Barry McAuley, PhD Post-Doctoral Researcher 086 014 4853 bmcauley@cita.ie www.bicp.ie
BICP Case Study 2 – BIM 2 FM: Schools Bundles 4 Background
Barriers
The Schools Bundle 4 (SB4) PPP tender was the first public tender competition in the Irish state which included a BIM requirement in the tender invitation.
Many challenges were faced throughout this project most notably the lack of BIM Maturity within the current Irish market.
The tender requested that “The BIM model shall be completed by the PPP Co. to a level required for 7D facilities management which refers to the intelligent linking of 3D components or assembles with all aspects of project lifecycle management information. The BIM file shall include for information in relation to the FM and operation and maintenance (O&M) functions including – space and asset management, and maintenance management”.
BAM wanted to reduce not just material waste but also waste associated with labour and time. Further improvements were sought with regards to specialist contractors by ensuring they had a better knowledge of the design intent, less construction errors, and an improved understanding of construction sequencing. BAM were also keen to explore a more rewarding methodology with regards to the management of data during the operational phase.
In an effort to reduce bid costs and to maintain an open and accessible bidding process, the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA) did not specify that BIM was a requirement to produce the design and bid. BAM PPP was appointed as the Preferred Tenderer in Q3 of 2014. Construction started on site in early January 2015 and the first School Comeragh College in Carrick on Suir, was opened on time and under budget on Monday 14th March 2016. Figure one illustrates a model of one of the schools from SB4. Figure one illustrates a model of one of the schools from SB4.
Solution Using BIM during the bidding stage of the competition resulted in a more robust bid submission. BAM were able to rapidly produce high quality visualizations directly from the Building Information Models, therefore generating significant gains by identifying possible Facilities Management (FM) difficulties. Significant efficiencies and savings in time were achieved by using 4D processes for each school. BAM also found that these savings reduced the overall risk contingency by nearly 2% as a result of processes employed at bid stage. The benefits of developing the design through BIM at the bid stage also had a positive impact on the construction phase. All the documentation including drawings, reports, models etc. were easily identifiable and the models were used as a project overview tool to better inform those who had not been involved in the project to that point.
Figure 1 – Figure 1 – School from SB 4
The use of BIM meant that an early contractor engagement approach should be deployed. This was 1|Page