Non-Adoption of BIM Will Hinder Construction Industry’s Success Claim RICS Members

Research by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) shows that 73% of surveying firms in the UK see the non-adoption of BIM as something that could seriously hinder the success of the nation’s construction industry.

Research released today shows that 73% of surveying firms in the UK see the non-adoption of BIM as something that could seriously hinder the success of the nation’s construction industry within the next year.

The data, released by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) also states that although a large majority of surveying firms have considered the business case for BIM adoption (74%), there is still a large proportion of firms (49%) not using BIM in the day-to-day aspects of their work.

Of those not currently using BIM within their organisation, 68% of respondents said that they don’t think there is enough information available for small companies in order to aid them with adoption. In addition, 31% of surveyors claim that there is not a need to use the technology in their organisation, while over a quarter (26%) stated that they don’t feel their firm has the technical skills in place to implement the technology.

Interestingly, over half (55%) of those members interviewed said that they are currently working with architects firms that are using BIM. In addition, half of these respondents said that the architects they have collaborated with have been encouraging them to adopt BIM within their own organisation.

Alan Muse, Global Director of Built Environment Professional Groups RICS, said:

“Our research clearly shows that the importance of BIM is not being lost on the UK’s surveying sector with 73% identifying that non-adoption is likely to have a negative impact on the industry as a whole. However, the research also shows that there is still a large percentage of firms that are not currently using BIM technology on a day-to-day basis as part of their operations.

“It’s clear from the research that the industry needs to be doing more to help smaller surveying firms – as well as the wider industry – in getting up to speed with the technology, particularly when it comes to how they can implement the technology across their organisation. This is something RICS is helping to contribute to with its Certificate in BIM Project Management and its regular publication of guidance notes.

“BIM is the future, not just of the surveying industry, but the entire construction sector. It has the power to unlock cost and time efficiencies which will enable the UK industry to become more efficient and competitive on a global scale. With this in mind, surveyors – particularly quantity surveyors – need to lead the charge when it comes to BIM and ensure that they have the right skills in place to implement it across their organisation. What’s more, we need to ensure that the surveying profession is one of the first to be consulted when BIM models are being developed on projects – this helping to maximise cost and resource efficiencies on all projects.”

For more information on RICS’ Certificate in BIM Project Management or to access its latest BIM guidance note for Cost Managers, visit: www.rics.org/bim