The savings lie in the transitions between construction phases - How Total BIM creates value from design to operations
In many construction projects, it is not a lack of information that causes problems. It is a lack of shared, up-to-date and usable information when decisions need to be made.
The latest revision is in one place. Clarifications are in another. O&M data is often collected late. And when the project moves from design to production, from the construction site to handover, and from documentation to operation, time, quality and control are lost.
It is in these transitions that Total BIM creates value.
When the BIM model becomes the operational source of truth, information is moved out of static drawings, PDFs, emails and manual clarifications – and into a shared model-based workflow. Then BIM becomes more than just a design tool. It becomes a management foundation for the entire value chain.
The savings therefore lie not only in lower costs. They lie in fewer rounds of clarification, less waiting, fewer errors built into the design, less rectification at handover and a better data foundation for operations.
From design: make better decisions before errors become costly
In the design phase, the value is about more than just creating a good model. It is about ensuring that the model actually becomes a shared basis for decision-making.
When disciplines work towards the same up-to-date information base, it becomes easier to see the consequences of changes, detect clashes, clarify interfaces and reduce the risk of errors being passed on to the construction site.
This is one of the key benefits of Total BIM: the information does not remain isolated with the designers. It is structured so that it can be used by those responsible for planning, building, inspecting, handing over and operating the project.
Chalmers’ research on Total BIM highlights precisely this shift. The value lies not only in the 3D model, but in how the model changes working practices and creates a shared information base throughout the project.
To build: when the information must work in the field
For contractors and project management, BIM only becomes truly valuable when the model works on the construction site.
It is of little use that the information exists if it is not easy to find, understand and use during construction. When the latest revision is difficult to identify, or clarifications are scattered across emails, meetings and PDFs, the risk of delays, misunderstandings and construction errors increases.
In practice, cost savings often boil down to very specific things: finding the right information faster, reducing the number of clarification rounds, avoiding work being carried out in the wrong order, detecting deviations earlier and giving more roles access to the same basis for decision-making.
Over time, Skanska and other contractors have highlighted BIM as a driver for better coordination, better sequencing and lower risk in complex projects. It is often here that the argument becomes most concrete for the site organisation: less waiting, fewer errors and better flow in production.
Total BIM is therefore not about introducing yet another digital layer on top of the project. It is about making the model a working basis that is actually used where the work takes place.
To handover: from final clean-up to ongoing delivery
Handover is one of the most underestimated loss points in construction projects.
A great deal of information already exists within the project, but it is often not structured in such a way that it can be used directly by the client or operations. The result is that documentation must be gathered, organised, checked and completed late in the process. This creates duplication of work. It creates uncertainty. And it undermines confidence in the data foundation just as the building is about to be taken into use.
With Total BIM, the handover is brought forward in the project. Information is linked to objects, rooms, systems and responsibilities as the project progresses. The handover then becomes not a separate tidying-up task at the end, but an ongoing part of the project’s information flow.
buildingSMART and COBie highlight the same principle: the value of digital handover lies in structuring the information that is actually needed for operation, maintenance and management. Not just delivering more documentation, but delivering documentation that can be used.
To FM: when documentation becomes a working basis
For the operations team, the problem is rarely a lack of documentation. The problem is that the documentation is often not linked to the building’s actual use.
Where is the equipment located? Which room does it concern? Which component is installed? What is the history? What maintenance is required? Who is responsible? When was it last updated? When this information is scattered or difficult to rely on, the client loses value even after the project is completed.
The greatest financial benefit of improved information flow is often realised over the building’s lifetime. When operations and management receive structured, up-to-date and usable information, it becomes easier to plan maintenance, handle deviations, track deliveries and build on the data.
Handover is not the end of the BIM process. It is the start of a more data-driven operational phase.
Where the savings actually lie
The savings achieved with Total BIM do not stem from any single feature. They result from improved interaction between technology, information structure and work processes.
| Drivers for cost savings | What it reduces | Where value is created |
|---|---|---|
|
One single source of truth |
Versioning errors, duplication of effort and uncertainty |
Design, build and handover |
|
Control and traceability |
Wrong decisions and unclear lines of responsibility |
Design and build |
|
Secure information flow |
Incorrect access, misuse and fragmented information sharing |
The entire value chain |
|
Field adoption |
Delays, misunderstandings and incorrect construction Build |
Build |
|
Structured handover |
Final clean-up, omissions and weak O&M deliverables |
Handover and FM |
|
Data-driven operations |
Manual processes, weak decision-making basis and low data quality |
FM and portfolio |
This is also why Total BIM should not be seen as merely a digitalisation project. It represents a shift in how projects are planned, built, handed over and operated.
From model to working method
BIM does not create value simply because the model exists. Value is created when the model is used by people other than BIM specialists.
When clients, consultants, contractors, skilled workers and operations teams all work from the same up-to-date information base, the gap between planning and production is reduced. Between requirements and delivery. Between documentation and operations.
This is what Total BIM in StreamBIM has been developed to support: making the model accessible, usable and controlled throughout the entire work process – from design to operations.
For organisations seeking to reduce errors, waiting times, rework and loss of information, the question is therefore not simply whether they “use BIM”.
The question is whether BIM has actually become part of the way they work.
It is only then that Total BIM moves from digital ambition to measurable impact.
