There economic management of the project in a BIM environment represents a challenge and an opportunity for improve the reliability of estimates And ensure the financial success of construction projects.
In this article we analyze the importance of economic management in architecture and civil engineering projects, highlighting the role of Cost Engineering and theBIM integration as essential tools for cost control, financial planning and prevention of budget overruns. The approach described guarantees greater reliability of the estimates and optimizes economic decisions throughout the process project life cycle.
Economic planning: foundation of project sustainability
Every building project requires a preliminary assessment of its sustainability, not only from a technical and environmental point of view, but also from an economic point of view. Economic sustainability concerns the project’s ability to generate cash flows capable of covering the initial investment and producing profitability.
There are three types of monetary sustainability to consider:
- economic sustainability: maximization of social well-being according to efficiency criteria;
- social sustainability: rebalancing of wealth from a welfare perspective;
- financial sustainability: focused on the return on investment from an entrepreneurial point of view.
Regardless of the specific purpose of the project, it is essential to arrive at an accurate cost estimate. The economic analysis, as indicated by the UNI 10723 standard, must be carried out in depth during all phases of the life cycle of the work.
Cost engineering: a fundamental discipline
THE’Cost Engineering is the discipline that deals with the management of project costs, including activities such as estimation, control and risk analysis. Cost engineers work to ensure an optimal balance between cost, quality and time, avoiding budget overruns and ensuring effective financial planning.
The main functions of Cost Engineering are:
- prevention of budget overruns through the preventive definition of costs;
- financial planning and programming for efficient resource management;
- evaluation of design alternatives based on economic scenarios;
- cost monitoring during execution to ensure adherence to the budget;
- profitability assessment based on expected benefits;
- effective communication with stakeholders thanks to accurate and transparent estimates.
The role of BIM in Cost Engineering
THE’adoption of BIM it has revolutionized the way of estimating costs in architectural and civil engineering projects, ensuring greater reliability in the early stages and speeding up processes in the advanced stages. However, the use of BIM is often limited to the advanced stages of design and construction, while its use in the early stages would be crucial to obtain more precise estimates and prevent budget overruns.
Integrating BIM into the cost estimating process leads to:
- more reliable estimates in the early stages thanks to BIM concept models and multi-parametric analysis;
- faster and more detailed processing in the advanced stages of the project, facilitating the estimated metric calculation and providing immediate feedback on the effects of design changes.
Challenges and limits
Although BIM offers advanced cost calculation tools, it cannot fully replace the experience of Quantity Surveyora central figure in the estimation process. Effective use of BIM requires the adoption of specific workflowscollaboration between designers and technicians and an in-depth knowledge of digital platforms and the most sophisticated estimation techniques.
Paradigm change in the economic management of the project
The traditional role of “computing expert” was replaced by that of a expert technician both in advanced estimation methodologies and in the use of digital tools. This paradigm shift implies greater integration of technical and IT skills, allowing designers to be supported in real time and to operate within a data sharing logic.
