Tag: BIM outsourcing services

This category gives you a overview of BIM outsourcing services

ViBIM updates

File transfers – How to handle large point cloud data file

If you’re working with an outsourcing BIM partner, file transfers are a big part of your daily work activities. You might ask yourself which methods help you send large amounts of data files to your supplier. Is it a secure way to share your project data or something like that?

When to come to this problem, some of our customers usually ask us a question:

“How do you handle point cloud datasets? Is there a file-sharing service that you use?”.

Choosing the best ways for file transfers is not easy. Several popular options include email files, cloud-based sharing, or a more complex way like FTP (File Transfer Protocol).

Each method has some of its advantages and disadvantages. The article will give you an overview of the popular methods coming with benefits and drawbacks corresponding. Besides, we also want to keep you updated on how we handle file transfers for our customers.

Let’s continue exploring it below!

1. Several ways to transfer data files

Method 1: Use cloud-based storage and sharing

Cloud-based storage and data sharing have become significantly popular in recent years. In a crowded cloud-storage market, we have to highlight some names such as Box, Dropbox, Google Drive. It has become a mainstay for sharing data files, models, and documents. In reality, some of our customers often use their cloud storage services such as Wetransfer, Box, Google Drive…to share data files with us and their suppliers.

point cloud file transfer - cloud-based sharing

However, any method has some benefits and drawbacks. Cloud storage is no exception. Let’s take a look at a list of the pros and cons of this not-so-new way.

Pros

  • Accessibility: As your data is stored remotely, you can access it from anywhere with an Internet connection. It is helpful when you work with outsourced BIM partners in different countries worldwide. Just share with them the link of data files in the cloud storage, then your project team can access them easily;
  • Cost-effectiveness: With cloud storage, you only pay a little or no cost for a small or medium-sized business. You don’t also need to invest in expensive server infrastructure. This way can help you save your annual operating expenses;
  • Fast speed: The file transfer using a cloud-based platform is quick. The speed achieved can rival onsite scores;

Cons

  • Security concerns: Easy accessibility also triggers some security threats. When you use the clouds, it means you’re storing your data in a third party. Anyone can access your data with an internet connection. So, it might lead to a negative impact on your project data confidentiality;
  • Internet-dependent: In case you lost the internet connection, you will access the file data. Besides, if your internet connection is slow, it takes a lot of your time to wait than usual to access your data;

point cloud file transfers - cloud-based

There are other advantages and disadvantages of the cloud options. However, we only list some typical factors you should consider.

Method 2: Use The FTP server sharing

File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is a set of rules which let networked computers exchange information. The use of FTP server sharing is simple. You have an account, then log in to an FTP server, find the correct folder, and exchange files. When working with customers on BIM projects, several customers share their data files with us directly from their FTP server.

FTP server sharing, like any other method, has some of its pros and cons. So it’s crucial to understand FTP fully. Let’s continue exploring the benefits and drawbacks of FTP and learn how these factors impact your work.

point cloud file transfers - ftp server
Pros

  • Large file transfers: Point cloud data generated by laser scanners are getting bigger. Large projects can include hundreds of gigabytes of data all at once. FTP eases those large transfers with a rapid speed compared with cloud-based methods.
  • Resumed file transfers: If your file transfer is interrupted, don’t worry too much about losing progress. By using FTP server sharing, you can recover an interrupted file transfer if your connection fails.
  • Safety: With FTP, all files stored in your FTP storage account are safe. There is no risk of fire/water damages or theft.

Cons

  • Control: With several FTP solutions, you can not track what has been uploaded on the remote system, so you need to require reporting with an FTP vendor.
  • FTP vendors: There are differences between vendors. Each vendor offers its own set of features and lacks many of the features you need like controls, usability, etc.

point cloud file transfers - ftp server

2. The latest update from ViBIM on file transfers

We have already invested in our FTP server to transfer a large volume of laser scanned data/point cloud files to a customer. It is a convenient, fast, secure, confidential, flexible delivery gate that directly connects our server to the customers’ PC / server. We will share the host with the client for uploading the scanned files when implemented.

point cloud file transfers - ftp-server

At ViBIM, we are very seriously interested in protecting client data and NDA. Our server is very protected. Only authorized project managers can deliver data/models to clients under a secured server. No one in our company can copy data to USB or upload/attach it on the internet thanks to firewall restrictions.

