knock us with that comment; we deliver some phenomenal environments and feats of engineering, through some incredibly professional people. It’s just that BIM will enable us to do better.

The problems estimators experience with 2D information are certainly still there in a BIM environment, but are easier and quicker to spot. Long term, BIM will drive improvements in the quality of information released and its adoption represents a great step in the right direction. It’s just going to take time.

Other barriers to 5D workflow include the misconception of BIM as an area purely for designers, and the creation of data models in a format not conducive to 5D purposes. Simon explained how CostX challenges the latter issue by supporting industry standard file formats (including IFC and DWF) whilst allowing users to manipulate data within the model to suit their needs. Of course to enable that, we are faced with the broader and more fundamental hurdles of ensuring that training and technical know-how are in place; something no doubt affecting many in the profession who are new to BIM.

Thought Leadership

Attempting to address these barriers, Exactal really are becoming thought leaders on 5D BIM and want to see its wider adoption, regardless of the software used. In March 2014 they hosted two events in the UK exploring the barriers and opportunities of 5D BIM for estimators, which saw Simon joined by Trevor Woods, a lecturer at the Dublin Institute of Technology and founder of the DPW Group (the full event video can be seen on TheB1M.com). Trevor echoed much of Simon’s views in his talk; “It’s less work at the outset, that is, less work doing the counting, but you’re doing that more often as you feed information back to the designers and project team”.

As for Simon himself, he remains positive about the ultimate impact BIM will have on the estimating profession, recognising the pull of the value proposition and maturing professional capabilities eventually becoming strong enough to force barriers aside: “once the quality of information develops and estimators take the gradual step from digital CAD take-off into a full BIM environment, the demonstrable benefits will drive rapid uptake. BIM will mark an evolution in the estimator’s role and see them adding much more value to the project delivery process”. Having partially pioneered the integration of estimating with CAD on a global scale, I would say Exactal’s predictions and advice are worth listening to.

As I wrap up our conversation and leave to walk out along the street, the earlier London gloom has surrendered to some warm sunny spells. My hope is that estimators reading this, for all the unfounded doom-talk of BIM ending their existence, might just experience something similar.

For more on Exactal visit Exactal.com, follow them on Twitter @Exactal and check out “An Evening with BIM Estimating” on TheB1M.com.