Our most frequent question from potential clients is: How much will BIM modelling cost? And the answer isn’t straightforward. There are so many variables to consider when evaluating the cost of a new BIM modelling project.
Choosing a BIM partner is like buying a new home or car: It comes with a lot of options which all affect price.
But because we know a ball park price is really helpful when you’re trying to choose a BIM expert to outsource to, we’ve developed a pricing calculator to give you an idea.
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What affects the price of a BIM project?
01
Time
Time is a key factor affecting the cost of a BIM quote. When we give you an estimate, we have looked carefully at each milestone and deliverable and calculated the timings for each phase. Depending on your timelines, we might need to allocate more resources at different stages to meet your deadlines. So, if the turnaround time is really tight, it might affect the price of your quote. Also, the nature of your space will dictate how much time is spent on particular tasks. For example, the time and resource allocation to deliver a ground floor might not be the same as those allocated to the first floor.
02
Quality
Although time is an important factor, we will never compromise the quality of your model. We will always be clear about how much time we will need to ensure the quality of your BIM model as it is vital for the success of your project. We have a robust QA process to follow for all of our work to ensure the highest quality of BIM deliverables.
03
Use of BIM
Levels of detail (LOD) and information (LOI) are important factors in determining the cost of a BIM project. For example, LOD 400 has a lot more detail than a project that requires only an LOD 200 BIM model. If you require a higher LOD, the work carries a higher price point because it is more time consuming.
04
BIM Coordination
BIM allows us to co-ordinate between disciplines for more efficient installations. Successful BIM co-ordination delivers seamless collaboration between MEP services, and structural and architectural models for clash-free design and install. Our experienced engineers resolve clashes by rearranging services to remove colliding parts. For this to be done correctly, we need a fully qualified team of BIM experts who are well-versed in the latest industry software and standards.
05
Application of the Building
BIM modelling costs can vary depending on the type of building. Warehouses comprising large halls are less complex than medical facilities or factories with multiple elements, for example. The scope of the building will help us to estimate the correct time and skillset allocation for your project.
06
Information in the key
Project information is another crucial aspect to costing a BIM job properly. Along with prior knowledge and expertise, key project information plays a vital role in accurate pricing. It refers to the essential, structured data and documentation you’ll need to support decision-making, design, construction, and operation of your built asset through its lifecycle.
Watch: What Really
Drives BIM Costs
In these two short videos, we explain the key factors behind BIM costs for both BIM modelling and BIM content creation.
Watch Video
BIM MEP Modelling Costs Explained
Watch Video
What Drives the Cost of BIM Content Creation?
How we quote for BIM projects
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Most BIM specialists and consultants will use one of the following three methods for pricing BIM projects:
Price per square metre
Price per hour
Project fee
There are pros and cons to each of the methods. Price per square metre and project fee methods are fixed amounts, whereas pricing by the hour usually has a variation of 10-15% from baseline. If you want to keep control of costs, we might go for a fixed method of pricing. But if you know some variables are likely to change and you want a bit more flexibility, it might be appropriate to price by the hour. In any case, we will discuss this with you before we quote so there are no surprises later on.
Why some BIM projects are more expensive?
Other than the main variables discussed above, there are many factors that affect the price of a BIM project. This might mean that two buildings of the same size might vary considerably in cost. When creating BIM models, things like complexity and number of building services will affect the price of the project far more than the physical area the building takes up.
In addition, later modifications of the designs might also result in increased costs as complexity might also change.
For this reason, we always include rounds of revisions in all our contracts. The number of revisions you get will be included in the fee upfront so you get that peace of mind that changes and edits are built into the service we offer you. If the scope of the project changes after the contracts are signed, we would need to go back and look at resources and costing, but we are always upfront and clear about this so there are no surprises.
We are committed to working with you to make sure you get the best quality BIM models for your project. According to research, 20% of a built asset’s total cost is in the design and construction phase. While the other 80% is expended during its operation. Compared with construction, BIM is not cheap. And that’s because it needs to be of the highest quality to support a successful construction phase to ensure the efficiency and longevity of your building.