Besides, we can still use some cloud storage such as Box, Google Drive, Wetransfer… We can host cloud sharing if it is much convenient in our collaboration approach.

Conclusion

In general, any method has some advantages and disadvantages. You should choose the one that best suits you. If large projects involve many stakeholders and the exchange of quite a few files, you can consider file transfers via an FTP server. Make sure that you have access to enough storage space to keep your large datasets.

If you want to ask these questions, feel free to let us know. We will send you the official introductions that help you get an understanding of ViBIM services.

ViBIM is a global provider of Building Information Modeling (BIM) services. We’ve had more than five years of experience and expertise in Scan to BIM services, 3D BIM coordination, BIM design, and Dynamo BIM services for clients in the UK, US.

Contact us today to get a quotation for your Scan to BIM projects.

BIM outsourcing service providers
BIM news and trends

Researching BIM outsourcing service providers: 7 questions you should ask

Outsourcing BIM services has been an effective solution for many companies. However, the expertise and competency of the BIM provider could be a decisive factor for your project’s success. Choosing the right BIM company assists you to avoid project hassles at a later stage. So make sure that your expectations align with what the BIM partner offers.

To help you, we’ve sorted out a list of 7 questions to ask BIM outsourcing service providers about their BIM capability. Absolutely, these questions will assist you to decide if a BIM outsourcing provider fits your needs.

1. Question 1: How do you protect client data and NDA?

You should put your data security first and verify that your project data is safe with your BIM provider. Also, you can ask them to explain how they protect your project data. Commitment is an important factor so a Non-disclosure Agreement (NDA) should be signed. This ensures that all data and information you provided will be confidential. No one will disclose any information about the project to any third party without your prior consent.

What’s more, it’s essential to check its IT infrastructure system to guarantee your project data from destruction. Let’s take a look at some specifications relating to the server system, computer performance, or data client delivery.

2. Question 2: What type of projects do you execute?

A great way to evaluate BIM providers’ capabilities is to take a look at the real-life projects they implemented for their clients. You might get to know the different types of projects they are doing well. Some often focus on infrastructural projects whereas others specialize in building industries such as Residential, Commercial, Industrial, Healthcare, Educational, etc.

BIM outsourcing service providers

In this way, you can check if they are able to meet the industry requirements and current trends. As normal, most BIM companies often show off several executed projects on the website. Taking a look at their successful projects is also a great way so that you can explore their BIM services.

3. Question 3: Can you provide me a price range for your services?

Normally, BIM providers will not publish their pricing plans on their website. Thus, you will need to find out more about the price when reaching out to them. A note that low costs are not always the best deal. A trustworthy company will always quote an affordable price with the efforts.

In reality, some of our clients share that they are offered low prices by some BIM companies. Then when having already deployed several real-life projects, they are charged at a higher cost with the poor quality of the deliverables. This can tell you that low cost does not always guarantee the quality of the final models. Companies offering lower costs may lack the expertise or professional skill to create BIM models.

The price of a BIM project often varies depending on the scope of work, level of detail (LOD), tolerance, parameter, building technical components, etc. So if you want to define the exact cost, the best way is to send them a data file with a very clear BIM scope of work. You can do the same way to all BIM providers you’re considering. A comparison in cost and quality will assist you to make informed decisions.

Want to know about our quotations?

Please send us your project data, our BIM consultant will work with you and give you a budgetary quotation.



Question 4: How is your Quality Assurance / Quality Control (QA/QC) process?

Quality is a vital part of any outsourced BIM projects. It is derived from all the steps of creating the BIM model to the deliverables of the project. This can affect the result of the final deliverables. So checking quality assurance and quality control should be considered in mind. You should ask BIM providers about how they have been conducting their Quality Assurance / Quality Control (QA/QC) process. If the process is good, you can rest assured that you could get a high-quality BIM model. To help you get an understanding of the QA/QC process, we crafted the article Quality Assurance / Quality Control for Scan to BIM projects. Hope this will help you to know better.

Bonus: Quality Assurance/Quality Control process for Scan to BIM projects

Question 5: How will you communicate with the client?

Communication is another vital factor in any outsourced BIM projects. Let’s say, you’re working with a BIM provider. You send them the project requirements but there is always a delay to respond to your requests. What’s going to happen? It’s more likely that the project progress will not be on track. Thus, it’s necessary to clarify how the BIM provider communicates with you and how long they respond to your request.

