Contractors Lead the Way in BIM Adoption and AGC Curriculum Can Help

Contractors are leading the way in the construction industry’s use of Building Information Modeling (BIM), according to a McGraw-Hill Construction SmartMarket Report - The Business Value of BIM in North America - released in January. Just a few years ago, according to the report, contractors had a low BIM adoption rate, but today contractors - especially large and medium-large general contractors - are using BIM because they are finding the return on investment (ROI) is worth the investment. Contractors also reported that the more engaged they are with BIM, the better their ROI. Top BIM benefits reported by contractors: reduced rework, 65 percent; marketing for new business, 56 percent; reduced document errors and omissions, 55 percent; maintain repeat business, 54 percent; and reduced project duration, 53 percent. “The tangibility of BIM’s benefits to contractors is driving their lead in adoption,” according to the report’s authors. Another key driver of BIM adoption is the increasing need for project team members to have some BIM capabilities, with 81 percent of respondents – owners, architects, engineers and GCs combined – saying they take BIM capability into at least some account when picking team members. Of those contractors currently not using BIM, one in five said they don’t understand it. Helping the construction industry understand and implement BIM is the goal of AGC’s Building Information Modeling Education Program (www.agc.org/BIM) comprised of four courses that take participants through the terminology, usage, technology, legal issues, implementation, and company adoption of the BIM process. Participants who take all four courses from an approved instructor are eligible to sit for the Certificate of Management – Building Information Modeling (CM-BIM) certificate, which should help contractors trying to prove to owners, architects and other team members that they understand BIM and increase their marketplace competitiveness. Currently, nearly 250 people nationwide hold the CM-BIM credential, a number that is expected to grow with the demand for BIM-savvy companies.