Research Student Project
Supervisor name & contact details:
Name Alan Hore
School Surveying and Construction
Management
Email alan.hore@dit.ie
Weblink (if available)
http://www.dit.ie/surveyingconstructionmana
gement/
Research Centre Name and Website (if
applicable)
Built Environment Research Group
(BERG)
Please indicate if the intention is to transfer
from the Masters programme to the PhD
programme (if applicable)
Yes
Please indicate if the project is suitable for a
self-funded student
Yes
Funding Agency
If no funding is available, please leave blank
Scholarship Details
Please give details of student stipend and
research fees covered by the funding
Building Information Modelling
Subject Area
Contracts and Procurement
Title of the Project
Collaborative Public Works Contracts Using
BIM – An Opportunity for the Irish Construction
Industry
Project Description (max 300 words)
Depending on the type of contract you are committed to the liabilities may still
be the same, as in traditional design-bid-build contracts. The only areas you can
become unstuck is where you are trusting the software to do everything. A BIM is
only one third of the information you need. Like with CAD, a portion of your role
relies on the information given to you by the designer. The rest is where your
liabilities sit. When utilising BIM, alliance contracts and integrated project
delivery (IPD) are the ideal solutions to address the challenges of liabilities. There
is also the practice of using collateral BIM Protocols to complement the
requirement to use BIM on a project, whilst retaining the use of standardised
contractual frameworks and provisions. There are ways to adapt other
procurement routes like managing contractor, design and construct, and lump
sum to adopt some of the BIM benefits. An incomplete model is no different to
an incomplete set of drawings so it cannot be the sole source of information to
rely on. In Ireland, large and progressive contractors are claiming significant
benefits in construction management efficiency through the implementation of
BIM. While these contractors note that the cost benefits to the project budget
alone justify the implementation of BIM in the field, they are acutely aware that
in 2011 the UK Government has mandated the construction industry in the UK to
use BIM on all public projects by 2016. In the Republic of Ireland however, in
2007, the Government introduced the Public Works Contracts (PWC) suite for the
procurement of all public sector works. After 8 years of working with the PWC
suite of contracts, these contracts have now been widely identified as being
unfairly balanced in favour of the Employer and as being a barrier influencing the
prospect for recovery of the construction industry in Ireland. A recent Irish
Government agency report recommended a review of the current contract for
Public Works by both Government and Industry stakeholders with a view to
implementing any changes required to ensure fair and reasonable terms for all
parties involved. This review is currently underway and, in submissions, Industry
stakeholders have called for the PWC to be revised to include a more
collaborative and co-operative approach. This research project will consider the
experiences of other jurisdictions in adopting collaborative construction contract
practices through BIM and will propose how the industry in Ireland can leverage
BIM to create a more integrated and collaborative environment for the purpose
of delivering better project outcomes for the key stakeholders involved in
construction projects.
Please indicate the student requirements for this project
Minimum 2.2 Honours degree in Quantity Surveying
Deadline to submit applications (only for
funded projects)
4th January 2016