Keeping a connection during the project is essential to ensure that you stay updated with your project. A BIM provider with prompt communication can be a good choice for you.

BIM outsourcing service providers

Question 6: What software do you specialize in?

There is much software that supports BIM modeling, so you can check what software the BIM provider often uses to create BIM models. Some are working with Autodesk platforms such as Revit, Naviswork, 360 BIM, Recap, or AutoCAD.

Besides, there is also some other BIM software including ArchiCAD, Vectorworks Architect, AllPlan, BIM Track, and more.

Question 7: Do you provide a pilot project so that we can check your capabilities?

A real-life experience is worth a thousand words. This also holds true when you are evaluating the capability of a BIM company. Most BIM providers commit to high-quality BIM services. But whether you should take their word for it. The best way is that you should have a first-hand experience of their capability. This allows you to assess their professionals’ skills, knowledge, strengths, a record of accomplishment, and technical expertise.

Let’s ask them for a small pilot project in order to check how they communicate with, commitment, and most importantly, the quality of BIM models.

Wrapping up

Before you make a final decision, make sure what the BIM provider offers is suitable for your expectations. We hope the 7 questions above will assist you to find the best-fit BIM provider for your needs.

If you want to ask these questions, feel free to let us know. We will send you the official introductions that help you get an understanding of ViBIM services.

ViBIM is a global provider of Building Information Modeling (BIM) services. We’ve had more than 5 years of experience and expertise in Scan to BIM services, 3D BIM coordination, BIM design, and Dynamo BIM services for clients in the UK, US.

Contact us today to get a quotation for your Scan to BIM projects

BIM outsourcing partner
ViBIM updates

Relocate a BIM outsourcing partner to Vietnam amid COVID-19. Why?

The outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic has exerted a deleterious impact on the global economy. Due to the pandemic, some countries shut companies, production lines and still in lockdown state. This has slowed global trade and disrupted the supply chain. The disruption caused by the virus outbreak is encouraging business to develop sourcing options, instead of being over-reliant on one market.

For Vietnam, although the COVID-19 pandemic is triggering certain difficulties, Vietnam is still considered an appealing investment destination for companies in the world. Several businesses are selecting Vietnam as an alternative outsourcing option for other countries in the Southeast Asia region.

So the reason why Vietnam? Should relocate outsourcing to Vietnam? In this article, we will help you understand the current state of Vietnam BIM technology application as well as the main benefits of outsourcing BIM projects to Vietnam. We hope that it will help you make an informed decision about choosing your BIM ideal outsourcing vendor.

1. Why Vietnam?

In recent years, Vietnam has become an emerging market for outsourcing services in the global community. Talent, skilled workforce with affordable cost make Vietnam an interesting option for companies looking for outsourcing their projects. Despite the evolving complexities of the COVID-19 in some countries, Vietnam has proven the ability to control the epidemic well.

Compared to other countries in the region, Vietnam is one of the first countries to reopen its economy. Now that the country has moved from responding to the COVID-19 epidemic to recovery. With the ability to address the COVID-19 pandemic at an early stage, Vietnam reinforces foreign companies’ belief that the county is a relatively safe place to partner.

For the construction industry, Fitch Solutions forecasts that Vietnam’s building construction sector will grow strongly at over 7% over the next decade. Strikingly, a number of engineers in the construction industry in Vietnam tend to increase. This will provide a huge workforce for foreign companies who are looking for outsourcing services in the Southeast Asia region.

Vietnam construction sector growth

Source: Fitch Solution

2. Why Vietnam BIM outsourcing companies and Vietnam BIM engineers?

In 2016, Vietnam Deputy Prime Minister approved the scheme “Applying Building Information Modeling for construction projects and operation & management activities”. A large network of government agencies, design consultants, project managers, BIM solution providers, and more worked together to create national BIM standards, strategy, and roadmap.

Currently, BIM conception has been becoming more and more popular in the construction industry in Vietnam. This has created the emergence of BIM solution providers to meet the demands of the market. They not only provide BIM solutions for the construction industry in Vietnam but they also implement BIM projects for large-scale companies around the world.

Based on our years of experience in helping to connect companies from the US, UK, Japan, and Australia with Vietnam BIM talents, we’ve identified several great qualifications of Vietnam BIM engineers that might benefit your business.

