Methodology for cost-benefit analysis for BIM in public tenders: results and outcomes of the project

29 Jul 2021

RINA developed a model enabling EU public clients to evaluate the costs and benefits of the use of BIM in the public construction sector

RINA, supported by B1P Group S.r.l., finalised the work carried out concerning the tender “Methodology for cost-benefit analysis for the use of BIM in public tenders”, awarded by the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA) in September 2020. The activity was performed with the aim of contributing to one of the first deliverables of the European Renovation Wave for the construction ecosystem. It aims to build the case for the introduction of BIM in public procurement for individual public projects, by demonstrating costs and benefits from the perspective of public clients.

During the nine months of the project, RINA and B1P Group collaborated with EU BIM Task Group and were supported by public entities that participated in structured interviews and questionnaires in order to collect valuable opinions on the topic.

A clear methodology has been developed enabling EU public clients to estimate the advantages and drawbacks of using BIM in their own specific projects. The three main outcomes are:

- a cost benefit analysis (CBA) tool was designed as an excel model for European public clients with varying degrees of knowledge and experience of BIM, allowing them to evaluate the adoption of BIM in their projects with maximum clarity;

- six examples were identified, reflecting typical tenders launched by public entities (small-scale infrastructures and buildings with differing budgets and covering diverse phases of the life cycle), in order to demonstrate and validate the use of the CBA tool and its applicability in every European country;

- an easy-to-read handbook was created, as an illustrated document to serve as a guideline for the EU public entities, presenting the model developed to simulate the costs and benefits of adopting BIM in public projects and the case studies that can guide the users in better understanding and utilising the model.

All the results were successfully presented at a final online event organised by RINA and EISMEA in May 2021. The event was attended by more than 150 people, including public procurers and organizations dealing with the construction industry, associations and universities.

You can find the user “Calculating costs and benefits for the use of Building Information Modelling in public tenders – Methodology handbook” at the EU Publications office website and at the EU BIM Task Group website.

The cost-benefit analysis (CBA) tool can be dowloaded at this link.