BiM FM Data Management Ltd specialise in creating BIM models that can be specifically used for Facility Management purposes. They can extract all model data and link it, with all other facility data to an online database for instant access, anywhere, any time. This saves significant time and money in identifying and dealing with any issues arising. They also work on construction models and their team can create a Building Information Model to meet their clients requirements. Irish Building Magazine talks with managing director David Heavey.

“But Clients are not asking for BIM and they certainly won’t pay the extra it will cost” …is a frequently heard response by those justifying why they have not yet embraced the BIM process. The onus is on Construction and Facility management professionals to demonstrate that it need not cost more and can result in significant savings on site, especially for Operations and Maintenance. Perhaps part of the problem is that BIM is generally only available to highly trained specialists with expensive software. Perhaps it is no wonder that everyone else on the delivery team, including the client, don’t really understand it or appreciate what it can do.

Why not take the information out of BIM and make it available to every member of the team, from the client and the guy fitting the doors to anyone using a standard browser or tablet, on site or in their office? Only then will clients really start to understand the power of the ‘I’ (information) in BIM. This is the area that David Heavey of BIM FM Data Management Ltd specialises in.

There are of course exceptions to the above and some clients are actually asking for BIM. Most notably the UK government is leading the way and has mandated that BIM must be used on all public projects by Jan 2016. US companies investing in facilities here also usually require BIM to be used. In a nutshell all design teams, contractors and subcontractors with ambitions to work on even medium sized projects must now be considering how they will start to adopt or develop their BIM capabilities. It is already an inherent part of tender qualifications.

So, how to achieve that? Certainly some training for senior staff, not on how to use BIM software but on what the process can do for them. Some appropriate training for technical staff will also be advantageous. The quickest advances in using BIM can be achieved in outsourcing BIM coordination and data management early in your BIM journey. This will allow your in-house team to grow and understand the process in a much shorter timeframe. Many will find that the reduced cost of software, hardware and training or taking on new BIM qualified staff justify this business model into the future.

Many Facility Managers will seek to purchase software and spend considerable man hours populating asset data into a system to allow assets be managed. Where a BIM is created for a new project or for an existing building, this process is automated and can take just minutes. The added benefit of having a virtual facility is that lifecycle costing and analysis can be carried out to assess potential improvements before spending a penny. This is particularly important for energy management. 

David Heavey from BIM FM Data Management Ltd can build the Virtual Building, advise on Information Management and implement BIM for construction projects and FM. BIM FM Data Management are based at NIB House in Athlone. You can call David on 0906 498400 or email info@bimfmdata.com