2.1. A young, dynamic and well-educated BIM workforce

Lots of Vietnamese BIM engineers who had an opportunity to study abroad return to Vietnam to contribute to the national BIM development. There are also training courses relating to BIM software, BIM process has been instructing by BIM professionals at some universities.

According to the scheme “Applying Building Information Modeling for construction projects and operation & management activities”, Vietnam will also focus on training BIM human resources. Creating a BIM training curriculum for related job positions including framework, criteria of employees. Training BIM is widely instructed in the qualified BIM Training Units.

In addition, Vietnam also plans to cooperate with foreign countries and organizations in researching of BIM management technologies in construction and operation & management activities. Vietnam has witnessed an increase in the number of talented BIM engineers. This will create a chance for foreign companies to select skilled BIM engineers.

About ViBIM

2.2. A hard-working and meticulous working style

Vietnam’s labor force inherited its culture. Foreign companies that have worked with Vietnamese workers see that they are hard-working, keen on their work, and attentive to their duties. They tend to plan more carefully for the future and are determined to achieve their goals.

BIM engineers - BIM outsourcing partner

2.3. High responsibility and commitment

For outsourcing, your partner keeps their promise and on-time delivery is vital. Generally, young Vietnamese love to achieve goals through hard work and determination. They are willing to stay on-task and get the job done as they promise. This, undeniably makes Vietnam feature high on the radar for foreign businesses and become one of the leading outsourcing destinations worldwide.

2.4. Cutting-edge technologies

With the innate of intelligent characteristics, the Vietnamese are easy to catch up with the new trends in the construction sector. Besides, construction technology constantly changes, so Vietnamese engineers always keep up to date with the latest technologies to enhance the quality of products and their productivity. They also own outstanding technical skills and hands-on experience with large-scale projects for clients worldwide.

Keep up to date with new technologies - BIM outsourcing partner

2.5. Fluent English

Communication is also one of the important factors for the success of BIM outsourcing projects. EF Education ranks Vietnam at 29th on EF Education First’s English Proficiency Index. English is also considered a second language in most educational institutions in Vietnam. This gives an opportunity for Vietnamese talents to join the global workforce.

All these have made Vietnamese BIM engineers become one of the most competitive labor workforces in the Southeast Asia region.

3. Key factors when selecting a BIM outsourcing partner

Choosing the right BIM outsourcing BIM could be quite a challenge for your business. Before making a final decision, it’s essential to take a look at the following points in our last article 7 points to look out when selecting a BIM outsourcing partner:

  • BIM partner’s experience
  • High commitment
  • Quality standards
  • Clear and quick communication
  • Pricing models
  • Competence evaluation
  • Confidential information

Having an in-depth understanding of what you’re looking for will help you make informed decisions and get high returns on your investment.

4. Why ViBIM?

As mentioned above, there are various factors to consider when choosing a BIM outsourcing partner. With over 5 years of experiences in providing BIM services for the client in the US, UK, Japan, Australia, and more, we are here and ready to help you with any BIM project.

ViBIM specializes in Scan to BIM, BIM for Development Design, 3D BIM Coordination, and Dynamo BIM services. With our deep expertise and understanding of the industry standards, our team is confident to provide you with any project requirements.

Please let us know if you have any questions.

BIM outsourcing service providers
BIM news and trends

Best BIM outsourcing service providers 2021 that you can’t ignore

Using BIM has been shown to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and enhance the quality of each phase. It’s the reason that BIM is becoming more popular in the construction industry. A number of professionals use BIM technology to design and build to create spaces that are smarter and more adaptable. But the correct implementation of this technology is not easy, so there are several companies out there that help everyone close the gap when implementing it.

#1: ViBIM

Overview

ViBIM is the global provider of high-quality BIM services with more than 6 years of BIM experience. They have executed lots of BIM-related projects for large clients in the UK, US, Australia, Japan. Their strengths are on-time delivery, high-quality products, and expert consultancy. ViBIM helps its client enhance the competitive edge by adding values to 3D BIM models. ViBIM serves perfectly for the building industries such as Commercial, Healthcare, Residential, Industrial Real State, Education, Institutional and Government.

