Improved accuracy and lower risk BIM cost planning through platform linked to NRM 1&2

Nov 11, 2015 | BIM, CA

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Clarkson Alliance has selected Bidcon BIM from Elecosoft UK Limited as its cost management platform for BIM related cost information. The product will help support the development of the company’s new cost consulting services. These form part of the company’s strategic aim to align around Building Information Modelling (BIM) and deliver project management and cost management services that help ease its clients’ own transitions to BIM.

Clarkson Alliance selected Bidcon BIM after conducting an extensive analysis of available cost management solutions. The company wanted to be able to use BIM for cost management at any stage of the project lifecycle. Bidcon BIM stood out as having every essential requirement to enable the company to deliver cost management, value management and collaborative BIM project support to its clients, including:

  • Built-in New Rules of Measurement library, enabling NRM1 and NRM2 based outputs
  • Fully integrated Spon’s Price Books database – providing access to the construction industry’s most trusted pricing database from directly within the product
  • Pricing database customisation – enabling the company to augment the pricing database with its bespoke and negotiated prices
  • Easy to integrate with existing spreadsheet-based cost models and templates
  • Cloud-supported via the Elecosoft BIMCloud, enabling consultants to work anywhere

David Chapell, Head of Cost Management at Clarkson Alliance, explains: “Our new cost consulting service allows customers to bring project data to us in any form – either traditional or from a BIM model and we can work with them to deliver consistent, reliable cost plans. This is particularly useful to architects and designers who don’t want to be slowed down when they are creating models. Information needs to be produced in a useful format whatever software they choose to use. We knew that fully integrated cost management for BIM projects would be essential – and Bidcon BIM was an easy choice.”

Bidcon BIM will enable Clarkson Alliance to investigate the models generated by architects visually and take off quantities to Bidcon. It supports development of cost plans at every stage of the RIBA and NBS digital plan of works for BIM. The ability to work more efficiently and to develop consistent processes will also help Clarkson Alliance improve cost certainty whilst being able to adapt and respond to project changes fluidly.

The new cost consulting division will use Bidcon BIM to help it design templates, standardise processes and apply rigorous quality management principles to its cost planning and management services.

The company is already an advocate of Elecosoft’s Asta Powerproject, a powerful project, portfolio and resource management solution used by 90% of the UK’s leading construction contractors. Its decision to use Bidcon BIM was underpinned by its experience as an Elecosoft customer, and knowledge that it could access high-calibre training and software support from a well-trusted supplier.

Jason Ruddle, Managing Director of Elecosoft UK, says “We are always delighted when customers perceive the true strategic value that our software solutions can have. BIM is changing our industry, and driving collaborative working between disciplines – yet, until Bidcon BIM, we felt that cost estimators and quantity surveyors were at some disadvantage. Not any longer.”

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