It may seem like just a few years ago when your business made a shift to computer-based 2D takeoff tools to facilitate more accurate and faster results. With the widespread adoption of BIM, model-based takeoffs are emerging as a high value activity for pre-construction and estimating teams. But, how do you make the change in your business processes? Assemble has experience helping teams transition to using model-based takeoffs. Let’s review a few best practices to transition your team to BIM.
- Start by simply validating your existing 2D takeoffs with model-based information on a few of your existing projects. The model inventory can be used to check quantities quickly and for visual inspection of the assemblies, design intent, and constructability. Once the team realizes there are similarities in their 2D quantities and the model quantities, they will start to trust model information.
- For the next phase of implementation, use the model to takeoff items that otherwise must be counted manually, take a lot of time, or are low risk. Doors, windows, interior partitions are often very manual to count or quantify, and your team has a lot of experience with them. A model inventory will provide the team with this information in minutes, saving time. This time saving will help shift the team to model-based methods as they will have more time for more important, high value activities.
- Finally, your team will take the next steps in integrating model-based takeoff methods more frequently and for higher risk, higher detailed areas of their estimates while experiencing the speed, accuracy and insight they get from model information. At this point they will start to ask for automation of other key estimating processes, based on the efficiencies the model takeoff provides them.
Why use Assemble for model-based takeoffs?
Assemble will add additional value to your team by providing ease of use and ease of access while delivering fast model information. Getting access to model quantities is as easy as opening up a web browser, where every estimator has access to a complete inventory of the model information. In addition, Assemble provides insight into how the model has changed as the design progresses, so the team knows which areas of the estimate need updates. There is no wasted time flipping through sheets to find changes. And finally, because we are cloud based, there is very little impact to your IT infrastructure or hardware requirements. We do the maintenance, upgrades and frequent enhancements to make Assemble a low risk solution to transition your business.
Any time you make a change to your business processes there is risk involved, but with Assemble, we don’t require you to make a fundamental shift at the outset of the transition, further reducing the risk. The flexibility of our system allows you gradually build your model-based expertise and provides you with the insight to understand how models are created. You don’t have to wait to begin to shift your business to model-based takeoff methods. Call us today and we can help you start the transition immediately. The time you save, the efficiency and accuracy improvements, and the marketable BIM expertise you will be building across the team will result in improved business outcomes, like winning new work!
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