BIM outsourcing service provider

Main services

ViBIM areas of expertise include:

  • Scan to BIM service;
  • BIM for Design Development service;
  • 3D BIM Coordination service;
  • Dynamo BIM service

The cost of these services will vary depending on the scope of work, LOD, and LOI requirements, and workload hour. A notable thing is that ViBIM offers a free trial of projects so that you can evaluate their capability. Just send them a small Pilot project. Their BIM experts will analyze your project demands and offer you a FREE trial so you can understand more about their expertise.

 

#2: Trimble MEP Division

Overview

Trimble MEP Division is a global firm that delivers complex solutions to transform workflow from digital to the physical world. They offer hardware and software solutions for MEP contractors and engineers. Several main industries they cater to are Agriculture, Building Construction, Transportation, Government, Rail, etc. Trimble MEP Division is located in more than 40 countries, along with a wide range of dealers and partners. With access to the largest library of manufacturers’ content, Trimble helps improve the whole design, build, and operation process.

BIM outsourcing service provider

Main services

Besides hardware and software solution, Trimble MEP Division provides you with two main services including:

  • 3D Laser Scan and Scan Modeling Services;
  • 3D Modeling Services.

Visit and contact Trimble MEP Division to get to know more about their pricing plan.

Bonus: How to evaluate BIM capability of a BIM outsourcing partner

#3: Karno Energy

Overview

Karno Energy provides the client with a comprehensive approach in the engineering systems, using renewable energy and advanced BIM technology. Their staffs comprise professional engineers and scientists who are passionate about “green energy”. They help the client solve complex problems related to a series of HVAC and plumbing systems. They use modern methods of 3D analysis (Revit, Naviswork, etc), and high-performance solutions.

Main services

They offer a number of BIM services from the initial stage of the project to its delivery. Their expertise includes:

  • Building Information Modeling (BIM) services
  • Architecture services;
  • Structural Engineering services;
  • Building Services Engineering services;

They offer competitively priced and affordable BIM services with much attention to every specification of their clients. Please visit their website and contact them to know more about the pricing plan.

 

#4: Sanveo

Overview

Sanveo specializes in BIM (Building Information Modeling) and VDC (Virtual Design and Construction) and advanced technology consulting services. They cater perfectly to industries such as Hospitals, Offices, Industrial Buildings, Data Centers, Specialized Buildings, and more. Sanveo strives to produce high-quality products, provide the clients with excellent services, and on-time delivery.

BIM outsourcing service provider

Main services

Sanveo offers the following main services:

  • BIM & VDC Solutions
  • Reality Capture & Laser Scanning
  • Electrical Engineering Services
  • Training & Staff Development
  • Advanced Technology Solutions

Access to Sanveo’s website to get to know more about their pricing plan.

Bonus: 7 points to look out for when selecting a BIM outsourcing partner

#5: Outsourcing BIM

Overview

BIM Outsourcing is a professional engineering company that focuses on bringing top BIM Level 2 services to the client in the UK and beyond. Their purpose is to use the most cutting-edge technological solutions to drive innovation. Help the clients gain the benefits of more efficient projects that save time and money. Their staff includes qualified professionals with experience in government, commercial, and infrastructure projects.

Main services

Their expertise includes some key services as below:

  • 3D BIM services
  • 3D Modeling from Point Cloud Data
  • Construction Drawings
  • BIM Clash Detection Services
  • BIM Virtual Reality Walkthrough

 

#6: TrueCADD

Overview

TrueCADD is a multi-disciplinary engineering organization that provides outsourcing CAD and BIM services for AEC. Their aim is to provide real-world practical solutions to aerospace, automotive, heavy engineering, building industries, and more. Their strengths are clear communication, project execution, and quality deliverables. They focus on serving the clients mainly coming from the USA, Canada, UK, the EU, the Middle East, and Australia.

Main services

TrueCADD provides the client with services such as:

  • BIM Modeling services;
  • Architectural design services;
  • Structural design services;
  • MEP BIM services;
  • 3D Visualization services;
  • Mechanical design services;
  • CPQ solutions;
  • CAD Drafting services;

 

#7: Global CAD

Overview

Global CAD is one of the UK BIM and CAD service providers with over 20 years of experience.
They specialize in delivering expert BIM services to BIM Level 2 and beyond. Global CAD owns skilled BIM and CAD technicians with extensive experience. They use Revit, Fabrication CADmep, and AutoCAD to model & coordinate MEP services, architecture, and structure. Global CAD can help the client meet all BIM and CA requirements, delivering to tight deadlines at an affordable price.

BIM outsourcing service provider

Main services

Global CAD offers the client with several key services as below:

  • BIM: BIM services, MEP Coordination, Architecture & Structure, Point Cloud Modeling, BIM Revit Families;
  • CAD: 2D CAD Drafting, 3D CAD Modelling, Record Drawings, Scan To CAD;
  • Render and Animations: Visualisations & Renders, Animations & Walkthroughs
    Survey: Measured Building Surveys, Topographic Surveys.

 

What are your options?

Those companies above are just some references that we have collected from our clients, and from BIM experts all around the world. We hope this article will help you get the best and smart decision to choose a BIM outsourcing service provider for your BIM projects.

BIM capability assessment
BIM news and trends

How to evaluate BIM capability of a BIM outsourcing partner

The demand for BIM outsourcing services is more and more increasing. This has led to the new entry of various BIM service providers. So it’s necessary to evaluate BIM partners in the pre-qualification and selection phase. Several criteria have been proposed for the BIM capability assessment of an organization. In the last article, we shared with you 7 points to consider when selecting a BIM outsourcing partner.

As mentioned in that article, understanding the BIM partner’s experience is extremely important. Thus, the purpose of this article is to help you know how you should evaluate the capability of the BIM provider you plan to select. What can BIM capability assessment you use? Let’s discover it in detail.

1. General content of BIM capability assessment

In general, the pre-qualification questionnaire can include a series of topics such as company details, policies, accreditations, quality, BIM, etc. However, this post will focus on helping you understand more the BIM capability assessment. Regarding BIM assessments, the reference is from CPIc – the Construction Project Information Committee. They provide the best practice in the construction industry throughout the UK.

To evaluate the BIM capability of an outsourcing partner, you might use CPIx BIM Assessment Form.

BIM capability assessment

2. Key BIM assessment questions

The CPIx BIM Assessment Form includes 4 main sections as below:

  • Gateway Questions: Including several questions related to BIM compliance;
  • Areas of BIM: This section helps you get to know their BIM partner’s main expertise;
  • BIM Project Experience: You will have an opportunity to dig deeper into BIM projects what they’ve executed for the client;
  • BIM Capability Questionnaire: This section will help you identify training, coaching, and support required to BIM partners you plan to select.

The content of the BIM Competency Questionnaire depends on the requirements of each project. However, it usually includes some key content such as:

  • Do they have a BIM standard? How many projects have they executed? What was the scope of the project? What types of BIM services have they provided?
  • What is the technology solution they’re using for each discipline?
  • How many people are there in their company? How skilled are they?

In addition to BIM Execution Plan, the Construction Project Information Committee (CPIc) also provides you with three templates to evaluate BIM capability.

BIM capability assessment
Later, you can use a chart of National Institute Building Sciences. Fill in the criteria, and will have a complete BIM capability assessment.

BIM capability assessment

3. In conclusion

BIM capability assessment can help you understand more about the experience of your prospect BIM partner. Also, you should feel free to ask any question you’re wondering about their experience and capability. You may also feel confident that you will find out a trusted and reliable partner such as ViBIM. Then, you can leverage the partner’s expertise to deliver BIM for you. Get in touch with us today to find out more.

Bonus: Best BIM outsourcing service providers 2020

BIM outsourcing parners
BIM news and trends

7 points to look out for when selecting a BIM outsourcing partner

Outsourcing BIM services reveal a dramatically increasing trend because of the high demand for BIM services. It has proven to be an efficient and feasible solution that enables companies to save time and effort. However, selecting the right BIM partner is extremely important to the success of your project.

So, how should you choose the BIM outsourcing partner?

Someone prioritizes low costs over everything. However, we think accessing every aspect of a BIM outsourcing partner like their experiences, staff, pricing models, quality standards, commitment, IT infrastructure system is essential. Choosing a trusted and reliable partner helps avoid construction hassles and project risk at the next project stage. We have come up with 7 points to look out for when selecting a BIM provider to help you make the right decision.
If you are looking for outsourcing BIM services, you should follow these points below to avoid serious problems.

Here are 7 points to look out for when selecting a BIM partner

1. Be aware of BIM partner’s ability

The first thing you should do is to check and clearly understand the BIM outsourcing partner’s experience. You might list a series of questions to collect the necessary information. For example, how many projects have they executed? What was the scope of the project? What types of BIM services have they provided?
These questions will help you know how expertise the potential partner is. There are several ways to check the BIM partner’s experience:

  • Request their company portfolio and go into details on what types of services they have provided, the scope of projects executed, staffs, industries they served, IT infrastructure system, etc;
  • Visit the company’s website, read reviews, and customer success stories. Dig deep into the kind of projects successfully delivered by the BIM partner you plan to select;
  • Look at their social media profiles such as Linkedin, or Twitter;
  • Contact and request a trial to understand more their capability. Check the quality checklists such as BIM protocol, families, templates and standards;

For example, if you are a 3D laser scanning company and looking for someone to help you with Scan to BIM requirements, a BIM outsourcing service provider with the fine “Point cloud to BIM” experience is appropriate.

ViBIM owns a team of over 20 talents that include BIM consultants, architects, MEP engineers, and modelers. We focus on high-quality BIM products, on-time delivery, and long-term relationships. We specialize in Scan to BIM, 3D BIM Coordination, BIM Design Development, and Dynamo services for building industries.

2. Do they keep a high commitment?

The BIM partner you select should deliver your project on time because it can impact your later project stages. To check their commitment, you might refer to reviews of the company, client testimonials, or case studies to determine if they deliver on time. Work together with a company that keeps promises you will get a successful project.
BIM outsourcing services

3. Do they have quality standards?

Checking the quality assurance and quality control processes of your BIM outsourcing partner is necessary. Having quality standards will help them create accurate and high-quality 3D BIM models. Thus, you ask your BIM outsourcing partner about adequate quality standards and quality check processes. At ViBIM, we always provide a comprehensive quality checklist that will clarify the scope of work, the detailed requirement of projects, the Level of Details (LOD), and the Level of Information (LOI) before commencement. It helps customers and us have the same understanding of the scope of projects and requirements in detail.

BIM outsourcing services
BIM outsourcing services

4. Be efficient and quick in communication

Communication is crucial to the success of BIM projects. So, your BIM outsourcing partner should be able to listen to and fully understand all your requirements. Their team also needs to respond quickly to you on every channel, even in a different timezone. Besides, it shall be better if having a project manager who can follow and keep your project on track.

5. Find out their pricing plans

In reality, lots of BIM providers offer a low hourly rate to gain clients. However, cheap BIM outsourcing services do not always assure the efficiency and the quality of the final deliverable. BIM requires lots of time and effort. A reliable BIM provider will always offer a worth price with their ability.

Be careful with companies that offer a low price. They can lack experience or the necessary skills to create BIM models. These things can lead to the poor quality of BIM deliverables. Selecting a BIM partner that is not skilled and experienced can risk your project.

Please clarify their pricing models before making a decision. The pricing plans can vary on the type of BIM services and scope of work. For example, a BIM outsourcing partner can apply an hourly rate for Scan to BIM or BIM design services. But a lump-sum price can be appropriate to 3D BIM coordination.

6. Request a pilot project to understand more

A trial project is an opportunity for you to assess the capabilities of a BIM outsourcing service provider. You can request a pilot project to know more about their skills, knowledge, strengths, and weaknesses. With first-hand experience, you have a chance to verify the credibility of BIM providers you find out before.

To help everyone to evaluate our expertise, we offer a free trial of BIM services. Just send us a small pilot project. Our BIM experts will analyze your project demands and offer you a FREE trial so you can understand more about our capability.

7. How do they handle confidential information?

Confidentiality is one of the crucial factors when outsourcing BIM services. So signing a non-disclosure and intellectual property agreement are vital. It makes sure that nobody discloses any data and information about the project.

Besides, you should also check the IT infrastructure system of BIM outsourcing BIM providers. A well-developed IT system will help to protect your project data from destruction and other losses.

In conclusion

Selecting a BIM outsourcing partner is not an easy task. It does not just stop enough qualifications since BIM projects require extensive collaboration and communication. No matter what BIM outsourcing services you look for are, choosing the right outsourcing partners is vital. It will benefit your companies now and in the future.

If you’re looking for someone to handle all the 7 points above, then we can help you. Drop us an inquiry, and we will gladly assist you.